I have been busting at the seams with my little secret, and I finally get to spill. Mr. M & Charlie Mae & I are moving back to California!!
Our move to sunshine & flippie-floppies became officially official today when we closed escrow on our very first house!
People tell me that this makes us grown-ups. Technically, Mr. M has been a grown-up for a very long time. It looks as though I’m finally starting to catch up. Next thing you know I’ll be eating sensible dinners and wearing blazers and diversifying my portfolio, whatever the devil that means. Best not to threaten me with adulthood.
I’m just excited to live some place where brightly-colored walls do not equate to a lost security deposit. Bring on the fluorescent green paint!
As excited as I am to start a new chapter in California- and I do love new chapters- I’m getting a bit mopey and nostalgic about leaving New York.
My dear friend Lis had an interesting thought while we were discussing loving, leaving, and living in various places called ‘home.’ There are the big things that you know you’ll miss… and then there are those seemingly inconsequential details that you almost can’t grasp until they no longer feature regularly in your life.
One of Lis’s friends who’d recently left New York found herself longing to walk by those buckets of fresh flowers that line so many of Manhattan’s sidewalks. She never bought cut flowers and didn’t realize she liked walking by them until they were gone.
Lis had me remembering that when Mr. M & I first moved from mountainous San Francisco to bulldozed Manhattan, I ached to walk uphill. Living in SF, I never imagined I’d miss that slightly out-of-breath, burning quads sensation until it exited stage left.
Immediately upon moving, I started taking our NYC apartment stairs two at a time in an effort to replicate the feeling. Two years later- out of habit- I have the urge to take all stairs two at a time, every time. San Francisco crept in.
SF “crept in” in some not-so-subtle ways, too: I’m still confused when public composting bins aren’t an option (“Wha… what do they expect me to do with my straw wrapper? Throw it in… the trash?!?”). But I’m talking about the little things.
I will regret admitting this in 5-4-3-2…, but when we moved from Davis (the tiny agricultural college town where I went to veterinary school) to San Francisco, I remember missing the smell of manure from the surrounding cornfields.
Bike riding & farmer’s markets, sure. Giant, panic-inducing corn mazes, of course. But manure? I would not have guessed it. SF smelled so disturbingly… sterile and un-equestrian. [As I sit here ‘enjoying’ a sweaty New York summer, I shake my head at the very idea of desiring more smells in one’s life. Ahh, to be young & innocent again.]
I know I’ll miss being able to walk pretty much everywhere I want to go… and knowing that no matter what crazy things I do in public, I’m not even close to being NYC Crazy… and that unspoken feeling of camaraderie you share with utter strangers on the first day of Spring… but what surprise, quintessential New York element will I find lacking in Southern California?
My thoroughly-“L.A.” friend KK has warned me that I am not to return to the west coast sighing and starting sentences with “In New York…” as if moving to LA infinitely worsened my life. It’s good to have friends who keep you in line.
But Lis’s contemplations have me very curious to know- what One Thing did you unexpectedly miss after your last move?
awesome!For sure California will be great!wish to go there,check my last post about NY you will like it:)
Absolutely- California should be lots of fun! :) I hope you're able to get there sometime. It looks like you had a wonderful visit in New York- you took some amazing pictures! Enjoy the rest of your travels!!
thanks I will try to see California some day!looks like an amazing place to live:)
Noise. I lived in and supervised a high school dorm of about 30 boys and girls for 5 years. I lived in the dorm for 8 total, the first 3 as a college student helping with the supercision then took over the job when I graduated. When the school closed my family and I moved from a 4 bedroom 1500 square foot apartment surrounded by the noise of teenagers to a 3 bedroom 945 squarefoot house. It's been almost a year and I still find the quiet unsettling. I miss the kids' laughter, yelling at each other and running around. The noise was comforting. Thats what I miss...I also miss all the kids who made all that noise! Hahaha...my own two kids do a good job trying to make up for it though :) Congrats on your move! Very exciting news! Hope it all goes well.... :)
What a wonderful answer, Jenn! I can absolutely see missing noise after living with 30 teenagers for 8 yrs! Your two kids are lucky to have a mom who not only doesn't mind but encourages them to be laughing, noisy, yelling kids. :) You know, now that you mention it, 'noise' may be that One Thing I miss about NYC, too... although it *will* be nice to escape that 7am jackhammer that likes to serenade us on Saturday mornings. Thank you so much for the well wishes... the three of us are all packed up and waiting to catch our flight to CA as I write!
I don`t think I would miss a jackhammer either! Safe travels!
Congrats!!! I'm so excited for you, although I'm kinda sad we won't be kinda, sorta, at least on the same coast neighbors anymore! I'm excited to see what you do with your house. The first thing I did was lower the resale value by painting... and, yes, my bathroom is lime green. Bright colors make for a happy, inviting home! Hm... what did I miss when I moved the 5 hours to New Jersey from Pennsylvania? Mountains. It doesn't seem like there would be much of a difference, but it's so flat here. That's honestly the only thing I can think of. I have a feeling that, if I were to ever leave South Jersey/Philly area, I'd have a list a mile long of things I would miss.
Ha, do you know I thought the same thing? I'm so excited to return to CA, but I've enjoyed being on-the-same-coast neighbors with you. Perhaps I secretly imagined an interweb buddies meet-up where you made me yummy food in exchange for dinosaur paraphernalia. Sigh. I am SO excited to start decreasing resale value! I just found a little taxidermied squirrel with a felt holster, cowboy hat, and pistol that I want to grace our (gold painted) stairwell. I totally agree that bright colors make for a happy home, and I'm hoping quick draw cowboy squirrels do, too. I can totally see missing mountains. Looking out onto a whole new type of landscape is always an adjustment. But I think knowing that you'd miss a mile-long list of things in South Jersey means you're in the right place!
Well... when do you leave? There's plenty of awesome places between Philly and NYC, just sayin' ;) I'm totally jealous of the quick draw squirrel. Daniel would freak if I brought something like that home, although I do have an awesome dragon figure. He's flexing, and a crystal is popping out of his muscle. He's the best thing I've ever owned. He's on the top of my entertainment stand. Daniel and I talked about this today, and he couldn't come up with anything more than his favorite hiking trail. Apparently central Pa isn't very memorable... or it's too similar to South Jersey ;)
I miss New Mexican food! I never gave green chile a second thought until I was 1000 + miles away. And I hate to admit it, but I kind of miss the dry, desert. Congratulations! I am sure you and Charlie Mae will enjoy all of the digging and replanting. ;-)
Wow, What a great surprise! And it sounds like a wonderful move ... and a first house too! Congrats! :) What's your timing? ~Terri
Hey Miranda! Am so excited for your move to Cali! I believe new places and new chapters are always ours to write! Am looking forward to seeing what you'll discover in Cali! ; )