Even while I stopped, for the first time in my life, being a student. Even while our zip code changed twice. Even while I family grows from five to six. Even while our zip code changes twice.
So I'm a doctor, now. I wake up each morning and these feelings of dignity and intelligence just wash over me. Just like I always imagined.
Maybe I was slightly exaggerating but it is nice to have that done. It feels good. And now we're in California. I'll post photos when I get around to it. Of course I still haven't posted our Disneyland photos from November, so what's my promise worth?
The first night here, we ate out at CA Pizza Kitchen (thanks for the gift card!). Coincidentally, inside our menu, it said "I can color Utah!" The kids loved walking around fountains in January while we waited for our pizza.
Tuesday all of our junk arrived, and we did a lot of unpacking. We also went on our first shopping trip to Von's. The four kids stick out a bit.
Wednesday morning, Clerie declared that we needed to go for a walk. There's very little to stop sound from our unit in front from disturbing other tenants in the house, and our kids were having tough mornings during the adjustment from Mountain to Pacific time. Picture daylight savings and moving at the same time. The morning walks have become a tradition. I think we missed them one day, and that was to go to Santa Monica Pier.
We shopped at a Target store in Pasadena that day. Pasadena's got a city ordinance against giving away grocery bags. It took us by surprise. That, the busy streets, being tired, and the tiny sizes that all the food came in all served to make Clerie extra home sick. We'll probably be avoiding that Target. (Turns out there's one in Alhambra that'll be much more convenient anyway; I just didn't have the internet at the time, and our GPS picked the closest as the bird flies.)
Thursday we had a frustrating trip to the DMV. I was able to get my license, but we couldn't get Clerie's, and we couldn't register the car. The kids hated the DMV, but some droid Tablets Grandma Val gave us made the trip tolerable. That evening we visited the weekly farmer's market at the end of our street. It was lots of fun. One vendor there gave Jonathan a handful of peanuts, and that made Jonathan's night. There's a mushroom booth and a spice booth that have me excited to try some new recipes. There was also some bread that had swirls of color. Rather than buying it, I made some the next day, making the dough in four bowls, each with different food coloring. It was a hit with the kids.
Friday was Jonathan's first day at school, which he described as "the best ever." While he's been using that phrase quite a bit (he's trying to show a good attitude , he's genuinely been excited about school. It's been lots of fun to hear about it, and to feel more a part of it than before. The teachers there are great. That night we ran a bunch of errands in Alhambra, getting some stuff for our furniture (to make up for items we left behind, as is inevitable).
Saturday we went to a book sale at the library, and got some $0.25 books. I got a Frog and Toad book, as I've got good memories of those. That evening we did some furniture fixing with the stuff we got the night before. With that done, our place felt pretty homey. It's been small stuff since.
Sunday was our first day at church. It's a big ward, with a great primary. A sister in the ward recognized Clerie from their time at high school in Tremonton. (What are the odds? Granted, we're Latter-day Saints, so from a Bayesian point of view the odds are pretty good, but still---Tremonton!?) The kids seemed to enjoy their classes.
The next day, we played a "trust fall" game to teach about faith, and started working on sprouting an avocado seed. We'll see whether it's a good one. I took the van in to get some work done.
Tuesday I got the van back, and took the family on a drive around to some of the other places I'd checked out for apartments. After a hair-raising left turn in La Crescenta, we very happily returned home to South Pasadena.
Wednesday we went back to the DMV. I took the kids to a park nearby while Clerie got her license and registered the vehicle. I had to run back over there a couple of times with the kids for one reason or another. But it was much more successful, and our van looks very nice with California plates. (Clerie adds, "But it looks better with Utah plates.") We got some of our last errands taken care of later that day, and watched some Backyardigans before bed time.
Thursday we played at Orange Grove park. Nice park, by the way. We visited the farmer's market again, and bought some peanuts from the guy who gave nuts to Jonathan the previous week. A lady at a fruit stand made friends with Jonathan.
Friday, the first day of February, I took the kids for a walk around a neighboring street. Once again, neighbors were very friendly and conversational. It's getting to be a theme around here.
