Unexpected Part 2

It is now June and we are back in VA living in a 2 bedroom condo we just bought 3 weeks ago. Talk about unexpected! No, we did not get homesick and feel the need to rush home. Far from it actually! We ended up settling in Southern CA in the Murrieta/Temecula area. Oh my word, it felt like heaven on Earth. It felt like home, which is why we needed to leave.

Don't get me wrong, leaving was incredibly painful. I shed a few tears; but, we felt God telling us-Not now, not like this. Let me backtrack a bit....we stopped in SoCal to visit friends and many of my relatives. We intended to stay a few days, then a week, then it was Christmas, then my cousins offered Kay a job, and we just never left to head up to Northern CA. The whole point of going to NoCal was to save up money in order to live in SoCal. Friends were offering to let us park our RV on their farm for much less than the cost of rent in SoCa. We hoped we could make enough with the jobs my cousins were offering Kay and thought it would be a good idea to move out to Murrieta/Temecula and "check it out" before settling there upon our future return from the farm.

Christmas with the cousins!

We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for 2 weeks and found an amazing apt. in Murrieta. Seriously, it was the best apt. I have ever lived in. And we absolutely fell in love with the area. Extremely family friendly, affordable, diverse with farmer's markets on the weekends. We even found a wonderful church within walking distance. It was like a small town community with big city amenities.

Our bright living room 

Our view at sunset

However, Kay's full-time job was in Tustin/Irvine and he was  leaving in the dark and getting home in the dark. On top of the commute, we were spending $600+ in gas/month. Purchasing another fuel efficient car just wasn't feasible. He looked for employment closer and found a driving school willing to employ him and even help him open his own school in the future, but the licensing requirements are very different than VA and we were told it could take "4-6 months."

We knew this wasn't going to work for us for much longer. The #1 reason we sold our house and bought an RV was to have more quality time together. So he either needed another job closer or we needed to move closer to the one he had. We prayed and applied and decided to put our apt.up for sublease and make the move to the OC.

The hunt for an apt in Orange County was pretty depressing. We either had to spend close to 2k/month for a small 2 bdrm or live some place I didn't feel comfortable. The price to live in paradise. We almost committed to an apartment in Laguna Niguel, but really had to gut check our purpose and priorities.

Time together. Being debt free. Living below our means, not paycheck to paycheck. Being able to travel with the kids. Moving to Orange County or staying put in Murrieta were both directly against these goals. Southern CA is not a place you move while trying to pay off debt.

So many memories of Redondo Beach Pier. Now more!

Did we make a mistake in staying and not continuing on our plan? I don't believe so! We knew it would be tough, but we gave it a valiant effort and had an amazing time!

In the 4 months there, we reconnected with my loving family and several friends. My girls fell in love with their cousins the way I had with mine. I took them to the places of my youth and my heart swelled with such unimaginable joy. It changed what I thought I wanted.  I had envisioned a nomad/RV life for years to come. Being a homeowner again sat very low on my list. Yet, for the first time in 20+ years, I experienced the sense of  "home" again. I had moved back to CA for about a year many years ago, but it did not produce the same nostalgia as it had this time. Although I loved it, I was in a different place. I hadn't met my husband and had not envisioned raising my kids with a childhood similar to mine.

My old stomping grounds

Laguna Beach on our anniversary in February

My lovely cousin with her hubby. Miss these guys!!

Little Corona (Corona Del Mar Tide Pools in Newport Beach) 

Checking out the sea life

Fast forward...a great guy took over our lease at the end of Feb. and bought all of our furniture. We put the rest of our belongings in storage in Temecula. Drove back to VA. Moved back into our 5th wheel. Saved up some money and paid off a few bills. Bought a low maintenance condo that will rent well in the future. Until we are debt free, we will call it home. Kay got his instructor license for CA the day before we left, which is good for 3 years, and has a job waiting when we go back. We are not sure how long it will be until we're debt free and ready, but we know it's all in God's timing. We hope much sooner than later as we can't wait to go back!