Top Things I'll Miss About California

1. Consistently temperate weather (goes hand-in-hand with not owning coats, ice scrapers, etc.) 

2. In-n-Out Burger

3. The ocean/smell of the ocean

4. One set of car tires lasting up to 5 years and being able to have something other than rubber mats in my car. 

5. Palm trees/constant greenery

6.  Abundance of wine

7. Proximity to Punta Mita, Hawaii, Napa/Sonoma, & Santa Barbara

8. Fashion Island. This is really #1. It has been my second home these past 6 years. I took LJ strolling today and I cried my eyes out. I will miss the outdoor shopping. (There are two malls in Cedar Rapids, and neither looks like any place I currently frequent. :-( )

More to come...

Fun in the Sun

LJ and Daddy go for a swim in Hawaii. 

Room With a View

Wailea- Maui, Hawaii

Calm Before the Storm

In anticipation of the chaos that we knew would come (and is, indeed, here) we decided to take a few days and head to Hawaii. Once we're settled in Iowa, it will be quite a hike. Also, once Steve gets in full work mode (which he pretty much is already) we don't really know when we'll be able to get away as a family. 

So, on April 17, we headed to Maui for a relaxing long weekend. It was heavenly. The weather was perfect, Lukasz was a dream to travel with (we are so blessed) and he loved the ocean/beach. (Although we spent most of our time in the pool. ICK! We hate sand!) 

It all went too quickly, and we're home now gearing up for the big move. Our target date is May 13. We'll be going to corporate housing until our place sells and we're able to purchase our  new home. It's exciting, yet unsettling. It will be nice to be able to get familiar with the area before making our decision on a neighborhood, but it will also be a bit weird to be without all of our belongings for potentially 3 months or so. 

Steve has begun his travels already. he's at a meeting in New Orleans this week. Next week he's off to Denver and the following week he starts meeting individually with all of his reps in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. There is much to be done, and it makes the head spin. But it's certainly better than worrying about having an income or insurance, so I try hard not to complain. 

It feels like Lukasz has grown so much in the past few weeks. His  latest thing is interest in the dog. He is fascinated by Frankie and finds his really amusing. The only problem is that Frankie wants nothing to do with poor little LJ. He's reached out and touched him a few times. Frankie has been good about it so far. He's not too keen on it, but he hasn't reacted negatively. I am careful to watch, because with him you just never know. 

Do the Bunny Hop!

A Truly Blessed Easter

Not an Easter photo, but one of my favorites from Easter week. I am so in love with that baby! 

We had a nice Easter weekend, despite the fact that we were still on pins and needles waiting for word about Steve's potential job. We couldn't help but feel like the slow process was a bad sign, and we began to panic. 

We should have know to keep our faith in God- that he'd take care of us. On Tuesday of this week, Steve received an offer for the management position- which of course he accepted! He's the new Zone Director for Shire's Minneapolis West zone. He'll oversee a team of 9-10 sales reps in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and part of Illinois. We are moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa! 

We're still reeling from all the excitement, and we don't know all of the details of the actual move just yet. We know Steve will begin a crazy travel schedule on 4/27. So, in the meantime, we're celebrating. We're going as a family to Maui on Friday for a week of total relaxation and decompression! Yes, times may have been tight recently. And the economy might still be in shambles. But we are taking advantage of this time to do something amazing. (Plus, it doesn't hurt that our flights are free! Frequent flier miles!) Besides, might as well take advantage of our proximity to the islands while we can! 

We're excited, elated, relieved, rejuvenated, and ready to go! 

I'll leave my thoughts on leaving California for another time, as it doesn't feel appropriate to start thinking about the things I'll miss while I'm feeling so joyful about what's to come. I'm just going to enjoy every last remaining moment as a Californian since it won't last long. 

Midwest...here we come! 

My Easter Bunny

LJ's First Easter!