superCALIfragilisticexpialidocious

So many great things this week!  Tuesday night Lauren and I had our weekly dinner together while the boys were at conference. We laughed a lot tonight and had a great time.  I mean how can you not have a blast if theres a pool, hot tub, and laughter involved . I love our mid week pick me up.  Its quickly becoming necessary.

Wednesday George and I had a low key morning.  We re-visited Lacy Park where we met two new friends who played with George for a long time (and gave me a break from the see-saw).  We had a picnic there and then went home for some rest time.  Post non-nap, we tried a different park within walking distance from our house (there are three within a fifteen minute walk!). George found another friend and I got the number of her nanny, a sweet girl who I thought was the mom but was in fact a recent high school graduate. Hmm, I wonder if she thought I was George's nanny? I think probably not.  Gosh I feel....not gonna say it, not gonna be that girl.
A nice family meal, bath time and bed!

Thursday we went to Target and ran into a girl that I really clicked with at church. Even in LA, you run  into folks you know in Target on a random Thursday morning. Thats why I love this small town of South Pasadena.  Everyone says that its one of the only places in LA that truly has a "neighborhood" feel. Granted, I rarely talk with anyone who does not live here/love it here.  After George's non-nap we went to a get together at Garfield Park.  A parent of one of the children in George's new class at school organized it so that we could all meet and hopefully see some familiar faces the first day of school. It was a great idea since I met no one in his class at the previous get together.  We met three boys who will be in George's class.  I cannot describe in words how wonderful it made me feel to be with other moms of three year old boys.  They said things to their boys like "Do not whine. You can tell me in a regular voice" and "Please come on, for the 18th time, put your shoes back on", "be gentle", "I know he has juice but your mom brought you water" and " please, do not hang on my arm when I am trying to cut this food up for you, I am going to end up cutting your finger off".  Just a sampling of the phrases that made me feel so normal and good.  Its been almost two months since George and I have been around other three year old boys and their moms and this was just what I needed.   And just in the knick of time. I had begun to think that I was crazy or that George was not normal, but thank goodness for these moms and their boys!!  George and I are both semi-normal (no one is allowed to comment on that statement).   The parents were really nice too.  One dad that I met plays on a softball team so I told him that if they ever need an extra player I brought my glove.  Keep your fingers crossed because that would make my life to be able to play ball out here.  Its not co-ed but he said I could maybe play catcher or something.  I will try not to be offended by that statement. Nothing against catchers, its the hardest position in real ball, but in beer leagues well just suffice it to say, its not really a compliment. I will just leave it at that.  Big George was able to go to this event with me and it was so nice to have him there.  At least a few of the parents will know he exists since he most likely will not be able to make it to many other school functions.  Georgie had a great time and by the end called one boy by name. It was so so so so good to see him play with other little boys. So good. Did I mention it was good to see him play with other boys??? It was good to my soul. Praise God!

Friday morning we were able to Facetime with Grammy and George showed her all his toys.  Then we went to Orange Grove Park after our morning run for a Pi-Yo class I had been invited to attend.  There were four girls and the instructor (I learned that she is new to South Pas as well- although very connected in California, she's only been in this area for two months).   There were eight kids plus George.  Most of these women were my age or younger and most of them had another child in school. Am I behind or something (again, no comments from the peanut gallery-Mom and Lynn)?  The idea was for the kids to play at the playground and the moms to enjoy an hour of fused Pilates and Yoga.  It was more like this:  I got to pretend I was the playground and George climbed all over my "tree pose" and "warrior two position".  Laughable, but still very fun. I enjoyed the girls and their kids and I enjoyed the freedom to bring George and not feel bad for his constant interruption.  Each mom had to stop at least once to tend to her little ones and two of us completed the hour class with an attachment for 70 % of the time.  Resistance or just dangerous? I vote dangerous.  At the end though, as we visited Shavasana (the last pose where you just lay there and breathe) George just sat on my lap as still as a statue.  It was really an awesome experience to do Yoga with him beside me.  I thought it would be stressful or not worth it but it turned out to be quite the opposite, it was more meaningful and more fun.  As I "shavasana-ed" I thought about how very much I loved him and how very much I enjoy our days together.  On the way back home we stopped in at Buster's - a very popular cafe on the main strip and treated ourselves to a smoothie. I got "Soy Lover's Protein" and George got "blue". They were a tasty and refreshing treat on this hot day after a run in the sun and outside yoga.  We walked all the way home and drank our smoothies.  Dean got a bath and his ears cleaned and George was a good helper; he acted as very generous treat dispenser every time he thought Dean had earned one.  After a good long nap (a real one, where he actually fell asleep!) big George returned from work with two treats for me- a bag of fresh cut fruit from a street vendor and his FIRST PAYCHECK.  Thank Goodness, its been a long two months without one of those!  We picked up dinner from Senor Fish and went to Oneonta for a family movie night.  They played "Mary Poppins" on a big screen outdoors under the stars and it was perfection.  Have you ever had one of those cameo moments where you feel like you have dreamed up the whole thing?  You almost feel guilty for how happy you are? Well, I just experienced one of those nights.  The weather was perfect, I had grilled shrimp tacos in my belly and my boys by my side.  Fresh popped popcorn and popsicles were passed around and George pointed out  every plane that went by. What could be better?  I can tell you- the fact that Mary Poppins sang the sound track of our evening.  Such a happy movie.  Do you remember the scene where Uncle Albert can not stop his laughter from bubbling up over and over again and he is stuck in the air??? I had forgotten about it and laughed that genuine laugh with Uncle Albert and the rest of the audience.  You should google it if you need a pick-me-up today.  Georgie LOVED it.  His giggles and faces as we watched the movie were the best part of the whole night.  What pure delight.  Absolute un-tainted pure satisfactory delight.  I might just say it was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  I did just look that up but I would like to note that I spelled it correctly before I looked.  One point for me.
Super-CALI- fragilisticexpialidocious!!

Golden Wheat and a Rockin' Beat

Monday we just cleaned and went to the grocery store. Nothing exciting.  Except that I bought a ten dollar loaf of bread.  It said $1.99 .......PER OUNCE........who sells bread by the ounce? Veggies, sure. Fruit, I'm down with that. Bread? So frustrated. Golden Wheat, huh? - No. freaking. joke.

George had a tough day at work today, this weekend his loupes were either stolen or lost and he thought just maybe he would find them at work Monday, but no loupes.  Oh- loupes are these fancy glasses surgeons wear that are designed precisely for the owner's face.  They have sort of a telescopic lens so they are often stolen by people who think they can get a lot of money for them when in fact they are worthless to anyone but the owner.  There's a sermon in there somewhere for all you preacher friends.  Work it out and let me know what you come up with.  Loupes are also extremely expensive, which is why my ten dollar loaf of golden wheat was more of a frustration today.  They are also extremely necessary for him to operate and take a month to make/ship new ones.  On top of that, this week he has to do this Microsurgery course with this very precise Japanese surgeon.  This man sounds amazingly good at his job but also sounds like a perfectionist.  Ok, so he has to sew together a blood vessel. Have you ever LOOKED at a blood vessel? They are hard enough to SEE much less sew together!  Look right now at your wrist...tiny right? He had a backache and a headache and a little heartache too.  Thank your surgeons and doctors for all they go through to be thorough and perfect at what they do.  Perfection is the only accepted end product.

