Crazy Changes!!! Our Move to Southern California

Having a child changes a lot in life...
It's crazy...
There is no way else to say it...
It's crazy...
Crazy good, crazy busy, crazy emotional, crazy "what the heck are we doing?"

Rick and I have learned a lot about each other and a lot about ourselves in this "crazy" adventure in parenting, and like I said before, there have  been many changes.

In December, Rick approached me with a crazy idea...he wanted to go back to school to finish his degree and even possibly change direction.  He had been thinking about it for a while and had developed the goal to finish well.  I was proud of this decision and supported it, but had a few hesitations...primarily in the financial side of things.  When we came together and crunched the numbers it was so refreshing to see that we ABSOLUTELY COULD do this with a few changes to the budget.  So in January, Rick quit his career of 11 years and enrolled in college.  An extra perk to this decision is that we were able to stop daycare as Rick was able to stay at home with Will.

Let me brag a bit and tell you that the past 7 months have been amazing!  Rick is so organized and neat and had a schedule going within the first week he was home.  He not only kept the house going and took care of Will, he also managed to receive straight 'As' in his first semester.  He also found out that he is an excellent writer and even enjoys doing it!

This was a big change for us, but in April/May, we made an even bigger decision.  We decided to move back to our hometown in San Diego!  This was a bittersweet decision as we would be leaving the friends that we love...they have really become our family in the last 11 years.  Our goal has always been to come back down, and our desire was for Will to have a close relationship with his Grandparents and other family members.

The  move was a bit crazy.  We definitely had WAY too  much stuff!  For the month of June we had 2 garage sales, I sold multiple items on Lincoln Yard sale (a Facebook group), and made about 10 runs to Good Will.  We got rid of a lot, yet still once we loaded everything into the moving truck it would not all fit!!!!  Yikes, slight heart attack when Rick told me.  No big deal...it only meant that we needed another truck and thankfully, Rick's parents came up to help so we had another driver.  We left our home (old home) on the 26th of June...3 vehicles (22 ft truck, 16ft truck, and our CRV in back) on the 5 freeway headed south.  It was difficult saying good-bye...really difficult.  Even as I sit here, 2 weeks past, my heart aches thinking of the friends we left behind.

We are hopeful that we will make new relationships down here and develop stronger bonds with the family that we have been away from for too long.  It has been a fun time so far down here and we are quickly realizing that the weather is MUCH better in San Diego.  Of course there are the disappointing features, i.e. the Costco's are much better in Northern California (ridiculous that I even wrote that, right?) and the housing is more expensive.  But we are holding on to the greatest thing about living down here...FAMILY!!!!!

Sticky, Sweaty, Sad, Excited and Exhausted...our last day in Lincoln, CA.  Ready for the journey ahead!  Here is to an AMAZING "new" beginning for the Medina's in Southern California!