Here is the forecast for the next 5 days...
99° F | 61° F
101° F | 61° F
103° F | 58° F
94° F | 56° F
85° F | 54° F
Seriously??? I thought moving to the rainy Northwest meant leaving some of that heat behind! I'll be in California for the month of August, so I guess I'm trading same for same. At least it's not humid here, I'll take some comfort in that.
Not much going on around here. Warning ahead: a small pity party.
I've been struggling with our move a little more lately. Especially as this baby's birth approaches. I can't believe we're already half way (well, more than halfway there). We still don't have a church. We left behind the church I've been going to since I was 18 years old, where I taught religious education, the church and priest that have seen me through all of the most significant events of my life: meeting Jared, marriage preparation, my wedding, the birth of my son, his baptism. We had a community there; people knew us when we showed up every Sunday, missed us if we didn't come. We haven't found anything even approximating that here. Our first problem has been finding a church that has a nursery. Seriously--most of the churches here don't seem to have nurseries, which I totally do not understand. Do people with small children just not go to church here????
More than the church issue, we don't have any friends. None. No girlfriends I can call up to have lunch with, no one to do meet for coffee or to swap babysitting or have a couples' date with. How did those of you who have been through this moving do it? How do you meet people? I miss my friends desperately. I feel like I just survive here until the weeks I get to go "home" and can see friends and family. This particular issue is giving me the most worry with the baby on the way. Since we also have no family up here, who are we going to call when my water breaks or I'm in labor? Who will stay with Jack? Our occasional weekend babysitter has a "real" job so certainly she can't come if the baby decides to make his appearance mid-week. I'm also really sad that there won't be anyone to come see my baby when he is born. I know our parents will come but we don't live in the most easily-accessible area and life makes it hard for our friends and other family to figure out a way and time to come up here.
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret this move. It was the right decision for Jared's career, for our family, and to help us create opportunities down the road. It's been a good learning and growing experience in our marriage--I now know that my family and home are wherever Jared and Jack are. I guess I just didn't count on it being so hard, either.
I'm trying to focus on the fact that "home" isn't the way it was when we left either--our best friends moved to Texas shortly after we left. Things aren't the same. And, I know that people--especially military families--do this kind of thing all the time. I'm just feeling today like the "adventure" is over and the reality isn't quite as rosy as it seemed when first got here.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Petting Zoo!
A quick post before I hop on a plane back to San Diego...Jack and I just returned less than a week ago from a two week visit out there but work calls...
While we were out there, we met my in-laws for a morning at a petting zoo in Orange County. As Jack has gotten bigger, it's become apparent that he is not a "kamikaze" kind of little boy. He is cautious and takes him time scoping things out before jumping in. So...the petting zoo was no exception. We started in the goat pen, where they had some very, very cute baby goats. The goats were, however, a little agressive for the starting point. So, we made a quick exit to the bunny and guinea pig pen. After a bit of time, Jack warmed up to the idea of feeding them and by the end of the visit, had deteriorated into Jack trying to pick up the guinea pigs by their fur. They were good sports about the whole thing, fortunately. Here are some highlights from the trip.
Jack with his Grampy:
Jack feeding a bunny:
Here's Jack eating the carrot meant for the bunny...
Jack really liked the Llama...me, not so much when I saw the size of its teeth. My mother later reminded me that llamas spit (fortunately, that didn't happen):
Finally, at the end of the visit, here is Jack feeding the animals from his snack trap.
It was a fun day, we had a nice time seeing Jack's Grammie and Grampy, and we're looking forward to going back sometime when Jared can come. I'll post pictures from the 4th of July soon!
While we were out there, we met my in-laws for a morning at a petting zoo in Orange County. As Jack has gotten bigger, it's become apparent that he is not a "kamikaze" kind of little boy. He is cautious and takes him time scoping things out before jumping in. So...the petting zoo was no exception. We started in the goat pen, where they had some very, very cute baby goats. The goats were, however, a little agressive for the starting point. So, we made a quick exit to the bunny and guinea pig pen. After a bit of time, Jack warmed up to the idea of feeding them and by the end of the visit, had deteriorated into Jack trying to pick up the guinea pigs by their fur. They were good sports about the whole thing, fortunately. Here are some highlights from the trip.
Jack with his Grampy:
Jack feeding a bunny:
Here's Jack eating the carrot meant for the bunny...
Jack really liked the Llama...me, not so much when I saw the size of its teeth. My mother later reminded me that llamas spit (fortunately, that didn't happen):
Finally, at the end of the visit, here is Jack feeding the animals from his snack trap.
It was a fun day, we had a nice time seeing Jack's Grammie and Grampy, and we're looking forward to going back sometime when Jared can come. I'll post pictures from the 4th of July soon!
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