Then it took Georgie a long time to go to sleep, hence my morning project on Tuesday:

Tuesday was a lot of fun. We went to The Americana, an outdoor mall in Glendale, with Jenny. Jenny is the preacher's wife and her daughter Evie is George's age. They held hands as they walked through the mall. It was SO good to see him with a buddy again.  Its been months since he's had a constant friend his age to play with.  They have free live bands that play for kids on Tuesday mornings. The band was really fun and George danced a little (well, kind of bounced up and down on his toes).  Then we went to Jamba Juice for a smoothie because kids get free ones with a purchase of an adult beverage. We rode a trolley and saw a ton of neat things.  Everything was so new that George would just stop and stare at the most random things. Elevators, trash cans, a bench....

Oh and in the bathroom was this really neat little spot for indoor play. I felt like I had entered someone's home. There was a large flatscreen TV, blocks, crayons, and puzzles for toddlers and then five or six "nursing rooms".  They were dark and quiet with a rocker in each one and tissues and anything else you might need to calm an infant while your toddler plays. NC- take note! Talk about catering to moms! Then we came home and George fell right to sleep.  I love these packed mornings with lots to do.  Jenny asked me to go with their family and some others to the LA county fair this weekend because admission is 1$ from 10am-1pm.  Ummm, yes please!  It will not be the NC State fair, but something tells me they will deliver.  I will not expect deep fried butter, that way I will not be disappointed.

Count it all as JOY!

Saturday we decided to go to Huntington Beach. I just love our consistency and determination as we tackle the beaches of So Cal. We WILL be victorious, we WILL visit each and every one in search of a beach that beats the beauty of Wrightsville Beach or the charm of Carolina Beach.  Charm comes in many forms, in CB's case, charm = donuts and I could eat about half dozen pieces o' charm right about now.  George and I both like Huntington Beach the best so far.  Its a little farther down south and takes a little over an hour to get there but to us, it was worth it.  To park was easy and relatively reasonable in  price and availability.  There were LOTS of surfers and I just love that feel. There's something so magical about it.  I guess it comes from my daddy but the feel of a surf town just gets me, down deep inside. And to add to that wonderful feel, about a mile away is Dog Beach. Dog Beach is this oasis of life as it should be. Dogs run free, play in the water with their masters and are not restrained in most cases. Its like a little piece of heaven on earth. Big ones, little ones, gorgeous breeds, loyal mutts and some dogs who are so ugly they are cute.  We went for a run on the boardwalk first thing because it was a little too chilly to be on the beach. For some reason, the mist hung charmingly heavy and we did not mind because it added to the heavenly feel.  And plus,  that's perfect weather for a run.  I saw this RV camp farther down the beach and could not tell if these people had been parked here since the 70's or if they are just So Cal's version of rednecks (no offense- I love rednecks- they make me feel at home).  Man, they had the SET-UP. Seriously, campers everywhere- doors open, charcoal grills out front, a little fence for the dogs, some even had satellite, almost all had a surf board or two and a little contraption so that you would not have to put your board on the sand to wax it and I would not have been a bit surprised if I had seen potted plants on the steps of an RV.  These people are livin' the life, I thought!  So cool, dudes, hang ten, gnarly....keep it real.

Then we sat on the beach and played, read magazines, made sandcastles, etc.  I was extra cautious about our snacks and the seagulls.  Lauren and I fashioned a new way to keep them away from our goodies. They inch too close,  we throw sand toys at them.  Its pretty fun. These birds are gonna find out what kind of arms they grow in North Cackalacky.  Mid-afternoon we decided it was time to go. The beach town was hopping by this time.  It took us a while to get home but George got a good nap.  We let him sleep a little more once we got home and I worked on supper while George went out and about. He had my car cleaned, inside and out. This is my love language.  Not "Acts of Kindness" but specifically the act of ridding my car of molding goldfish, paper towels and juice boxes and who knows what else, the act of washing the grime away from the cross country tow.  This man is a good one. This made my day. And to top it off, he picked up a piece of Mahi Mahi on the way home and grilled it. I made rice, a salad and some Lavash crackers and we ate like kings and queens.

Sunday we went to Oneonta Church again.  First George ran off into the nursery and never said goodbye, never turned around. This is a good thing.  Secondly, the pastor delivered a wonderful sermon. I mean, truly inspirational to both of us and to the point.  To the 'Jesus' point.  I love that this pastor talks so much about Jesus.  It refreshed us immensely.  We both left with a word from the Lord and a some courage to speak of the beauty of the gospel in the week to come. After too many cookies and coffee we left with the preachers wife's phone number in hand, ready to make a plan for our kiddos to get together this week.  She has a little girl George's age.  Score! She even mentioned the words "share my sitter".  Those are golden words for someone from out of town with no Grammy or Nana around.  Music to my ears. "Share my babysitter" that's better than "share my cookie" or "share my car" or "share my ice cream cone".  The pastor talked to us for a long time after the service and we got such a good, down to earth vibe from he and his wife.  It was their sixth anniversary today (George and I share six years as well), their little girl is almost three, and she is a full time Mom also.  She said she would introduce me to all her friends with young ones.  What a blessing!
We ate lunch, and all took a nap.  When George woke up, we took a family walk to the park.  George scooted and Dean even got to come.  Dean was most definitely the star of the show tonight.  Everyone wants to pet him and talk about him, sniff him (other dogs of course, Californians are not that weird) or play with him.  Young, old, male, female, he attracts them all. Its really special to have this again. I guess everyone back home was used to him and his huge beautiful self.  And he handled it well too.  For an old man he did great as young little ones ran up to him and other dogs barked at his size.  I think he liked being the center of attention again and I am happy for him. Sometime the big old boy just gets shoo'ed away or banished from the room for his stankyness (spell check, have fun with that one).
We stopped at Bristol Farms (the fancy grocer) for dinner and I had lobster ceviche and a power energy salad. George had chicken tacos and little George got chips and a couple bites of turkey sandwich.  I got some Kombucha "live" tea soda thing that claimed to have- count them- one "billion probiotics". Ha! George promptly spilled about four million of my four dollar billion probiotics.  After a long walk home with full bellies George asked so sweetly, "Mommy can we build a fort" as he motioned to his daddy.  His daddy looked at me like he was five and seriously, how could any mama say no to TWO pairs of doe eyes? So a fort was constructed while I cleaned up another mess from previous activities. Another great day as a family.  I love all the time we have together. Its is so special and dear to me. I will cherish this time because I know life will get busy once we meet more people and find ourselves committed to more activities. But for right now, I will cherish these moments and "Count it all as joy" James 1:2.

