My last Sunday in California

I woke up early this morning not to enjoy the beautiful sunrise, but to finish up some work. It hit me yesterday morning as I was lying in bed that this is our last week here. With all the planning and packing, you might think this revelation would have come sooner, but not for me. The future is always so unimaginable to me. I can make plans and dream, but the reality of what tomorrow brings is almost always a surprise. I've learned along the way to take those surprises as they come and to be thankful when they are the good kind.

The first time I flew into San Jose my eyes widened to take in all that is the Bay Area. Houses were not surrounded by large green lawns as they were in Oklahoma. Instead they were crammed in next to one another like an intricate living puzzle. From my perch in the clouds, I saw freeways lined with cars and an ant farm of people busily moving from one place to the next. It was a shock to the system of this country girl and it didn't end when the plane landed. The airport was thick with a sea of people moving in every direction. My safe spot was David. I found him and let out a little sigh of relief. A native to the area, he was not phased by the traffic that whizzed by us on the freeway or the throngs of people that crowded the movie theater and restaurants. Like a child seeing everything for the first time, I took it all in. At the time, I couldn't imagine living in such a place. Everything felt so cold and unfamiliar. My first few months here were filled with transition. I felt like the proverbial square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Little by little California grew on me. Our first camping trip to Del Val opened my eyes to the beauty of California. Yellow hills roll on for miles and miles to the east of us while lush mountain terrain lies to our west. The ocean is cold and salty, but beautiful in a way that Hollywood doesn't portray it. The people here are as diverse as the landscape. This is the part of California that changed me the most. The melting pot of ideas and beliefs opened my eyes to a world of possibilities that I grabbed hold of and clung to. I'm still holding on.

When I think about leaving this place in six days I am equal parts excited, scared, and sad. For better or for worse this place has been our home for the past decade. We fell in love here, were married here, and started a family here. While I am certain that the greatest adventures lie ahead of us, I remember fondly the adventures we've had here. I will miss camping at our favorite spot, shopping at the grocery store we've been going to for the last ten years, the movie theater where we watched our first movie together, the park Erin and I love to ride bikes at, and the many other things that made this place home to us. The Bay Area is a place of transition. People come and go with the rise and fall of jobs. This place is used to new faces. I know it will not miss me, but I will miss it.