The Bright Side

So far I'm struggling a little bit in my new life in Southern California.  This was an expected development; it is always a struggle to live somewhere new - to redefine "normal".  Most of this ambiguity is natural when moving to a totally new place (I've learned that much in my adventures), and for a few months it feels like just an abyss of - meh - interspersed with soul-wrenching hatred of everything that is unfamiliar.  When I got to Prague I told my flatmates that the culture shock was worse moving from Utah to Pennsylvania, than from Texas to Europe.  I maintain that to be true in moving from Texas to California.  Eastern Europe is easy (well, not easy, but at least new, exciting, and the abandoning of all things familiar is expected).  California is strange, alien, unwelcoming, and supposedly still part of my home country.  Don't get my wrong, people are nice enough (nicer than they were/are in Philly), but not normal by any definition I know.  And I don't like it here, not at all.

I do like my new job (mostly).  It really is a fabulous opportunity, but the change is slow-going and I feel exhausted just thinking of all the institutionalized bullshit that needs to be dealt with and changed.  I think about how I had 3 job offers, in 3 different states and I took the best opportunity in the worst location, and sometimes I think I should've just accepted either of the others and stayed in a comfortable environment.  I don't like California.  I never have.  I don't know if I ever will.  People I know have always talked about what a magical place it is, but I was never taken in with that kind of talk.  It feels crowded, fake, expensive, and difficult.

The bright side here is that I am finally close enough to visit The Huntington whenever I want, and one of the very first things I did was buy an annual membership.  I've already been twice with a goal of visiting at least once a month.  I am excited to be able to see the gardens during every season.  It is one of my very favorite places on the planet, and quite literally, the bright side of this relocation.  I'm sure you'll agree...

Rose Garden
There are a bazillion types of roses.  That is not an exaggeration.  (It is, actually, but really there are a lot of different roses.)

This is my new favorite; it's called 'Stainless Steel'  This photo looks a little more purple-y than the actual grey of natural light.















Shakespeare Garden:








North Vista:





Chinese Garden:
They've opened Phase II of the Chinese Garden since my last visit more than 5 years ago.  It is spectacular.












The Japanese Garden & Bonsai Court:
My favorite spot on the west coast.  I've loved it here since my first visit more than 15 years ago.





Wisteria




Trident Maple


Crepe Myrtle







Random daisies:




Abandoned flower wreath:


Subtropical Garden:






Ficus:


Ombu tree (native to Argentina)




Lilly Ponds:

This kid was giggling like crazy as the koi nibbled his fingers.














The goose was just hanging out by the water, and I couldn't really figure it out, but now (2 weeks later) there are little goslings running around.  So Cute.

Palm Garden:


Desert Garden:
I've never really been here when their are cacti in bloom.  There are some interesting flowers in here.







I love these cute little succulents.  So pretty in pink.






This tree was all scary spiny!


Zwartkop - my favorite plant in the desert garden.





At least the bright side is pretty bright!

5 Things

1. I am in that stage of interstate moving/starting a new job when all the bills are rolling in, but I'm still 2 weeks away from a paycheck.  Translation:  so very poor.


2. I am embracing the "fake it til you make it" philosophy of life and turning to Google with all my desperate inquiries.


3. I have a friend who is doing a "100 Days of Happiness" on Facebook.  Each day she details one thing that made her happy that day.  I briefly though about doing that for my first month in SoCal, but yeah, not so much.


4. I do not understand the benefit of a high efficiency all in one washer and dryer.  It can only be called efficient if you believe 4 hours (no I am not exaggerating) to do a "load" of laundry is efficient.  And by "load" I clearly mean no more than 4 items at a time.  Also, it is located (which is apparently really common throughout CA) on the service porch (read: outside), WHICH IS THE STUPIDEST THING EVER IN THE WORLD OF LAUNDRY!


5. California was nice enough to welcome me with an earthquake.  I've felt several in my lifetime, and didn't think too much of it, but the news FREAKED OUT!  I was all, "Seriously, don't you people have these all the time?  Calm down, everyone!"  (I will say the experts from the USGS were hilarious and super over the newscaster panic.)

2013 Year in Review

January:

When last we left the annual review I was unemployed and in a seemingly never-ending bureaucratic battle for unemployment benefits from Pennsylvania.  The good news is that although it looked pretty bleak at the time, I won my appeal and started receiving benefits within the first month of the year.  It was such a huge relief!

February:

Even though I was unemployed and on a tight budget I decided that if I didn’t make to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (and to cross several other things off my list) I would definitely regret it.  In the past, I’ve not taken opportunities to travel because I was hoarding my dollars, but then things get better I’ve regretted not spending on a travel opportunity.  In 2013, several factors came into play making it the perfect time for me to attend Mardi Gras.  The  Super Bowl had been in New Orleans a week earlier so 1)Mardi Gras was poorly attended, meaning that it wasn’t crowded AND 2)hotel prices were less expensive than a normal year.  I also 3)lived within easy driving distance, 4)had the time to take to actually be there on Fat Tuesday, and 5) there isn’t a five, but it feels like there should be.

Anyhow, I went to Mardi Gras and crossed several items off my travel list all of which were AWESOME!  Especially, Preservation Hall – if you have the chance GO and buy the Big Shot pass…it was totally worth it. 

The real headline for February though was welcoming my newest nubbin, Gretta Lexi, named after two incredible women and showing all the signs of their determination and stubbornness from the beginning.

March – June:

Several family members came out to Texas for Gretta’s blessing (which happened to be on Easter); I took another quick trip out to Hill Country to see blue bonnets and other wildflowers, and packed up my life so I could head across the pond.

July:

I spent most of July in Utah saying goodbye to family and friends before embarking on my great European adventure!

August – October:

EUROPE!  Seriously, so awesome.  Can I do this every year?!  I visited several countries:  United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal – and I’m still dealing with a cracked tailbone suffered in Budapest.

November:

I turned 40, and my sister-in-law, Mandi, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

December:

The first Christmas/New Year’s in several years that I got to spend with my whole family. 

As the year ended I was still unemployed, but had a great adventure – an absolutely amazing year.  I don’t think I could duplicate the highs that I experienced this year.  I made my dreams come true and got to stand in some of the most beautiful places on earth.  I met so many extraordinary people from around the world, and learned so much about myself, about how I view the world, and how the world views me, and how I can pretty much deal with whatever this wonderful, wacky world throws at me.  It was absolutely, jubilantly, surprisingly JOYFUL.

2014 will never be able to compete, but I’m still expecting good things in the coming year!