This is the fort, and even Dean got an invitation

Pizza Movie NIght

Friday 8/23

We have adopted a tradition from some dear friends of ours back home in Durham.  Every Friday night since we have been here, the three of us have settled in to a good kid movie and some homemade pizza, aka "PizzaMovieNight". It is pronounced all in one breath.  I say good kid movie but in actuality I have not loved a single one. The first night, George insisted on the "dinosaur" movie - "Night at the Museum". It was ok but I think maybe a little too intense/scary for him which we knew, but he insisted. The second Friday we decided Dumbo was a good pick, animated, sweet and older. Talk about SAD. I had forgotten what an incredible downer that movie is.  And what is up with that tripped out scene that lasts forever when Dumbo and his mouse friend drink booze.  George was so confused, "Mom, why do they look like that? Where's dumbo's mommy?" Not really a great pick. So tonight we tried to watch the Fox and the Hound.  It was not that much better on the sad and scary front.  George asks some BIG questions for such a little boy.  If anyone wants to send us a care package, we'll take a good "Little Mermaid" or "Beauty and the Beast" or "101 Dalmations". We can not seem to find the good ones on Netflix.  At least our pizza was good!

Fresh tomato basil and chèvre, with roasted garlic topped with balsamic  on a garlic/herb crust






Roasted veggie with goat cheddar, olive oil and red pepper flakes on whole wheat



Since I do not do furniture or makeup, this is my "before and after". And yes I do take pictures of my food, I am not afraid to admit it. You might see more of our meals than you care to if you follow this blog.  

A Ticket to Paradise

Thursday, 8/22, post terrible mood. If you skipped the last post, I basically had a terrible day and God erased it with some humor.  So today I was determined to have a great day.  I mentioned that I tried to remedy my mood by baking a batch of gooey cookies yesterday. It did not work so I knew I had to pull out the Big Guns for today. What will make this girl happy when a batch of cookies will not??? If you guessed a beach trip, you guessed right.  I packed up George's sand toys, slapped a bathing suit on as fast as you can say "Google maps-get me to Manhattan Beach", called my friend (I still just have one) and put that little chicken nugget in the car seat.  Here we go, our first trip across the big city, just me and George.  We were both excited but when we came to a complete stop about three minutes after our entrance onto the freeway George sweetly suggested that I "find the fast road, mommy". Honey, there is no fast road. Get used to it.  So we sat and crawled for what seemed like forever.  It is so odd to follow signs to the beach that say WEST.  I really have to think when I drive here because everything is backwards.  We made it in about an hour and 15 minutes. Not too bad, now where to park?  Of course there's an event this weekend so a lot of the public parking is not available. I found one spot that was metered but had a limit of two hours. Since that was the first I had seen, I took it.  Got to the beach and it was worth it. So far, Manhattan Beach reminds me most of beaches back home.  This is more like a beach town instead of a beach city.
Finally after she had done all the things a mother of a ten month old has to do at 10 am, Lauren arrived.  She parked her stroller (an orange Bob, the same as mine) and we dove right into good conversation and laughter.  I would say the beach brightened my mood today, but I do not think it would have been nearly as much fun without her there.  We switched our cars to different spots for the second two hours because the spots we both found had limits of two hours. You have to physically vacate the spot and find another, there's no "feeding the meter".  George stayed with her while I moved mine and vice versa.  Its good to have a friend, I tell you what....
So I moved my car to a spot that was no different than the last one except it had "merchant" on the curb in front.  I had a sneaking suspicion-that I promptly ignored- maybe it was not a good idea but Lauren's was to expire soon too and I had to get back to the beach so she could find another spot.  After two more hours of fun in the sun and lots of snacks devoured we decided it was time to head home. I picked up two "Paradise Bowls" and one Pitaya bowl for the three of us while baby Tac was changed and made comfy for the ride home.  Oh, what is a Paradise Bowl? Oh. my. word. So good.  Think smoothie in a bowl, frozen dessert but healthy. Blended together is a mix of acai berries, strawberries, blueberries, banana, and chocolate coconut milk. On top are the same berries and nana's but fresh.  Add granola, goji berries and honey to taste and you have, my friend .... found paradise. There's one of theses places at Wrightsville Beach in NC and no offense to MB but I liked the options better at WB, go NC!! I felt so ....anti-oxidated? So I was in healthy-cool-snack-for-the-road heaven when we walked up to my car.  I am glad it was still there but as it turns out, I am not, in fact, a merchant.  First parking ticket. Mark it down.  I'm sure there will be more.  Dang! Oh well, it did not ruin my day.  Or maybe there's some drug in that Paradise Bowl that makes you not care.  So we got back in the car and headed East. When we pulled up to our street I felt so accomplished. I mean, if you can navigate on your phone through LA traffic for the first time, with a sandy bottom and flip flops, music blaring (because this is how I concentrate) and a three year old who sings a different song than is on the radio and keeps an accurate count of over passes (tunnels) the whole way home -there are 33 if you are curious- you can do pretty much anything. That's what I tell myself anyway.  What a great trip. It was way past nap time when we arrived home so I just filled up his little pool on the patio and stuck him in there to wash off all the sand, sunscreen and hot pink pitaya bowl that he had devoured in the car.  We did not make it to the farmers market today but that's OK because I already spent my market money on a parking ticket at the beach. Oh well, we will go next week.  We had leftovers for dinner and got the little monkey down.  Then Big George came home and told me about his day.  After he was all done I told him casually what we had done. The look on his face! So funny. Today was so much better than yesterday! I guess even on a year long vacation to California there will be bad days, and good days to follow them.

Newness, Rain and Song

Monday 8/19
Today was low key, with a grocery trip being our big news. I did not feel well at all and even skipped my run.  I also did not clean the house, because if you can't run six miles pushing a 50 pound stroller, you most definitely cannot clean bathrooms.  Thank goodness George got home on time tonight because I could not even make it through bedtime stories because I felt so awful. Went straight to bed with chills. Eek.
Tuesday was a full day.  The LA zoo is great and it is close to home.  George was such a good boy! After his nap we went to Garfield Park for the Oneonta Welcome Picnic.  It was supposed to be a time to meet other families in George's class and to meet the teachers.  Its difficult to meet a person and have a coherent conversation while you both run after your respective three year olds.  Not to mention it was held at a public playground and since I knew not a soul I had no idea who was there for the picnic and who was there just because.  We were supposed to mingle, but that is not my strong suit and since I was flying solo (George was at a dinner meeting) I just plopped down with this one family that looked approachable and sat with them the whole time. They turned out to be a good pick, Zoe has long blonde hair and a bike. George got to get on the motorcycle! He was thrilled, needless to say. Pretty good choice for a first friend there George!

After the zoo and the picnic, George was so tired that he went to bed without me.  A Brown Bear story did the trick (Mom, Dad and Lauren know just how much pull a brown bear story can have- they are magical).  I told him Brown Bear stories are for big boys and if he wanted to hear one, he'd have to go to bed without me. It worked! This is the third time, small victories!

