Happiness

We Moved to California!

Sasha

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I have woken up each morning for the past two weeks forgetting where I was. ‘Oh yeah, I live in California. No, it wasn’t some dream.’

“Fast” would be an understatement when it came to the whirlwind of events which brought us here. My husband had flown out to interview for the job. He called me up to tell me he received the offer and signed the contract and, “We’re moving in three days.”

“…………Wait….. you mean in three weeks, right?”

“No, three days.”

Insert deer in headlights look here.

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Somehow we did it. In some crazy, adrenalin filled way we packed up our life, said good bye to our closest friends, and were gone. My husband drove the moving truck across the States in two days. This would have taken any normal person four. I flew to Denver and then LAX all by myself with two toddlers who had to wake up at 4AM to get to the airport. In the past I would have said I could not do it. It’s nice to see what we are actually capable of.

We unpacked in two days and spend the next two long and dreadful mornings in the DMV. But my license now says “California.” I am officially allowed to say things like “Dude.” and “Right on.” And I guess that I can even call myself a Real Housewife of Orange County. 😉 😉

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I can see palm trees and mountains out my windows. The weather has been warm and sunny without fail. The beauty breathtaking, the amount of things to see and do overwhelming, and the people simply wonderful. I am still in a dream, and yet the great part is no one is going to wake me up.

And so today, as I sit and see the palm leaves blowing in the wind, I want to say to you: go for it. Go for your dreams. Whatever they may be. Perhaps you are not some crazy adventure seeking, new people, new places lover like myself. But we all have our dreams. Even moms. As much as we love and cherish and live our every waking moment for our little ones, we still have dreams of our own.

Don’t let anything hold you back. Life is short. And who knows: that dream may be closer than you realized…

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28 thoughts on “We Moved to California!”

    1. Larissa, I did not realize you were from here! I am in LOVE! More and more each day! I love the personality, the lifestyle, and the people are amazing! I think I already have ten playdates set up with the nicest moms one could meet! What part of Cali are you from??

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      1. It’s such an amazing place, and beautiful scenery! That is so great that you are already settling in with playdates! I am from central California, right near Santa Barbara. We have the beach on one side and mountains on the other. I couldn’t ask for a better place to be!

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  3. Congrats on the whirlwind move! I was born aand raised in San Diego and loved it. I moved to Wisconsin, met my husband and have been here 10 years. I still say dude, awesome, and say freeways the the word “the” in front of it. We go back every year and I miss it so much. We have thought of moving there all the time. My husband is a software architect and there is a lot of opportunities for him out there, but the idea of selling our house and getting a new one. One child is in school with two soon to follow. It all is beyond daunting. Enjoy living there, it is a beautiful place!

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    1. Emily, San Diego is simply wonderful! But Wisconsin is a nice place too, so I will try not to rub in all the details of it. 😉 😉 If ever you feel the urge to pick up and move back in three days let me know! I have all the inside scoop of how to get it done. 🙂

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  4. I so seriously needed to read this. We too are (hopefully) in the middle of a move as well within the next week, and I LOVE hearing people say you can do it and they have and so on. Good Luck and Congrats on the new chapter in your lives 🙂

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  5. Welcome to California. The OC is an awesome place to live. How far away are you from the beach? I’ve lived in North Los Angeles for most of my life and went to college in San Diego. I can’t believe you moved in three days. That is a record.

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    1. Melissa, Cali is SUCH a wonderful place! We are about a 20 minute drive from the beach–a drive we have taken many times in the past three weeks! 🙂 Are you still here? I know there is a nice beach picture on your front page!

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      1. I live about 45-50 minutes away from the beach. I can choose Ventura beaches or the Santa Monica area. I’d like to live a little closer because the weather is so nice.

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  6. Congrats! I live in Orange County too. Our weather is pretty darn amazing. I hope that you love it here! There are some awesome mom groups that you can connect with through FB.

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    1. Crystal!!! You are in Orange County too–I am so excited!! The weather is pretty much heaven on earth, especially when compared to Cleveland’s sub zero temps this past winter! 🙂 If you want to shoot me a private email momlifenow@gmail.com I would LOVE to talk more and get lots and lots of info from you!!

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    1. Thanks Adrian! I think the adrenal of moving here is the ONLY way it was done! 😉 Love this place so much though. It is 100 times better than I had even imagined! 🙂

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  8. Congrats, Sasha! That sounds great and lovely to hear you so happy! I went to California on the overnight train from Canada as a kid with my Dad and loved it. We arrived at 2 am and walked around in bare feet, smelling the dewy flowers and hugging palm trees. A beautiful place. Wishing you much happiness…
    Anna

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    1. Anna, what a beautiful story–straight from a novel! Thank you for sharing this with me! We haven’t hugged any palm trees yet but I think I have yet to see my kids with shoes that stay on their feet! 🙂

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  10. Unbelievable! (How fast it happened!) Good for you guys! From your post it sounds like this was part of your dream plan!? So excited for you all! I realize I don’t know where you were prior to that. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m also like– how did you find a house that fast! Etc. Etc. Details please! In any case, I’m happy for you! What a wonderful sudden shift. I think those are energizing!

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    1. Haha, it happened so fast even I am a bit confused on all the details! 🙂 My husband found an apartment when he came out to interview for the job. It’s a really fun place–beach condo feel to it with pools and palm trees. We live right in the center of everything so I have yet to even drive my car. I put the kids in the back of my bike carrier each morning, pack a lunch, and we head out to explore another new place! It’s my personality and so this was completely my thing. And yes, a dream for sure, just not one I ever really thought would happen so quickly! We were in Cleveland for the past two years and loved it there. Just didn’t love the winters! 🙂

      And yes, nothing quite so energizing!

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    1. Aw, sad you are leaving right as I am arriving!!! BUT, so excited you are about to set out on a journey of your own!! It is such a fun and exciting chapter! Where are you moving to??

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  13. Isn’t California amazing??!! There is a feeling here that is hard to explain but you feel it as soon as you step outside into the sunshine. We moved here almost 2 years ago and I’m sooo happy that we did. I’m still exploring and trying to find new things to do with my little one. Congrats on the big move!

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  14. Oh wow. This is timely. There is a chance that we might move to CA. I’m kind of scared. I’ve lived in the same place with all my family and friends since I was 3. California sounds amazing, but there is so much I love here. I wonder about the trade off. I think I was meant to read this post.

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