Living in the land of milk and honey

A year ago this week, my kids and I, along with our two cats, rolled into California after a 5 day drive across the country to start our new life here. Up until then my entire life was spent living in various place in New England, mostly small towns, so moving to California was a big, BIG deal.

I had visited California a couple of times as a kid to visit a family friend and fell in love with San Francisco. Growing up I always vowed I’d live here . Funny how life circumstances and chance made it all happen in the end.

I’ve talked to people here who are envious of my New England roots, wishing they could move there, and I can never understand why. The only thing New England has on California, in my opinion, is a lower cost of living. Sure, it’s a beautiful place, but so is California. In one year here I have seen more wildlife than I’d see in ten years in New England. Deer, raccoons, turkeys and fox are regular sights near my house here. In New England I saw a lot of turkeys, but everything else was a rare thing to see. Maybe the dismal weather kept them hidden in their dens, just like the people there huddle in their houses. New England is cold and snowy from October to April, rainy through April, May and sometimes June, a mixed bag in July and August. September and October are lovely with the leaves changing color, but it's difficult to enjoy knowing that snow and ice are right around the corner.

This past winter in California was the first in my life where I didn’t have to shovel, wear winter parkas or pay thousands in heating oil bills only to still feel cold.

The flowers here are in constant bloom.

California makes me want to lead a healthier lifestyle. I want to be outside, enjoying the sunshine instead of stuck in the house wondering if I’ll ever see the end of gray skies.

The shopping here is stellar. Aside from Boston, there is really no good shopping in most of New England. I lived an hour from a crappy mall there. Boston was a two hour drive.

There is no reason to be bored here. I’m 25 minutes from San Francisco, an hour from San Jose and 30 minutes to Napa. Beaches are a little more than an hour. I have mountain, city and ocean all close by. New England is the same, however here in California there are interesting towns in between. Little pockets of culture and uniqueness to discover. New England just isn’t like that. You have your ‘quaint’ little towns, but they are all pretty much the same. Drive through Vermont or New Hampshire sometime and you’ll know what I mean. It’s not without it’s gems, but much of New England is really pretty ordinary and blah.

What I’m trying to say is that I’m thrilled I made the decision to embark on such a bold, life-changing experience to live in California. What’s life without a little adventure, right? I love it here.