On Wednesday, we called his friend Chase back home on Skype to wish him a happy birthday.  Chase lived across the cul de sac from us and we miss him (and his parents) a ton.  That was a highlight of the day. Then as a reward for his big boy bedtime without me I let him watch cartoons.  I wish I could think of a better reward because a morning of cartoons turns my little angel into a whiney and ungrateful little boy.  When I finally pulled him away from the TV, he cried.  When it was time for lunch, he whined, when it was time for nap, he cried, when he woke up, he whined.  And so on and so forth until I had had enough and took him and Dean on a walk to the playground. He would not play with anyone, he would not share a toy he found on the playground with another boy his age (make friends, George!), he whined for me to play with him and cried when it was time to go home.  I walked home exhausted and defeated.  George and I ate dinner outside on the patio. Well, I ate dinner and George played with his food. He was up and down, here and there. He did everything BUT eat the dinner I had prepared.  It just sat there and got cold. I had no energy left to coerce him to eat. It took him just about an hour to eat just about nothing.  I even made a batch of cookies in the interim because I thought that would brighten my mood.  Usually that helps but today, not so much. Then it was bath time and guess what?! He whined and cried about it!! After I finally got him to bed (fell asleep in his room with him) George was home and I had a terrible headache and an even worse attitude.  I went to sleep pretty soon after and had very strange dreams.  Guess what, George was up at 5:30AM. Thats about an hour or two before he usually wakes up. <I just got up to get a snack and realized I how whiney this post sounds. Pretty ironic but I will get to my point, I promise. Its right around the corner>
Hosea 6:3
"Let us acknowledge the Lord, let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises he will appear; he will come to us like a winter rain, like the spring rains that water the earth"

After that early morning wake up, things start to look up.  Big George doesn't have to leave for work until 7:15 am (laaaate) so he tells me, "Go for a run-I've got him". Bless you, sweet husband, bless you.  And bless you again.  So I left the house around 6:15 and tore down the sidewalk to blow off some steam. Sometimes, well most times, it is hard for me to "shake off" a bad day.  It happened when I was a little girl every time the Heels lost a game, it happened every time I made an error on the softball field, it happened when I felt lonely and unloved in college, and it still happens to me.  I am reminded of Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"  So maybe I should also cease to worry about yesterday and let it go. Maybe I should leave yesterday's leftovers with yesterday. Who likes leftovers anyway?

Lam 3:22-23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are NEW every morning; great is your faithfulness"

 I wish I could learn to "shake it off" faster and remember God's promises every morning about newness (there are a LOT of promises about newness)  but this morning I was determined to hang on to that bad mood just like always.

So this is funny, I had a song stuck in my head the whole run.  What song, you say? Funny you should ask, what other song than "Zippa de do da, Zippa de a, my-oh-my what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine comin' my way, zippa de do da, zippa de a, Mr. blue bird on my shoulder....." Yep, that was stuck like a broken record in my head. It was just about to ruin my bad mood.  I would have much preferred something by Alanis Morsette or Kasey Chambers but oh no,  I get the happiest song in the history of songs in melody and lyric.  Yeah, its funny now, but YOU try to be mad with that song in your head. It will make you crazy. Absolutely crazy.  So I get home and tell George about that song (I was actually tried to be mad about it because I was not ready to laugh yet) and we both cracked up.  I just love how God broke that bad mood for me.  He really does make all things new, he can and does come to us like a spring rain that waters the earth.   I should also note here that I'm a firm believer that scripture comes alive in different ways at different times in your life.  I'm not sure I would have ever appreciated Hosea 6:3 as much if I had never lived in California.  It is extremely dry every day. I have not even seen the slightest hint of a raincloud. That may sound wonderful to all of you well watered family and friends with pruny fingers in the south east, but I can assure you, now there is something so appealing about a drenching rain. I miss it, I long for it, I am parched, dried up and get headaches because of all the dust. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to see your scripture in a new light. Thank you for the new song you have put in my mouth (psalm 40:3) and for my husband who cares about me and for laughter and for "plenty of sunshine, comin' my way".

The LA Zoo and a few pictures

Ventured out to the zoo today. Lots of animals (imagine that) and hot sun.  Lauren and Tac joined us and here are a few pictures... Now that I am finally caught up I will post a few other pictures from the past few weeks. Enjoy!

malibu lagoon state beach

Georgie at the LA zoo

We got a pool!!

George and Tac at the zoo

George and Tac at malibu state beach park

George at beach in Santa Monica 

Good food,sunshine continues ...and some evil thievery

Our third weekend here started at Pie 'N Burger in Pasadena.  The boys got burgers that only differed in price. Big George's was ten bucks and  little George's kids meal was five bucks. Same burger. Note to self...order kids meals. I- stupidly but not surprisingly- got a chef salad. It was pretty gross but thats what I get for my dumb order. But I was the only one who ordered pie, and I really wish everyone else had ordered their own piece. It was heavenly. Rhubarb, my favorite!
Then George and Tyler had this social event at at bowling alley for work.  Families were invited but Lauren and I decided to stay home, and sit in the hot tub with a fancy drink. Little George went with his daddy and uncle Tyler.  The ladies enjoyed an evening of uninterrupted get-to-know-you time.  It was just as wonderful as it sounds.  Then George came to pick me up and we went home to get our beauty rest for the next day's activities.  We had planned a beach trip with our new friends to  Malibu Beach State Park Lagoon.

Saturday, 8/17

We picked up lunch at John's Garden, located at the Country Mart across from the State Park. The Country Mart is anything but what it sounds like. Definitely not the Country Marts I am familiar with.  In NC you might find a dusty porcelain bunny or a taxidermists masterpiece in the shape of an alligator... This one had every single designer I had ever heard of and tons that I had not ever heard of.  Don't waste your time with thoughts of Ann Taylor Loft or JCrew, honey...we are talking Channel, D&G, l'occitane and for your casual shopping, Citizens or Seven's denim....So anyway, needless to say I could not even afford to window shop and it was time to get to the beach so we ordered our gourmet sandwiches and while we waited for them to be prepared, there was a convenient little playground for George.  In honor of my sweet Grandaddy Bill I would like to tell you what was on each of our sandwiches. Mine was called Parma: prosciutto and shaved parmesan with thick layer of basil, tomatoes, evoo, and balsamic vinegar. George got the Roman: Sun dried tomato, grilled marinated chicken, evoo, balsamic, and provolone (minus the cheese). Both served on amazingly soft- but crusty at the same time- fresh baguette.  Georgie got grilled cheese with tomato, Pirate's Booty (like popcorn for those of you who do not have little ones) and of course I had to throw in two huge fresh baked cookies for dessert.  One was M&M for Georgie and the other was macadamia, coconut and chocolate chip for the parents. We also shared one big order of fruit salad that came with slivered almonds and shredded coconut on top with a side of yogurt. I hope your mouth waters as you hear about this lunch. It was that good...well, the part that I actually got to eat.  Read on....
We got our lunch to go and parked at the beach. Again, 12$ to park. Our friends Lauren, Tyler,Tac and Tyler's cousin all arrived within a few minutes of each other. Great timing! We took a longish walk to the beach and parked ourselves in front of the ocean to begin our day. Everything was wonderful....at first....
Then we decided to explore the tide pools to try to find some sea life that was promised on the website. The website said the pools were "teeming with sea life" ehhhh, not so much but we did see lots of hermit crabs.  No starfish though as George reminds us daily.  Never promise starfish to a three year old. As the whole crew explored we wondered aloud if the beaches were safe to leave wallets, cell phones, and other valuables. I mean, it is the beach, and in NC I feel pretty confident that no one will take my stuff. But here, we just don't know so we collectively decided it was time to head back. To what did our wondering eyes appear, but ten nasty seagulls circling near. They tore and they pecked and they ate our whole lunch, how much did we cry...oh dear, a whole bunch.  It was a sandwich murder scene, it was.  There was trash everywhere and not a crumb of our lunch was left and I do not exaggerate.  They opened the bag of Pirate's Booty and PLUNDERED.  They were ruthless.  That sandwich was about three pounds worth of meat and cheese. No wonder these birds were so huge.  Oh and they finished off my huge, perfectly melted chocolate chip cookies. That was the worst. In response to this Lauren said, I hope seagulls are allergic to chocolate like dogs are and they die from the cookies (this is why we are such good friends. Girl is SERIOUS about her cookies).  Did I mention our lunch bill was about 45 bucks?? UGH I was SO upset. George cried over his pirates booty...it was bad.
And to think we were worried about our cell phones and wallets!
In the end it was ok. George had a moment of weakness and saw how upset I was, drove me back to the same little shop and let me get a juice. I got George more Pirates Booty, and myself a pineapple, mint and cucumber juice and added a granola bar at the last second.  I think I am officially a Californian now after that little snack.  George is the BEST husband ever. He did not want to go back to that expensive store, spend more $ and risk afternoon traffic (two of his least favorite things) but he did it, for me.  And did not even give me grief about it.  I just love him!
We returned to a cool house and some great mail. My sister sent me a really pretty dress and dad sent UNC napkins and two CDs. Y'all are about to spoil me. Then we got George to bed and watched a little TV (what show...I'll never tell... xoxo) and crashed.
Sunday 8/18
We went back to Oneonta and tried the traditional service. It was pretty good but like before not many young families at all.  George did great at nursery though and the sermon was good again too. I think we all feel sort of at home here.  I think it will be good for George, because his school is also in this building. Came home, napped and had a long Sabbath day.  Every Sunday we've had here has been such a Sabbath. I think because we don't know anyone and are not involved in anything yet.  It has been really nice.  We all need rest to get ready for the next week.  Thank God for Sabbath!

