As always, it seems like it has been a decade since I updated our blogg. A lot has happened since then. We have left our dear friends and home of 13 years behind in sunny Burbank, California and are now residents of the garden state: New Jersey. We even have the license plates to proove it! I guess it's official now.
Hubby is enjoying his new job a great deal and Laura and I are enjoying meeting new people and finding new adventures. Although we also miss our friends a lot!
In the past few months our homeschooling style has changed from "classic, school at home" to "crazy, survive relocation" mode. Honestly, academics have not been a priority in the past few months. DD has been reading nonstop (from classics to comics) during this whole process so I don't feel so bad about it.
We have been here for almost 4 months and just now I feel like we can really start to stretch our weary traveling legs and be comfortable with our new surroundings. The warm weather helps.
Now that our necessities are all unpacked and I have a clue of where I am, our priority (besides school work) is to meet as many people as we can. I feel like I have to jump on it; at least while the weather is warm and before we have to go into (a somewhat feared) hibernation mode for our family's first and long, north eastern winter.
Our time of arrival was perfect. Well, minus the rainy move-in day. We got to see enough snow on the ground to see it melt and welcome spring. DD has enjoyed wet spring days walking around and seeing nature awake almost overnight. The changes happen so fast and are so large that it is a wonder, specially for us, coming from a place where flowers are always in bloom. Spring term homeschooling events were just beginning so she was able to have some group classes. She participated in the town's softball spring league and a few fun events with her new Girl Scout troop.
I am as happy as a clam because I got to go back to one of my favorite places on earth: The Art Students League of NY. Memories of old come back not only to my heart but also to my hands.I am very excited because now I can take an occasional drawing or painting class in the weekend, while hubby is home. I can sign up month to month or just drop in. Flexibility is the key here. It feels great to draw like that again! I am slowly getting myself where I used to be. Here are a few one minute (L) and five minute (R) sketches from my first class. There's hope! Life is good.
Not everything has been peachy roses though. Our DD is acting like a perfect nine year old who was yanked from all she knew suddenly: sad and angry at times, excited and eager to find a new adventure in the next moment. It has been like riding on a roller coaster at times. We don't blame her for it and we are trying our best to help her deal with it all. After all, it was late January when we figured out that we needed to leave by March 3rd if we wanted to move as a family.
She truly becomes her beautiful self again whenever she has a puppy or animal in her arms. So...we have been petting a lot of small creatures lately. Here she is at the dog park, borrowing a little joy. Two of her visiting requests have already been fulfilled: she has visited the biggest candy store and the biggest toy store. Yes, we are trying.Regardless of how hard it has been, I am glad that we did it in such a way and that we came here together. We had already spent too long and too many important days apart!
We live in a pretty city/town considered a suburb of Newark and I think myself lucky to be here right now. We are only 30 minutes by train to NYC (perfect for hubby's commute and day trips) and minutes by car to beautiful woodlands, lakes and playgrounds. We are really enjoying house hunting in the area.
The people we have met have been very nice and welcoming. Although there are not many homeschooling families in town, the ones we have meet have been wonderful, caring and warm towards us. In our short time here we have already been part of many unique and fun events. Also, our daughter's new Girl Scout troop and leader have welcomed us as true Girl Scout sisters: with open arms.
Still, the sad reality hits almost daily: we will not have our closest friends be so close to us anymore. We miss you guys! We wish we could have brought all of you here. At once. With us. In other words... come visit anytime!
We are looking forward to a fun and busy summer. We are vacationing in our own hometown! Everything is new for us around here so we are staying close to home to learn the ropes. DD is doing swim lessons, guitar and travel softball league. We are also excited about starting a new JOAD class for homeschoolers that we hope to continue in the fall.
But enough said... as a picture can say a thousand words (and as the clock ticks), I have about a hundred of them to share. Click on the albums to the right to see more of what has been going on around here!
