Jun 30, 2008

Bitter sweet

Well, it's official.
We have said goodbye to life in Huntington Beach...

...and hello to life in Highland, Utah.





I still can't believe it's real. After being in Huntington Beach for 6 years, it was really hard to leave. There is so much that we love about Southern California, but the thing that we will miss most is definitely our friends. I know I've said it before, but since we have lived away from our families we have just relied on our friends who have been like family to us. Sorry if I didn't get to officially say goodbye to you, but I found myself thinking/assuming I'd see people again before we took off, then the time just disappeared. I think part of it was me subconsciously avoiding saying goodbye, since I knew it would be so hard. By the way, in case you were wondering, moving sucks...bad! We only had a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment to move and it was a nightmare. I can't imagine what it was like for my parents who moved after living in a home for 27 years. Crazy! My mom was awesome and flew out on Friday morning just to help pack and clean and then drove back with me, while Dan and a friend drove the moving truck. On Saturday morning we had a handful of guys who came to help move, which was such a huge help. I just can't believe how much stuff we had. It was crazy. And then even after the guys loaded up the truck and left, we still had a ton to do. It just felt like it was going to never end. We totally thought we'd be able to hit the beach or get pedicures, but no such luck. We did go to dinner Sat in Dana Point with my mom's brother and his family, which was fun, but we were exhausted! The Schumann's were kind enough to offer us to stay at their house Sat night, which was so nice. It was great to be able to be completely done and then sleep in a real bed, rather than an air mattress. We woke up, hit Sugar Shack for breakfast and then set off for the long trip to Utah. It wasn't too long until I was shedding a few tears (while my mom slept) as I thought about this chapter of our life closing and I thought about all the friends and the memories that we were leaving behind. Change is just hard, even when you know it's a good thing. (Or a necessary thing). On a good note, the drive was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I drove until St. George and then my mom drove the rest of the way. Dan's Acura is really comfortable, so it wasn't bad. I didn't have stop any more than we did for gas/food, so that was good. We got to my parents around 10:00 p.m. and then waited for Dan. After dropping off his friend Joel and switching cars, etc...and driving back to Highland, we didn't end up going to bed until about 2:00 a.m. The crappy part was that since we were getting there so late, we ended up asking all our family to come Monday night after work to unpack the truck, so I had all day to kill without being able to unpack anything or get settled. I'll admit it was nice to sleep in and go shopping with my mom, but I would really love to just get settled. Anyway, this whole move is definitely bitter sweet. Tonight we had both our families eating dinner together and helping us move. It was so nice just to be able to spend time with them and we feel so grateful to have them close by. (I'm sure even moreso after I have the baby). But I know there are going to be many days when I'll really miss my life in California.


Things I'll miss about life in California....
My friends
Beach sunsets
Bonfires on the beach
Beach cruisers
TK Burger
The Manor ;)
Sugar Shack
The Happiest Place on Earth
Cheap pedicures
The sound of the waves
Great shopping
Sephora
Beach days at San Onofre
The traffic (kidding!)

Things I'm looking forward to in Utah...
Spending time with family
Having a washer, dryer & dishwasher (no more coin laundry!)
Girls night out with my mom and sister
Starry skies
The mountains
Affordable housing
Summer nights
Snowcones
Cafe Rio
Air conditioning!
Boating with my family
Free babysitting
Fresh fruits & veggies from the garden

16 comments:

The Olsons said...

Holly! Its good to have you home! I can imagine it being hard to move after you had been there for so long, especially moving away from the beautiful beach. And have many wonderful memories there. But hey, at least you still got friends there that you can go visit, right? Hope all your settling in goes well. I can't wait to see you again, its been a long time!

Roz said...

You put a positive spin on it. And having family near by is great and will be great for Baby Girl Dixon. Glad to hear you made it safe. I need to take advantage of HB more like you have:) so starting this weekend I will wake up at 5AM and enjoy the city.

Michele said...

Oh no... I was supposed to give you some fudge for your trip!!! I'm so sorry... I had visitors from Vegas this weekend, 4th of july practice for my kids and so much going on that I totally forgot to bring it to you! I'm really going to miss you! Take care and keep us here in HB updated on your cute family! Love ya!

Michele said...
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Michele said...
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Kristin said...

We miss you guys :( Please keep us posted about your sweet new addition coming up - good luck, we love you!

Carolyn Hanson said...

Aw, Holly! I feel for you! But I'm glad to hear things are working out. That will be so nice to have fam close by to help you out with the new babe. Good luck getting settled!

Autumn said...

Glad you got there safely!
Already miss ya!
Please keep in touch!

Denise said...

Holly welcome to Utah!!! We'll have to get together with you guys one of these days, we should have you and Dan and Rob over for dinner, let us know when you get settled and remember, change is always a good thing ;)

{jen} iCandyhandmade said...

We miss you guys already!!! You are welcome to stay with us any time you come down!

Baak Talk said...

your post really struck a chord. We will be moving soon too. Change IS so hard but I suppose it is really what helps us learn and grow.

I know you'll be blessed in your life in UT! Can't wait to meet your new addition (via blog).

Thank goodness for blogging so we can keep in touch!
~Rebecca

Hoagland Family said...

You forgot to add hanging with the Hoaglands!!

I know it's so hard right now with adjusting to Utah. I wish I was there for a extra shoulder to cry on:)

Melanie Jacobson said...

I'm so glad everything went smoothly with your move, Holly. I know it can be hard but I've never once moved when a ton of great blessings didn't follow. You'll be back to visit often (cheap tickets on Jet Blue to Long Beach!). Cuz everyone wants to see your cute baby. If you and Dan come, that's fine, too. :)

CKB said...

Well, we are totally stoked to have you guys here in Utah with us! We just got back from Canada and I think we may need to hang out soon! Lets hit the pool!

harmony said...

Welcome back. It is a big adjustment. we're going on 3 months here and still trying to get used to things here. I'm glad to have you closer. CA did look like a blast though. Let's get together soon. I want to see you before you have the baby (I think prego girls are so cute, crazy?)

Racie said...

Glad you back in Utah! I miss Cali still and it's been like 3 years. :(

Give me a call and we'll get together. Can't wait to see you!!