Sweet Sweet Sweet!

8/15
George went to sleep without me last night! It amazed me because I had all but given up hope in that.  I had asked my friends to pray about that because its been my only complaint so far about our time here.  When I lay with little George until he falls asleep, I usually fall asleep and that means when I emerge, big George is already in bed and sometimes asleep.  So that does not look very sustainable for a marriage with a fellow who works all day, some weekends and sometimes doesn't make it home for dinner, now does it?  We need time together and since we do not have babysitters here, our time alone has to be our evenings.  Well, ladies and gents, thanks for your prayers because here's how last night went:
Bath, stories, songs and prayers....then that little voice out of the darkness says "Mommy? I cant see my water cup". Don't ask me what made me think of this as a way out but I replied, "Ok, well would you like me to leave so you can see your water cup?" (I am between him and his night side table, where his water cup lives). "Yes, mom"  "Alright, well goodnight then, I love you, see you in the morning"  "Wove you too mommy, see you in the morning".  That was it! Done. And after three spilled water cups, and one unnecessary pull-up change he was asleep within 30 minutes just like we used to do in Durham.  All I did was give up and give it to God and look what God did.  He took care of it. Praise God!

Thursday morning we celebrated George's sleep victory by indulging in a few cartoons.  So proud of him.  And after his nap we walked to the Farmer's Market and bought way too much. Then we were hungry so we split a Salvadorian bean and cheese pupusa from a food truck whose line was too long for it not to be good. We got two lemonades, watermelon for George and four berry for me. For dessert, banana ricotta doughnut holes with nutella dipping sauce from the Gastrobus.  Whoa. Better eat fast little man cause mama's got GAME when it comes to doughnut holes with nutella dipping sauce. I loved it when we finished and George looked at me and said, "Mom- you got chocolate on your face" to which I replied, "You do too honey".Then he said, "No I don't" and giggled and grinned so big with chocolate everywhere.  We sat and watched the trains and then walked home with our spoils...our tummies full and our spirits high.
His prayers tonight were too sweet not to mention. Must have been that nutella sauce....
Shout outs to Grammy, Lauren (that she wont cry because I pray for her EVERY night), Gdaddy, Harrison, his pirate ship (and daddy who put it together).  Had to fall asleep with him tonight but I hardly cared...he's growing up too fast and nights like this will not be here for long.

Be courageous and let your heart be strong

8/12-8/16
This week I have decided to put George in gymnastics. I know, it sounds girly but I think it will be good for him. He has a TON of energy, loves to run, jump, climb, flip, balance, hop, swing and bounce. I think it will also be a good way to introduce him to organization and to teach him how to follow the instructions of an adult who is not his mom or dad.  It is also long- 4 hours long- and I don't have to be there...so there...my decision is made.
8/12 Monday, Day 1 of Gymnastics:
Traumatic. Not for him, mind you. For ME! Stayed with him from 9-11am then decided he was fine without me.  Got in my car and drove away.  Begin tiny, little panic attack...."I'm driving AWAY from my child, my heart, my life...in  CALIFORNIA, with people I don't know.  First, when he realizes I'm gone he's going to run out of the doors into the street to try to find me, if that doesn't happen, he will cry the whole time, or maybe kids will be mean to him or maybe the teachers will expect too much out of him or he's probably on his way right now to the top of a huge tower of mats and probably going to fall on his head, or worse ...or, or, or...." I cannot tell you how hard it was not to drive right back and plant this worry-wart of a mama bear in one of those folding chairs and just sit there and watch. It was extremely hard.  But I did not turn around. I took a deep breath and prayed and prayed and prayed, "Lord, keep him safe. Protect him and watch over him, let the teachers and kids be nice to him, please Lord".  Miraculously each minute that passed I felt better. I made it home, put the groceries away and prayed some more.
Tuesday, Day 2 of Gymnastics
Today was much better because I knew he had fun and wanted to go back. He was not clingy at all, and eventually just ran off so I decided he was fine and left.  Bittersweet. I am so glad but then again the thought that "he doesn't need me anymore" snuck in to my mind and here I was again on the roller coaster of emotion.  I nervously went for a run up and down the street several times until I started to get funny looks from store owners. So I put on some courage and started in the opposite direction of the gym. After each step I would look down at my phone and think, "If they call I will have to say, 'well, I will be there in 15 minutes ... 20 minutes, ... 25 minutes'" but they never did so I turned around and the numbers started to look a little more reasonable..."I'll be there in 20 min, 15 min , 10 min...ok I can relax. If they call, I'll be there in 5 minutes".  I'm so weird. So when I arrived at the gym I had to sneak a peak.  There's George. He's waits so patiently for his turn.  As I admire his good behavior a little boy about a year or two older than George starts to push little girls down, really hard. I could tell George knew that was not nice but he wasn't sure what to do about it. Note to self, tell George I am proud of him and talk to him about bullies and what to do if/when he is bullied or sees it happening....
Then I went home, swept, mopped, laundered, washed dishes, folded, did the bathrooms and anything else I could get my hands on to clean.  Then I had an uninterrupted 30 minute thorough cleansing of myself.  Sorry for the detail but its been awhile since I've had a hot shower to myself.  This is a thing. This is worth blogging about. When I picked George up he said he had fun but I never could get enough detail about what he did. Boys...31 or 3 years old, all the same... NID (not into detail).  Wednesday, Day 3 of Gymnastics
Today was the best day yet. Left him there, ran some errands, feeling good....made a date for me and my mac for Thursday and Friday to sit and start this blog at a coffee shop for 4 hours straight.  Yeah! This is gonna be great! I am gonna be a real girl again and do something I want to do! And not worry, and George is going to have a great time....and well, I am getting sarcastic again so I think you know what happens next. Thursday he would not stay. I did not even get home before they called me and he got on the phone and his little sweet voice said "Mama, I WANT you". Well, honey, you got me. I went back, picked him up and took him for a smoothie at the cool coffee shop that was supposed to be me and my mac's date location.  I owed George the smoothie because I snuck out of the gym after I talked him into going into a fort with his teacher.  I felt horrible. The other two days he had not seemed to mind that I left without an ok from him. Today, I knew he was more clingy but I wasn't aware of how much he really wanted me to stay. The emotional roller coaster of this week has plunged me into a 75 foot drop and taken my stomach with it.  After his way-too-huge smoothie with- count them- four scoops of ice cream, carob chips, banana and blueberries (because he wanted it to be blue) and 30 minutes of train spectating a little of the guilt I felt melted away.  We went home and called it a day. Friday I had high hopes but alas, he would not let me leave him.  I got a small refund and after its all said and done, I feel as if it was not a complete bust. He had a great time while he was there, we both practiced being apart, I was able to clean my house and most of all he still loves me even though I left him before he was ready on Thursday.  I am proud of us both because we were courageous this week and our hearts definitely got a work out. We are both stronger for it.
Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the Lord"