Saturday we went to Santa Monica Pier. Everything was closed at first, so we went to a nearby farmer's market (supposed to be a very good one). The fruit stand lady from our market was there, so it was fun to say hi to her again. We did some window shopping, walked around the pier (the kids were mesmerized by the breaking waves below), visited the aquarium, and played on the beach. Jonathan wallowed in the sand. Lucy, too. Addi stayed mostly clean, but eventually even she got wet. We came home exhausted. We put on a couple of shows while we cleaned things up and got ready for Sunday.
The kids enjoyed their classes Sunday (and we did, too). After church, Clerie baked some cookies, and we took them over to the bishop's house. He's a couple years older than me, with four small kids, so similar life situation. They invited us inside, and the kids mingled while we chatted for a bit. Jonathan's very excited to see their kids again. At dinner, we talked about what we liked about California, and what we miss about Utah. Addison piped up, "I like the ocean. Can I have a way-to-go buck?"
Today was my first day at work. Lucy and Ellie are sick, so it was a long day for Clerie back here. I enjoyed a beautiful bike ride to and from work, and a low-key day at work. There's a bunch of stuff we're waiting on as we get started. In the mean time, I've got some reading to do, and some work to do on stuff I've been working on at the U. But I had it easy today. It makes me anxious to get back home and take a turn with the kids.
The folks at work are great. My advisor has already shown a knack for making me feel appreciated, and that's been terrific. Tomorrow I'll be on Caltech campus, and I've met the folks over there already, and those I've met have been very nice, too. I'm excited for all the chances I have to learn from so many people around here over the next year-or-few.
By the way, the building I work in says, on one side of the front double doors, "Rocket Development." On the other side, it says, "Climate Change" I feel pretty darn smart walking into that building for work. It is rocket science!
So far, the move has been unbelievably great. The neighborhood and neighbors have been wonderful. Clerie and the kids can walk all over the place, and get where they need to. So far we seem to be developing a positive relationship with our landlady. Jonathan likes his school. The kids love the morning walks. The two weeks I had to reconnect with them have been great. We've been able to Skype, call, text, e-mail, Facetime, or Facebook family, but we still miss everyone in Utah.
So I'm a doctor, now. I wake up each morning and these feelings of dignity and intelligence just wash over me. Just like I always imagined.
Maybe I was slightly exaggerating but it is nice to have that done. It feels good. And now we're in California. I'll post photos when I get around to it. Of course I still haven't posted our Disneyland photos from November, so what's my promise worth?
The first night here, we ate out at CA Pizza Kitchen (thanks for the gift card!). Coincidentally, inside our menu, it said "I can color Utah!" The kids loved walking around fountains in January while we waited for our pizza.
Tuesday all of our junk arrived, and we did a lot of unpacking. We also went on our first shopping trip to Von's. The four kids stick out a bit.
Wednesday morning, Clerie declared that we needed to go for a walk. There's very little to stop sound from our unit in front from disturbing other tenants in the house, and our kids were having tough mornings during the adjustment from Mountain to Pacific time. Picture daylight savings and moving at the same time. The morning walks have become a tradition. I think we missed them one day, and that was to go to Santa Monica Pier.
We shopped at a Target store in Pasadena that day. Pasadena's got a city ordinance against giving away grocery bags. It took us by surprise. That, the busy streets, being tired, and the tiny sizes that all the food came in all served to make Clerie extra home sick. We'll probably be avoiding that Target. (Turns out there's one in Alhambra that'll be much more convenient anyway; I just didn't have the internet at the time, and our GPS picked the closest as the bird flies.)
Thursday we had a frustrating trip to the DMV. I was able to get my license, but we couldn't get Clerie's, and we couldn't register the car. The kids hated the DMV, but some droid Tablets Grandma Val gave us made the trip tolerable. That evening we visited the weekly farmer's market at the end of our street. It was lots of fun. One vendor there gave Jonathan a handful of peanuts, and that made Jonathan's night. There's a mushroom booth and a spice booth that have me excited to try some new recipes. There was also some bread that had swirls of color. Rather than buying it, I made some the next day, making the dough in four bowls, each with different food coloring. It was a hit with the kids.
Friday was Jonathan's first day at school, which he described as "the best ever." While he's been using that phrase quite a bit (he's trying to show a good attitude , he's genuinely been excited about school. It's been lots of fun to hear about it, and to feel more a part of it than before. The teachers there are great. That night we ran a bunch of errands in Alhambra, getting some stuff for our furniture (to make up for items we left behind, as is inevitable).
