staying put

My husband and I have been teetering with the idea of moving back to our hometown of Encinitas.  Right now we live near downtown San Diego and both work in the middle of the county, so a move north wouldn't really affect our commute.  Encinitas has major pros, we could be close to the beach, family, and old friends, but the cons are expensive rent, losing the luxury of walking places, and the annoying effort of moving.  

Let me get one thing straight, we love our current place, we love the neighborhood, the house, the charm, everything, but despite living here almost 2 years we have never really settled.  We left our heart in Encinitas and for years, through college and beyond, we always said we'll move back.  It's a terrible way to think, now that the transient phase of our lives is over, if we can't feel settled or satisfied anywhere but Encinitas we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. 

I was talking to an old friend of mine from high school about this curse, the curse of growing up in an amazing hometown, so in adulthood nothing quite compares.  Most of my friends have been struck with this.  Her boyfriend from Idaho doesn't get it, most people cant wait to get out.  

Then I realized, I'm always looking for the next big thing, the next place to move, the next hobby to try, the next camping trip, but I never really sit down and enjoy the now.  When I take a second and look around at my life, I see how good I have it.  Why push to change that?  Home is where my husband, my animals, and my garden is, and I have all that.

So we've decided to stay put.  The next big goal, that is totally worth looking forward to, is buying a house in the next 2 years. It definitely will not be in Encinitas, the housing prices are insane and we've come to discover the we want as close to an acre of land as possible, we want our own little Shire per say.  It's hard to let go of our hometown, knowing our children won't grow up there, but now it feels like a whole new heap of oppurtunties have opened up and we can move on from outdated dreams.  

For pictures sake, we just picked up this weeks CSA from the farmers market and it was a good haul.  Another reason to love our neighborhood, a Saturday morning walk to the farmers market for 15 bucks of awesome goodness.  Tonight's dinner is pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes, beet greens, and goat cheese, mmm.

Also, this happened the other night and it makes my heart melt.  They have become fast friends who play and sleep together, the cat even licks the dog.

happy easter

I've slowed down a little bit.  I was so enthusiastic about my succulent business then boom life hits.  A heap of new responsibilities at my day job, my husbands birthday, his grandparents in town, my dad in poor health, an adopted cat joining our family, car problems, having to buy a new car, rain and mud mucking up my plants, and without a dishwasher and washer/dryer our once charming cottage looks as chaotic as I feel.  To top it all off I've been fighting a mean case of the yawns.

me as a terrified little babe, sometimes I still feel like this

I suppose that's how life is, things never slow down, but there has got to be a way to enjoy the little things amongst the larger chaos. 

That being said, its a beautiful Easter morning, the cat and the dog are getting along swimmingly, and my new (new to me) car is a incredible compared to the clunkers I have driven since my sweet 16.  With my work schedule lightening up and a vacation on the horizon, enjoying the little things isn't so difficult.