The past few weeks.

There are a few things I love about California: the ocean, the weather, and the fact that my boyfriend is here. California has always been (and felt like) a vacation to me. I have never seriously considered living here. Not for long term, anyway. While I am still not sure I see California far into my future, I am here for now. It is always exciting to move to a new place. One might think that moving frequently is like building a muscle: the more you do something, the better you are at it. That is true to a certain extent. I am pretty adept at finding my bearings and setting up home in an unfamiliar place (I would have been an AWESOME nomadic tribal dweller), but things start to go numb after awhile. I can see how foster kids have a hard time making friends--when you are always on the move, what is the point of reaching out to people or making your room look nice? I am trying to get out, meet some people, get a job, and not step on black widow spiders all at the same time. It is really a juggling act, but one that I stepped into willingly. I do like the challenge, but it is still a challenge.

My mom drove out here with me a few weeks ago, and we stopped at the beach before dropping her off at the airport. Here are a couple of pictures of us from that day:



Here is a picture of me with my best friend from kindergarten, Sandy. We bonded all those years ago through Shamu, gummy bears and hiding from the old ladies at church (they were pretty crabby sometimes). We have been through a lot together--you know, twenty-two years is a long time to be friends when you are my age! I'm glad to say that we still laugh over silly things and allow life to amuse us in unconventional ways.