New chapter

Considering that I have just gone through one of the major “life events” that people experience, i.e. moving to a new home, I thought it would be a good time to begin writing something on a semi-regular basis. I don’t know how frequent these entries will be, or how substantial, or what they will be about, but I know that I have wanted to put things on virtual paper for some time now. Maybe this fresh start in a new location will give me some inspiration.

If you are unaware of the reason for our move, Pat and I wanted to be closer to her dad and brother. We both took early retirement from our jobs within the past couple of years, and our son Ben graduated from college (University of Oklahoma) last August, so we decided last year that the time was right to make the move. Ben decided to stay in our house in Grapevine, to take advantage of the job opportunities in the area and the lower cost of living than here in California. Having a girlfriend there also factored into his decision. We will miss him, but will be in touch with him often and will be back for visits.

We arrived in California January 18, having driven from our former home in Grapevine TX starting Jan. 16. It feels strange referring to Grapevine as my “former” home, and I know it will take some time to get accustomed to saying and hearing that. The drive out here was the longest trip that I have ever taken by car where I was behind the wheel the whole way. Fortunately, we had very nice weather the whole trip. The scenery was mega-boring in west Texas, but got more interesting in New Mexico and Arizona with hills and the occasional fascinating rock formation to break up the monotony. We even had time to take a short side trip through Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson AZ. That was a beautiful place, and we wished we had had more time to spend there. 

Saguaro National Park, Arizona

When we finally got to CA, we were several days ahead of the moving truck’s scheduled delivery, so we stayed with Pat’s dad until the truck got to our home in Thousand Oaks Jan. 23. Since that day, our lives have consisted almost entirely of unpacking, shopping, more unpacking, and meeting various technicians whom we engaged to install phone service, satellite TV, etc. And then, some more unpacking. As of today, just over a week after the truck made its delivery, we have cleared the boxes out of almost every room, have most of the furniture where we want it, and are getting an idea of what everyday life here might be like. It will be an ongoing process as we adjust to the house, the neighborhood, our neighbors, and the community. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, but the stress of the moving experience is dissipating more with each new day. Pat suggested that we start looking at all of the opportunities that the Southern California area offers, figure out which of them we want to take advantage of, and make plans to do so. I signed on to that course of action immediately. We are both excited to jump in and enjoy ourselves in this wonderful region in which to live.

Besides all the things there are to see and do, there are also people here for us to catch up with. Some are friends and relatives that we have kept in touch with since we moved to Texas, and some are friends and relatives that we are hoping to renew ties with. That process will begin very soon. If you are reading this and would like to reach out to us, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment (without including any personal information, you know, to be safe), or better yet send an email to the address you will find in the left sidebar to let us know how to get in touch with you.

We are excited about this new chapter in our lives. I will try to record some of my thoughts and impressions as time goes on. With luck, it won’t be too boring.