This New Year

It’s been over six months since I’ve written a post for this blog.  It’s been a really long six months.  I’ve thought about blogging many times but couldn’t wrap my brain around anything enough to write coherently.  As I now look back through photos (and sometimes lack of photos), I can see that we had a lot going on, but our living situation during the last half of last year had the most impact on our lives.

Fred’s former employer closed their facility in Bellingham last June.  We knew months in advance that this would happen but didn’t yet have a suitable job lined up for him.  A nearby company needed a QA manager, but there was no way we were staying in Washington.  Fred agreed to fill the position for a couple of months while they found someone permanent, and he continued to look for a job that would bring us closer to our family.

After interviewing with several companies and receiving a few offers, Fred chose to work for a company in Ventura, and we made arrangements to move to California.  He began working in October, we moved in November, and we’re still unpacking boxes.  We enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and are settling into our new home near our loved ones. 

 

We’ve found most of what we need for day-to-day living, with a few exceptions.  And still there are way too many unpacked boxes.  So, we’re beginning 2014 by finishing up what’s left to do from 2013:  We sold or donated much of our furniture and many or our belongings before leaving Bellingham.  Now we will sell the rest of the furniture that we no longer have a place for in our home or in our lives.  The remaining boxes will be unpacked to determining what will be kept and what we no longer need.  I know that the process will not be as easy as it sounds.  So many of our things have a history; a meaning apart from their intrinsic value.  It can be so hard to let things go that are wrapped in memories, but our reality is that there is limited space available for things.

 

The Bellingham area is absolutely beautiful, and we have fond memories of our lives in Medford, but I definitely won’t miss the Pacific Northwest winters.  The weather in Santa Barbara has been amazingly warm and sunny for this time of year.  What a lovely change and so surprising to see flowers blooming on New Year’s Day!

 

Best of all, we are surrounded by family and friends.  My husband grew up on the same block that we now live on.  His father lives around the corner, and his sister’s house is just behind ours.  My family is only about an hour and a half away, and we’re getting reacquainted with friends still living in the area. 

Wishing everyone a joy filled 2014,

Cindy