Parham.org

We’ve been in California for 6 weeks already now.  Not a post in sight all that time, so here I go:

It’s really pretty here.  Whenever we walk to the park, down the block, to the store or library, we get to enjoy enormous trees, lush plants, oodles of flowers (the roses are enormous here!), and the Santa Cruz mountains as a backdrop, and we’re only 20 minutes from the ocean.  It’s all lovely.

The weather is always perfect.

Did I mention that we can actually walk to places we want or need to go?  How great is that?!?

If you blow through a red light you’re lible to get a very random fine, like $281.  Huh?

Everything is expensive.

To this midwestern girl, I have to admit that the people are very nice out here.  In all honesty, I was kind of skeptical about it, but we’ve met some wonderful people who have all been very helpful in our transition.

It gets *really* cold at night, at least to us.  And especially since living in Texas for 10 years.

Flying anywhere takes a long time being this far west, as evidenced by my recent trip to Chicago with both kids.

Everything is expensive.

HOV lanes rule!  I almost always have at least one of the kids with me so we get to fly by all of the single-occupant vehicles during rush hour.

We’re riding our bikes again.  Seems we never got the muscles to do that in our hilly neighborhood in Austin.  Reid is lightening fast when he wants to be.

All of the schools have outdoor hallways.

There are no fire ants.  At Reid’s soccer game the other day, I paused before sitting in the grass and then quickly remembered that I could.  And the grass is really soft.

I miss my friends in Austin and elsewhere on the planet.

There are song birds in our backyard.  One of them is singing a lovely tune as I write this.

Oh, and everything is expensive.