Our first weekend

8/9-8/11
We started a new tradition. Since we rarely have plans these days, Friday nights are reserved for pizza and a movie at home.  For this, our first Friday pizza/movie night, we shall watch "Night at the Museum" because George saw the dinosaur on the front and insisted. We shall enjoy one home made pepperoni pizza and one home made veggie pizza. Then we shall indulge ourselves with some brownstuhns (thats a borrowed term from a dear friend for brownies).  All very tasty indeed. The movie was a little scary for George but he wouldn't admit it and made it till the end.

Saturday we got up early and DROVE to the beach, which was much more enjoyable than the train and much more efficient as well. Oh, and we actually saw the ocean this time.  The beaches are so much wider than NC beaches but in my humble opinion, not as beautiful or as nice. I am just a little tiny bit biased though.  There are lots of people who crowd the 25 feet closest to the water and then there is about a football field length of sand before you get to the parking lot (it should be mentioned here that parking is $12. This city is about to "12 dollar me to death" as my dad likes to say). Between the parking lot and the beach is a huge walk/run/skateboard/scooter/rollerblade/stroller lane which is very busy and caused much more anxiety to cross than the actual street with cars.  Along this path, that runs the entirety of the beach, there are beach cafes, bathrooms/showers, and vendors.  We bought a sparkling water and shared it for $7.  You can also buy from vendors that walk in and out of the sunbathers. They sell ice cream, fruit kabobs, beach umbrellas, and sand toys.  The water was frigid, about how it would feel if you were to take a dip in April or November in NC.  All in all, it was a good trip. We left around 3:00 and headed to our new friends' house for dinner. They wanted to thank George for his help as he had moved them into their new place this morning.  We had appetizers, burgers and salad, shared a few beers and swam in their pool and hot tub.  Its good to have friends!

Sunday we went to Oneonta Congregational Church.  It was the contemporary service at 11:30 and the first person we met had a 2 1/2 year old in the nursery. She showed us the way and helped us sign George in.  On the way back to the service she introduced herself as the pastor's wife.  The service was great, with a few worship songs led by a great worship team, and a meaningful sermon.  Afterwards, we met the pastor and found out his mother's family all lives in Raleigh NC! Small world right?  He told us about a few opportunities for young families and we were pretty impressed.  This service was small in numbers but he encouraged us to try out their traditional service as well, which is held in the big sanctuary with an organ and hymns.  So we think we will.  When we picked George up from nursery he seemed very content and never once cried for us. Thats always good!  I have a good feeling about this weekend.  Thankful for the ocean, friends and church!

Fullness of Joy

8/11

Thou wilt show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Dad sent me that verse and I thought it perfect for today's entry. Today we went to a church that I think will fit our needs for this year.   I think I will just copy my journal entry for today as my post because I don't think I could recreate a more true feeling.

Thank you God for showing us the "path of life" through a meaningful church service, worship and a great sermon.  Thank you that when I feel empty or lonely or like I'm spinning my wheels or not doing enough, there in your presence is the FULLNESS of JOY.  All I have to do is abide in you to receive this fullness of joy. And I certainly feel the discord when I try to find that joy in other things- as I try to keep a clean, organized house, or as I try to stay in shape with a run everyday, as I try to please others or impress others...Forgive me God when I try to find that fullness of joy when if I would just look up at you I would have it.  Your right hand has all the pleasures I can fathom.  I asked you for friends (and others asked for me-thanks Susan) and I got Lauren. I asked you to find them a house and you found them a great spot (with a pool!) I asked you for a good church experience...done... I asked you for healing for friends' parents, you did it.  I asked you for more personal things for other friends and family and you did it God, you've answered SO many prayers. At thy right hand are most definitely pleasures forevermore.  

I am full of gratitude.  Lord, keep me on your path of life.  Guide me and be the lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Because I want that fullness of joy and those pleasures forevermore and I don't want to depend on anyone or anything else to give that to me.

Friends

8/7
Today I feel like I can get through this year.  Today I  met a friend. And life looks a little sweeter when you have a friend.  Let me introduce you.  George has a co-fellow named Tyler. Tyler has a wife and a 10 month old baby boy.  Tyler's wife is named Lauren.  Lauren is my friend.
George and Tyler are extremely similar. They met months ago as they trudged through California's crazy laws and licensing, as they made countless trips to CA to do a training here or have a badge made there. They joke about loosing count of the TB tests they have had done. They are both tall, slender, comb their hair to the side, and usually tuck in their shirts. They wear chacos when chillin' and look absolutely dapper when as they try to impress the boss.  They are both Southern; Tyler was born and raised in Memphis.  Both have sons named after them. Each has a purebred dog. Pretty similar huh? God is good because he put these two together. I am not sure either of them would have made it through the red tape and hoops of the California health care system without one another.  Well, if you think they are similar...let me introduce you to my friend Lauren.  She's about 5'5" dark hair, dark complexion, loves to exercise, loves cookies and ice cream just about as much and loves her son a million times more than either of these things.  This girl does not eat red meat but will eat fish.  She's funny and honest, organized and is the engine for their family through the crazy, tiresome resident/fellowship lifestyle. She likes a good cocktail but also knows the Johnny Appleseed blessing. She doesn't mind if Tac (her little one) eats a little dirt but swoops in like a momma hawk if he's in danger or his little feelings are hurt.  She's also southern, and a daddy's girl.  Hmmmm, sound familiar? Well, yes I would argue that George and Tyler are not even as similar as Lauren and I are.  Oh and the name, well thats just a coincidence but its a sweet reminder of the best sister in the world. Lauren also has sisters but she's the youngest (I guess there are a few differences). She's  an artist too. Obviously thats a difference, but I tend get along well with artists, don't you think LDH?
I could not be more thankful for her. I think we will be so good for each other this year.  We have already planned several outings that include beach trips and hiking/camping trips, the zoo, museums and concerts.  We also plan to babysit for each other for a little one-on-one time with our husbands.  Tuesday nights we plan to get together for dinner since George and Tyler will always be at "conference"- a meeting over dinner where they talk about hand surgery.

