Life

Yesterday was the last day of our soccer season..... HURRAY!!! With 3 kids in soccer, life has been BUSY. It has been a good busy, we all enjoy soccer and we like to go to the games and cheer for each other. It has been a fun season. That being said... it has also made our life a bit more hectic. We had 4 practices a week, and kept us out of the house until 6 or 7 every night. Then we would hurry home and start homework, dinner, guitar practice, showers and reading- just in time to jump into bed. Chores have been put on the back burner, along with piano lessons- we just have not had enough time for everything. So, yesterday was the last game of the season... we ended on a GREAT note. The kids played so well, and it was a fun time. As I am the coach of 2 teams, we decided to have a combined pizza party at our house last night to pass out trophys and pictures. We asked Graysons coach if we could have his teams party here, also. We ended up having 3 teams here with families- Gray's and Gloria's team had 13 players each and Cami's team had 7. So it was one heck of a night. We had 9 large pizza's, and made it through through most of them. The kids loved getting their trophy's and it was so much fun for them to have a huge crowd cheering for them as they each received them! It really was so much fun!! I am thankful it is over :)

In the past week I have had a few people ask me if I like living here, and usually I tell people sure, I do. And it's true, I do. But, just for the record (because I like to have these things recorded:) it has been a difficult adjustment. It has not been easy. We moved here from Columbus, Ohio. I LOVED Columbus. I really did. There was so much to do, so many people. Everything was close, the church/temple, tons of grocery stores, libraries, malls, parks, gyms, restaurants, play places, kids museums, friends, EVERYTHING and ANYTHING- and we had our pick as there were so many options. I used coupons, and did comparison shopping. It was a lot of fun. Our neighborhood was HUGE and we had a ton of friends near us with kids our kids' age. We loved it there.

Then we moved here, to Small town California. One small, overpriced- market. No malls. No kids places to play. One small park. Lots of snakes, spiders, wild animals and LOTS and LOTS of driving, to go ANYWHERE we have to drive. We usually plan on a minimum of 30 minutes, to go anywhere. It is a wiggly drive and my kids get carsick and puke, a LOT! We use a lot of gas. We have no libraries, gyms, kids museums, nothing. Unless we are willing to drive. Church is 30 minutes a way. The temple, in the opposite direction, is 45 minutes away. The closest gym is 30 minutes away. Libraries? I heard there is a small one near our church, we have not been there. Until my good friend, Kellie, moved here, I did not know many people with kids my kid's age. I have met a few since. So, it has been an adjustment living here. To say the least. The first year (or so) I would often find myself crying, wishing I wasn't here. Now I don't hate it. I like it, ok. I don't love it- but the locals say that is something that will come with time. There are things that I do LOVE about living here.... everyone knows you- or knows about you :) It is a very religious community. There are 3 stoplights. Far apart from each other. Perfect. I think all 3 have been installed since we have moved here. Traffic is almost non-exsistent. LOVE that. When I go to town, I feel almost claustrophobic with all the traffic, and lights and people EVERYWHERE. When we go outside at night, the sky is so BRIGHT and beautiful. You don't get stars like that in the city. Yosemite- its our backyard, and we are lucky it is. It is breathtaking and reminds me constantly who created this world and that He is in charge of our life. Church, it may be far away, but on days like today- where there is only rain here, up near yosemite there is snow and icy roads and so church has been cancelled.... I will miss going to take the sacrament, but geez it is nice to be able to have a guilt free day at home with no lesson to prepare, no agenda but to be with my sweet kids and play games and have fun just being together.

So, do I like living here? Yes, I do. But it has taken me a while to get to this point... I am sure that I will love it in a few years (as most everyone does). My husband and kids love it, a lot. We are together and that is the only important thing. We are together.