Saying Goodbye

The entire process of becoming full-time RV’ers has been a non stop whirlwind. Through selling our home, the mountains of paperwork to domicile, purchasing and perfecting our rig, selling 95% of our worldly possessions, my total knee replacement surgery, planning and booking our future travel spots, nothing has filled me with dread like saying goodbye to our home and loved ones in California.

I grew up in California and though I have traveled all over the US and the world, the Golden State has always been my home. I was born in Long Beach and lived all over Southern California until 1987 when I moved up to the Bay Area. Jerry was born in Texas, raised in Alaska, and has lived in California since he was 12. We are so excited to be embarking on this journey, but know there will be times when we are homesick. I honestly feel like I’m 18 and going off to college. Looking ahead but sad to leave my life behind. At least the drinks are better now than back then.

Jerry and I both still have family in the Bay Area whom we will miss dearly.  As well as coworkers, friends, neighbors, Bocci teammates, ukulele band members, and our local go-to restaurants. We did a lot of zooms and in person lunches and dinners before we left. We will also be in Sacramento in July for at least a week and my hope is that anyone who is able will come up, see the rig, and see us off. We have built a life here, but it is time for our next chapter.

However, in order to lighten the mood of this incredibly sad blog post, I wanted to make a list of things I will NOT miss in California. 

1. The heat. Jerry and I live in the East Bay, aka the warmer side of the Bay Area. We are already in the triple digits in early June. I abhor the heat and my tolerance has decreased each trip around the sun. Our plan is to follow the mildest weather (we want to follow 70 degrees) we can find. No scorching summers and no frozen winters.
2. The fires. As a California native, I am, unfortunately, an expert on the wildfires, wildfire season, air quality indexes, wearing masks before Covid made them trendy, and poorly done gender reveal parties. The past few years have seen the worst fires in California history, year after year. It is devastating and horrible to see friends and neighbors around the state suffer so much. We would like to avoid wildfire season as best as we can.
3. Taxes. State. Sales. Income. Enough said.
4. Earthquakes. In a state where the ground shakes but everything is earthquake proof and relatively safe is absolutely terrifying. I much prefer the predictability and horror of tornados, hurricanes, lightning storms, and blizzards.
5. The food. California has such incredible food. Wide variety, diverse, and delicious. There has been so much pressure my entire life to pick just one restaurant. I am finally breaking free of these horrendous daily decisions and I couldn’t be more pleased.
6. The beaches. Up and down the coast of California are some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. But I am just so sick of them. Give me some wide open spaces, endless miles of nothing but flat land and roads.
7. The celebrities. I have been mistaken for Liza Minelli for my entire adult life. I have signed autographs and taken pictures with fans and it is exhausting. It is time to get out of the spotlight and live in peace.

As you can tell, California is wrought with failures and we could not be more happy to leave. Only kidding. It’s been a wonderful place to live for the past 40(ish)+ years and saying goodbye to the state and the people will undoubtedly be the hardest part of this next chapter. But we are ready. These are happy tears!

Just One More… tissue for all of these goodbyes.

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