Starting over

    I grew up in California. When I say grew up, I mean that I was born, grew up, and graduated from high school while living in the same house in Los Gatos at the end of El Gato Lane. I've been thinking about my childhood a lot lately. We've recently moved from Utah, where we lived for the last year, to Los Angeles, CA. As most people will tell you that Northern California is nothing like Southern California, and as you will also see t-shirts with the logos of NorCal and SoCal (what are they supposed to mean?), I must say after living here these past few days, I've found they are very similar.
   We moved in last Friday, we got the paperwork on Friday, turned it in on Monday, and the kids went to school on Tuesday. Boom, boom, boom. Walking these kids to school has brought back so many memories.  Do you see these two things below?

As a kid we would collect these and pretend they were make-up. They would be on the sidewalks on our way home from school. Katie Knorr would gently apply blush to her already pink cheeks. She was in 2nd grade. I was in 1st. I found the ones in the picture on my walk earlier this week. The one with the red seed things in it I had never seen before. I guess the birds and squirells hadn't gotten to it yet.
  The sidewalks go up and down and are slanted sometimes because of the bulging root systems of the trees that line the streets. The trees are huge and strong. It's a gorgeous effect. In a month or so there will be Fall leaves dancing across the streets in the wind. The sun will still shine with force but there will be a crispness in the air. The kids will still be wearing shorts and t-shirts and our weekends will still take us to the beach. I'm so glad our path in life has brought us back here. My children, all five of them, will get to experience a little of my life and childhood.

  I'm not in a reminiscent mindset yet since we've just arrived, but I'm sure thoughts of Utah and other places will find themselves close by soon enough. Last year Jonathan and I really milked Utah for all it was worth. This last summer we went camping 6 times. I know that doesn't sound like much, but when you have five kids and they are 8 and younger, 6 times is a lot. The above three pictures are of our last trip to Dinosaur National Monument. Other than our kids' night screams, it was so peaceful. Hardly anyone was there. Just us and the petroglyphs. Very cool place.
  Back to the present. . . we are starting over but we are not young. It's exhausting but I feel like it will be worth it. Jonathan will do what he loves. The kids and I will too.