Saturday we went to a book sale at the library, and got some $0.25 books. I got a Frog and Toad book, as I've got good memories of those. That evening we did some furniture fixing with the stuff we got the night before. With that done, our place felt pretty homey. It's been small stuff since.
Sunday was our first day at church. It's a big ward, with a great primary. A sister in the ward recognized Clerie from their time at high school in Tremonton. (What are the odds? Granted, we're Latter-day Saints, so from a Bayesian point of view the odds are pretty good, but still---Tremonton!?) The kids seemed to enjoy their classes.
The next day, we played a "trust fall" game to teach about faith, and started working on sprouting an avocado seed. We'll see whether it's a good one. I took the van in to get some work done.
Tuesday I got the van back, and took the family on a drive around to some of the other places I'd checked out for apartments. After a hair-raising left turn in La Crescenta, we very happily returned home to South Pasadena.
Wednesday we went back to the DMV. I took the kids to a park nearby while Clerie got her license and registered the vehicle. I had to run back over there a couple of times with the kids for one reason or another. But it was much more successful, and our van looks very nice with California plates. (Clerie adds, "But it looks better with Utah plates.") We got some of our last errands taken care of later that day, and watched some Backyardigans before bed time.
Thursday we played at Orange Grove park. Nice park, by the way. We visited the farmer's market again, and bought some peanuts from the guy who gave nuts to Jonathan the previous week. A lady at a fruit stand made friends with Jonathan.
Friday, the first day of February, I took the kids for a walk around a neighboring street. Once again, neighbors were very friendly and conversational. It's getting to be a theme around here.
Saturday we went to Santa Monica Pier. Everything was closed at first, so we went to a nearby farmer's market (supposed to be a very good one). The fruit stand lady from our market was there, so it was fun to say hi to her again. We did some window shopping, walked around the pier (the kids were mesmerized by the breaking waves below), visited the aquarium, and played on the beach. Jonathan wallowed in the sand. Lucy, too. Addi stayed mostly clean, but eventually even she got wet. We came home exhausted. We put on a couple of shows while we cleaned things up and got ready for Sunday.
The kids enjoyed their classes Sunday (and we did, too). After church, Clerie baked some cookies, and we took them over to the bishop's house. He's a couple years older than me, with four small kids, so similar life situation. They invited us inside, and the kids mingled while we chatted for a bit. Jonathan's very excited to see their kids again. At dinner, we talked about what we liked about California, and what we miss about Utah. Addison piped up, "I like the ocean. Can I have a way-to-go buck?"
Today was my first day at work. Lucy and Ellie are sick, so it was a long day for Clerie back here. I enjoyed a beautiful bike ride to and from work, and a low-key day at work. There's a bunch of stuff we're waiting on as we get started. In the mean time, I've got some reading to do, and some work to do on stuff I've been working on at the U. But I had it easy today. It makes me anxious to get back home and take a turn with the kids.
The folks at work are great. My advisor has already shown a knack for making me feel appreciated, and that's been terrific. Tomorrow I'll be on Caltech campus, and I've met the folks over there already, and those I've met have been very nice, too. I'm excited for all the chances I have to learn from so many people around here over the next year-or-few.
By the way, the building I work in says, on one side of the front double doors, "Rocket Development." On the other side, it says, "Climate Change" I feel pretty darn smart walking into that building for work. It is rocket science!
So far, the move has been unbelievably great. The neighborhood and neighbors have been wonderful. Clerie and the kids can walk all over the place, and get where they need to. So far we seem to be developing a positive relationship with our landlady. Jonathan likes his school. The kids love the morning walks. The two weeks I had to reconnect with them have been great. We've been able to Skype, call, text, e-mail, Facetime, or Facebook family, but we still miss everyone in Utah.
1 comment:
"So I'm a doctor, now. I wake up each morning and these feelings of dignity and intelligence just wash over me. Just like I always imagined."
What are the odds? Granted, we're Latter-day Saints, so from a Bayesian point of view the odds are pretty good, but still”
-Just two examples of why it's fun having you for a brother. ;)
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