Never, ever take your friends for granted. They are a gift from God.  We need friends in this life and as much as an introvert as I am- I realize that more fully now. When we decided to come here I knew I would miss my friends back home. What I did not know, was just how much.  After just one week without someone's physical face to talk to I felt like I was about to go crazy.
Ps. 118 :1 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures forever
I am thankful, Lord. Very very thankful.

Feeling settled

8/2

Dean arrived!! We are SO glad to have our little family of four back together again. A dog is so good for the soul.

8/4

Started this wonderful Sunday by finding the running trail.  I ran for 1 hour and 45 minutes (with a few stops along the way because I had to ask for directions). 

Went to Calvary Presbyterian today.  Beautiful church, amazing music, sermon was ok, people were so nice but mostly an older crowd, which is no big deal for George and me, but little George went up to children's church all by himself and then played in the nursery all by himself too.  We will probably look somewhere else for some young families we can pal around with.

Went to dinner at La Fiesta which looked from the outside like our usual go to for a cheaper meal out as a family. It was great but not necessarily a cheaper option.  But first meal out in South Pas was a success. 

8/5 Had to call home to good 'ol State Employees Credit Union because of some lost checks. Called after hours of course because I haven't quite mastered the time change.  I talked to the most golden Southern accent I have ever heard. Or do I just notice because I have been gone a few weeks? I could have stayed on the phone forever.  Usually those phone calls get rushed and I try my hardest to make them as short as possible.  I totally dragged it out. He couldn't really help me and whereas if I had talked to someone with sas or attitude I would have been quite upset (thats a good p.c. word for it I guess) but I was just like, " Oh thats alright....no problem at all...Anything you want to try and sell me, I will probably sit here as long as you keep talking with that accent". Guess I didn't know I would miss it so much. 

30 minutes of Grace

Last night was tough. Georgie will not go to sleep without me in the room so I tried to be strict and let him cry it out.  He screamed for what seemed like forever and finally cried himself to sleep around 10:00 pm while I was in the room.  I said, "Lord, let this child sleep so I can get up in the morning" I am REALLY trying to get on a schedule that includes a little bit of time in the Word each morning.  Well, instead of sleeping in after a late night of crying, George woke up at 4:30 and came in our room. I tried to talk him into going back to sleep but he was not interested.  I shot off another one of those half awake arrow prayers again "Lord, please?"  And miraculously (I say it was a miracle because I know my child and once he's up- HE'S UP, I can promise you that) after an hour of being awake he closed his little eyes and went back to sleep. I slept 30 more minutes and then God woke me up via parrot at 6:00 am sharp for my morning time with him.  Then he gave me this:

"In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for he grants sleep to those he loves...
Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the (wo)man whose quiver is full of them".

Basically translated, "I love you Becca, quit your worrying and quit your whining. I've got your back. I have covered all your needs- sleep, food, a son...done. Just trust me and trust that I know what you need. George is a blessing, enjoy him always, even in the middle of the night"

Thanks God for 30 more minutes of grace.

The train and the errrr....'beach?'

7/30
Hello, did we ever have an adventure today!! George starts work tomorrow so we decided to do something fun and exciting for our last family day for a while.  Well-exciting I guess but fun? questionable. Do you think it sounds fun to ride the train to the beach (that is only about 30 miles away) for the day in the middle of the week? We sure did! Little George will love it, we thought! We are awesome parents for our decision not to sit at home but to get George out on a train (his favorite thing) and the beach (his second favorite thing) all in the same day. We are so smart to figure out the metro system that little George and I will use daily to get us from point A to point B.  Can you sense the sarcasm?
It took us two and a half hours to get to the "beach" and we never even saw the ocean.  We could not find  anything but a harbor which was not our idea for the day.  But back this train up....Picture me, in my bathing suit, my cute cover up (and I threw on shorts at the last minute just in case- thank goodness!), canvas beach bag with my monogram, George's beach toys and my handsome tall dark husband and beautiful blue eyed child.  Got that image? Good. Here's what we saw on the train.... Poverty, pimps, an old school boom box on a shoulder, skateboards, mohawks, tats, darkness, filth, some kindnesses shown, tall tall palm trees, boarded up buildings, and Jesus painted on the side of a building near Compton. That was an encouragement to me as our little family sat huddled together a little frightened and feeling very very white.  We felt out of place, blessed beyond measure, confusion at each train switch, exhaustion, companionship, burdened by our beach toys and picnic lunch, itchy and most of all I felt complete relief that I had not tried this on my own with little George.
So needless to say, it wasn't exactly what we planned for the day but you know what? That could be the theme of this year away, "Not what we planned".
But here's the cool part. That mural of Jesus we saw had a verse painted underneath the picture. Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest".
Jesus has taken our burden, however big or small we consider it to be.  He has taken my picnic lunch and sand toys burden, and the homeless man's burden who rode beside me on that train. He has taken George's little owl backpack filled with snacks, crayons and toys and he has taken the prostitutes heavy burden who twirled her hair as she sat six inches in front of me.  He has taken George's burden as he tried to keep his family of three safe and not lost and he has taken the old man's burden who sold M&Ms on the train for some extra cash. Our burdens are relative but we all have them. Today, I gave my burden to Jesus because he reminded me to by a mural on a wall.  Lord, help me remember tomorrow too.

Time and Temperature

Time- It has not been that difficult to adjust ourselves to the time difference. I thought since we are three hours behind George would want to go to bed at 5 but be up by 3am, but our routine has become quite the opposite. He stays up later and sleeps later. Go figure!

Temp- So everyone is talking about how humid it is this week.  To me it feels like the mountains in early summer.  My hair behaves, I can step out of the house without the desire to immediately change clothes, my nose is kinda dry and my skin is a little itchy. I'm sorry California but- you. have. no. idea. what. humid. even. is....sorry. as. i. can. be.........

 Some funny tidbits and first week impressions:
7/27
On my morning run I saw a car stopped at a stop sign. Then I realized it had completely died and just sat there. No noise what so ever. I began to feel so bad for this person whose car had just pooped out on them and wondered what I could do to help when it just pulled away. "Whaaat?" I thought.....Then it hit me. Electric car...no engine sounds....we are not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

There are parrots everywhere.  Yes, green and red repeat-after-me parrots. They are wild and there is a rumor that 50 years ago a pet store burned down and they survived. My husband, the bird lover, realized what they were immediately and I was skeptical. Parrots? No, cant be. But after wikipedia proved him right, we now know the deal with the parrots.  They are only in the South Pasadena area and are a little bit of a nuisance to be honest. They are so loud and wake us up at 6am on the dot. I can't even talk on the phone on our patio sometimes because of their squawking.

7/28
Pedestrians RULE around here. Twice today I have witnessed runners/walkers yelling at cars... "HEY" angry-clap-clap "Pay attention!!!!" clap-clap.  "Hello-this is a crosswalk"clap-clap

7/29
Today I think I broke my nose trying to get George's room right.  I had the thought that I need to move that humidifier before it falls on.....OUCH... that dang thing hit me smack dab in the bridge of the nose. yowza. broke the skin and bruised the heck out of myself. Glad I moved it before it hit little George though.


