Moving to California (Part 3 and Part 4)

I can't lie, I feel a little overwhelmed blogging since my intention was to write detailed updates on our lives....and that obviously has not happened. So instead of letting the fear of not getting every detail deter me from writing, I am diving in and giving a quick synopsis (as quick as almost 10 months can be) of our lives here in California.

Part 3: Living with my Parents

First, we moved to my parents' home in Yorba Linda. The plan was to be there for no more than 3 months. But then COVID-19 happened and delays in building and we ended up living there until July (7 months total!). Luckily, my parents are amazing. Andrew and I have thanked my parents for being so easy to live with. 

Even though it wasn't ideal, I am so grateful for the time we were able to stay with my parents. We created some really beautiful memories. My Namma and Granddaddy lived there with us for 2 weeks while my Granddaddy was recovering from a surgery. I loved being able to talk to my grandparents and have my children grow closer to them. This was an especially tender mercy since my Namma just passed away. 

We also spent countless hours with cousins. Grace and Madelyn love being with family, so it was nice living in the hub where everyone would congregate regularly. We'd swim in the pool, watch movies, read books, and share meals together. 

And of course, COVID-19 happened. What started as a 2-week shut down quickly turned into months of sheltered isolation. The COVID-19 virus affected the entire world. California's governor issued a temporary lockdown, with the exception of a few essential jobs being allowed to opperate. We were stuck at home, and I still worry for both our health and our economic well being in this country.  While this pandemic brought a lot of stress, it was actually a relief to still live in my parents' house and not be alone in my own new home. One thing I especially treasure is the time I got to spend with my sister, Sarah, before she left for college. She is a magnificent young woman and it was fun to see some of her progression into adulthood. 

Through all of this, Andrew studied for his real estate license and passed his test. He worked on marketing and learned new skills in photography and website design. This move has paid off and he is so much more content in his work. I was able to work helping my dad and sister-in-law design the sales brochure for the development. It was fun to have a creative outlet and learn new skills myself. 

And like I mentioned before, there is just too much to detail, so here is a quick list of all the other things that happened while we were living in Yorba Linda.

• Christmas  (which is always magical here)
• Went to Disneyland a few times. Grace found some favorites: the Dumbo ride, It's a Small World, and The Enchanted Tiki Room
• I discovered some new fun hobbies: cake decorating and watercolor
• Went to Palm Desert for a day and spent time at the pool
• Grace turned 2 and had a Minnie Mouse themed party
• Other holidays like Easter and 4th of July
• My little sister, Sarah, graduated high school. While it was strange in many ways, we were able to host a small graduation ceremony for her and her good friends. It was actually very special.
• Went to our family's ranch a few times
• Grace loved looking for the many caterpillars, cocoons, and butterflies in my parent's backyard
• Went to the beach
• Had a Macey family vacation in St. George. It was so nice to see a lot of the family and spend a few days together

Part 4: Our New Home!

So we finally were able to move into our new home in South El Monte in July. The community is called The Horizons, and they are a beautiful collection of 77 3-story townhomes, a kid's play area, BBQ, fire pits, and festival lights over the seating area.

Mind you, we were the first ones to move in, so we are currently just surrounded by construction. :)  But that's ok. I am excited to see the community develop and for new neighbors to move in. 

I don't know if it is because we are the first one's living here or if it's because my dad is the builder, but I feel a responsibility to set the tone for the development. I want this neighborhood to be filled with love and friendship, so I have taken it upon myself to greet each new move-in with cookies and a personal introduction. 

For our own home, we are slowly getting things set up and decorated. We bought new couches....and when they arrived, we quickly discovered that they wouldn't fit up the stairs (our kitchen and living room are on the second floor). Well, good thing my dad is the builder and was willing to go above and beyond; he  got a guy to take out our kitchen window and lift our couch to the second floor to fit it through the window. Crazy!!! (Well, I guess we are going to have to sell our couch with this house when we eventually move). 

Andrew works on site selling these homes. His commute is a 20 second walk to the sale's office, and we see him often when the girls and I go on walks. Even though COVID-19 has brought many economic challenges, real estate seems to still be going strong. We've had no problem selling these townhomes so far. 

In walking distance from our home, we have a park and the county library, but we haven't been able to us the library since it is closed due to COVID-19. Let's be honest...everything in California is closed due to COVID. We got Disneyland passes and a year pass to the LA Zoo when we moved here, but we haven't been able to use them hardly at all!

Anyway, life isn't exactly how we imagined it...but when is it ever the way you planned? We are happy and healthy in our new home. We miss our family and friends in Utah so much, but we hope to get some visitors once California opens up again. 

And again, here is a list of other things that have happened while we have been living here:

• We decided to sell our sweet dog, Cali. It was sad, but we found an AMAZING family to take her. We are even able to visit if we want. Truly this was a great blessing for us and Cali.
• Family pictures at the beach...which were ROUGH! Our girls were in bad moods, but we did our best.
• Mayans Family vacation at a beach house in Newport Beach. So fun! So much sand, so many walks, so much laughter, so much ice cream :)
• Celebrated birthdays: Sarah (18), Andrew (35), and Maddy (1)
• Madelyn turned 1!!!! Oh my goodness, this crazy year has flown by
• I've made lots and lots and lots of cookies
• Had an adventure at the park with a group tandem (is that the word for it?) bike. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.