As I wrote an email to George's preschool director I tried to convey that we were so excited and anxious for school to start.  In my southern tongue I wrote that we are "chomping at the bit". Is that too southern? I erased it this time but next time I think I will use it.

Also today as Lynn and I walked with George down our street we met four strangers. One lady stopped me and pointed to my Durham running shirt and said, "Bull City, thats where we are from". I thought surely,  there must be another "bull city" in America but no, she and her husband had come to visit their friends who live on our street from Hillsborough, NC. Then, if that was not enough of a coincidence, the other couple told us about some "young" friends of theirs who live a few houses down from us. The husband works as a fellow at USC and did his residency at UNC.  They have a three year old boy. Whoa! This is literally our first walk in the neighborhood.

Biggest first impression: Everyone here is happy and nice.  The mailman, the trashman, the yardworker, the stay at home mom, the elderly...I've not met one rude person yet!

Dimmers and Mailboxes

Saturday, July 27th happenings:
We arrived yesterday mid-afternoon.  This girl tackled the boxes and had us unpacked before 10:30 with only a short dinner break forced on me by George.  He went out and got us take out from a cute little place called Bristol Market.  They have fancy gourmet food.  I wanted to keep going at 10:30 but George said that I should save some energy for tomorrow so I acquiesced to his request and we had a great night's sleep. Awoke to the birds singing and a beautiful 65 degree morning.  Drank our coffee on our patio and both read a little before getting back to it. This is our only day to get the house ready before little George joins us.  He flies in with Lynn in the morning.  I miss him so much and can hardly wait for him to get here but I know once he does we will cease to do anything productive. So we got right to it. Re-organized furniture, pulled up old rugs, scrubbed the floors, put contact paper down in the kitchen (like my momma taught me) and found a good spot for everything. We are so full of thanks for God's provision and protection.  We are so so blessed to have this great little cottage to call our own this year. Its small but its all we need.  We have a home-base, a safe retreat, a place we can rest, recharge and be a family.  God even cares about the littlest things that others may see as unimportant.  He shows us everyday how much he cares about us and today I recognized that love in the form of dimmers and mailboxes.  My husband George has a thing for light dimmers.  Our old house had them and he swore that our forever home would have them too. Since he gets up SO early he likes to let his eyes adjust before flipping on a bright "angry" light as we call it (btw, he would never have survived as my dad's son because thats how dad woke us up every morning. He would flick the angry light on and off and sing).  Well wouldn't you know it, this house has something similar in the bathrooms. God loves George so much he would give him light dimmers.  And I have a thing about a mailbox.  It makes you feel like you have your  own spot. Nothing against P.O. boxes or apartment mail slots, its just one of  my things.  When I lived in my first place by myself, it was a townhouse in a huge development where I watched my backdoor neighbor have his morning cigarette. I had 20 neighbors that I could easily hear, see and/or smell but I had my own mailbox and it made it so much better. Well, God knows me and gave me my own mailbox.  Our cottage is someone's "back house" the "in-law suite" or "guest house" if you will.  I have never seen anything like it because we have our own address and our own mailbox even though we are on the main house's property.  I love that. Even though we rent and have a landlord and live in someone's back yard, its OK because we have a mailbox. I just love that God loves us so much that he would provide even the silliest things that he knows will make us smile. Just to see us smile. Praise God for dimmers and mailboxes!! So send me some mail why don't ya!

Background and Backdate

Thursday, August 15th
Four weeks ago tomorrow, George and I arrived in South Pasadena California.  Most of you reading know why we made the move from Durham, North Carolina but just in case this blog goes viral (ha!) I will give a little background info. George, my sweet husband has been an orthopaedics resident at The University of North Carolina for the past five years.  In May of 2012 we found out that he would do a fellowship at University of Southern California.  We were elated because it was so far away at that point and his chief year was going to be a breeze, right?  Well, not so much. We found out he had thyroid cancer in August of 2012 and most of the year was shadowed by that diagnosis.  It was a difficult journey that taught us both a lot about ourselves and about life, about friendships and the importance of community, especially a church community.  God not only protected George and answered our prayers for healing but was with us through every tear and every shadow of doubt.  We both feel closer to our Lord for having been through such a hard time.  That, however is a different story. We are here now in sunny California and couldn't be happier!!  We have a three year old son, George Ryland and he will make this blog colorful and vibrant and alive.  If you do not wish to hear about funny things a three year old says and does, or if you do not wish to hear about trips to the park, museums, Disneyland, or leggoland, please take your cursor up to the "x" button and get out of here before I bore you to tears.  Since big George will be working most of the time this blog will be mostly about the little guy and me, our struggles and our victories, however big or small.

Backdating a little bit:
We arrived Friday July 26th after a 4 day long drive across the country. WOW what a country we live it. I feel so incredibly blessed to have experienced The United States of America in this way.  Here are a few tidbits from our journey:

• Heard so many songs that coincided with our journey. Sorry, I am so into song lyrics fitting into life and these were just too ironic not to mention... In NC we heard: "feels like Carolina, looks like California..."; "anywhere with you....have you ever been to California" by Jake Owen; "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw.  In TN we heard: "On my way to Tennessee singing GA on my mind" and "you moved from west LA" by Train; "Heads Carolina, Tails California", "Maybe it was Memphis" (right when we left Memphis btw), "Beverly Hills...thats where I want to live..livin' in Beverly Hills".  In AK we heard Edward Sharp and the Magnificent Duo sing "Alabama Arkansas, I sure do love your maw and paw".  In Tx we heard "West...on a plane bound west..been a long hard ride, got a ways to go, but this is still the place we all call home". NM we heard Cast Iron Filter sing "unleaded" and lyrics are like this "Santa Fe then Monterrey come a long way-got a long way to go takes more than gasoline, son to get to paradise"
• First night we stayed in Memphis, Tn with Natasha and Jason Johnson in their new house. Good food, comfy bed, showers, great company! They treated us right!
• Made it across Oklahoma and Arkansas and stopped in Amarillo at "The Big Texan" for dinner. Watched a 10 year old little skinny little boy attempt the 72 oz. steak challenge.  Finish it and its free, dont finish it and you pay 72$. He ate 9 oz......
• HUGE storm driving out of Texas. NEVER seen anything like it before in my life and I've seen some storms in my life sailing on the Neuse.  Everythings bigger in Texas. 
• Stopped at a hotel in Tucumcari, NM. Pulled in right beside who else but a fellow North Carolinian (eastern NC- from Pinetops to be exact) who stopped us and said, "Y'all from NC?"
• Rained almost the whole way across the desert, ironic, no? Mesa land was really amazing
• Two other things worth mentioning that I saw during our many stops for gas- "Kool-aid pickles" (just like those big Dill pickles or sour pickles but marinated in yep, you guessed it, kool-aid). gross.  And a "Brass-Knuckles Clutch" ...Exactly what you are picturing in your mind. A cute little clutch-any color you want-but the handle is brass knuckles in case someone tries to steal your valuables I guess. 

So that was our trip here.  I will continue to backdate for a while until I catch up to current happenings.