#goodbye | multi-hyphenated-me

Blast off! June 19, 2013

Filed under: Gardening — multihyphenatedme @ 10:36 am
Tags: #110yearsold, #2013, #20hoursdrivingahead, #409, #97, #amtrak, #bendor, #byopicnic, #CA, #facebook, #fresno, #fullerton, #goodbye, #hashtagenthusiast, #homedepot, #i5, #lattc, #launionstation, #moving, #movingday, #ontheroad, #oregon, #placentia, #spokane, #starbucks, #stockton, #twitter, #uhaul, #WA

My husband had to run to Home Depot for who-knows-what so I’m taking a break, enjoying my coffee and posting this blog. Thank you for the opportunity to sit down.

Here we are. The countdown is done. Today is the day. 3-2-1-Blast Off. If only moving was as simple as the countdown. Today is cleaning day. The final push to get everything that wasn’t shipped yesterday loaded onto the trailer and get the house cleaned. The carpet cleaner arrives at 1 PM, the landlord will do his final inspection at 2 PM, then we’re hitting the road just in time for LA traffic.

C’mon we’re smarter (just) than that! Instead of sitting in traffic we’ve organized one last final hurrah, a BYO-Picnic a the park for some playtime and fun before we hit the road. I’m going to lie down and take a nap.

Did I mention I was feeling 90 years old yesterday? Today I’m 110. I ache, I’m bruised and I think I have inhaled too much 409 while cleaning. Can you get a contact high off of 409? What about lung cancer? I have never looked so forward to sitting in a car, or anywhere, for 20 hours. We haven’t moved yet and you have all been replaced, Advil is my new best friend.

All jokes and exaggerations aside, no real complaints (not out loud, just publicly broadcasted through my blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts, just like a secret). Our move is going smoothly. Shipping our boxes with Amtrak was truly a genius find by my husband. The story of how he discovered this option was the result of taking the train from Fullerton, CA to downtown LA for his project at LA Trade Tech. He spoke with the shipping managers at the Fullerton CA station and LA Union Station. He really connected with the LA Union Station manager (remember, my husband isn’t socially motivated). When I met her yesterday I understood why. Marissia is personable, thorough, efficient and interacted well with her peers and staff. Turns out that Marissia recently celebrated her 30 year anniversary with Amtrak and is a 4th generation railroad employee. What started as a summer job thanks to her dad, she found her niche career. You know I love a good human interest story. I hope Amtrak appreciates her as much as her customers! Though we did a test run and sent 3 boxes from Fullerton to Spokane in May (giving me the opportunity to connect with the Spokane shipping manager), we felt good leaving our boxes with Marissia yesterday. Our boxes are on their way. Plus we saved $1500 from the U-Haul quote received, not including gas and having to tow or ship our second vehicle. I highly recommend using Amtrak for shipping if there are any long distance moves in your future. I’ll follow-up with this once our boxes arrive.

After the BYO-Picnic party at the park this afternoon we will drive 4 hours north on I-5 to get us out of LA. We’ll end up somewhere between Fresno and Stockton. Tomorrow we’ll continue northward leaving California and the I-5 for the 97 toward sunny skies in Bend, Oregon. On Friday we’ll arrive in the rain to our new home in Spokane.

Goodbyes have never been easy for me. This afternoon will be tearful but I can not wait to get on the road.

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My Daily Blog T-11 The Love of Friends and Cake June 8, 2013

Filed under: Cooking,Creative,Family,Life — multihyphenatedme @ 9:38 am
Tags: #2013, #cake, #california, #farewell, #fiesta, #germanchocolatecake, #goodbye, #OC, #party, #partyfavors, #placentia, #postcards, #sangria, #senoras, #sourcreamalmond, #spokane, #strawberryjam, #washington, #wizardofoz

“A heart is not judged by how much it is loved, but by how much it is loved by others.”

The Wizard said to the Tin Man, The Wizard of Oz

Our hearts are full of love for my friends that hosted our going away party last night as well as for those in attendance. Over 100 people ate, drank, went swimming, played water polo/soccer and hung out in support of us, our children and our decision to move from Placentia, California – the OC – to Spokane, Washington. Nothing makes a party better than street tacos, beer, sangria, sodas, salads, dips and, my favorite part, cake. Thank you my dear friends, my six senoras, that hosted the party. I love you for your thoughtfulness, kindness, generosity and, most of all, your friendship.

I have to give a shout out to my friend made this Fiesta Cake for the occasion:

The bottom layer is an inside-out german chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. The second tier is sour cream almond with strawberry filling with buttercream frosting. The third tier is ooey-gooey chocolate with chocolate buttercream frosting. All wrapped in fondant and decorated to match our fiesta theme. Was it any good? I made the ultimate sacrifice and ate (not tried, ate) a slice of each. Which flavor was best? That is a tough, if not impossible call. I had to have a second slice of the sour cream almond just to confirm that all flavors are fabulous! How lucky am I to have leftovers in the fridge!! A huge thank you to my friend that made the cake.

As party favors, I gave each family a jar of homemade strawberry jam. For the kids, we gave addressed and stamped California postcards to send California love to the boys. Hopefully this will create a fun summer pen pal program and help keep everyone in touch.

Thank you my friends. You are not easy to leave.

My Daily Blog T-12 And So It Begins June 7, 2013

Filed under: Family — multihyphenatedme @ 11:30 am
Tags: #2013, #6thgrade, #bringtissues, #Charlottesweb, #emotions, #fifasoccer, #friends, #generosity, #goingawayparty, #goodbye, #goodbyes, #kindness, #kleenex, #moving, #reality, #tears, #tears, #thoughful, #tissues, #virtualworld

It’s starting.

Yesterday, my 6th grader had to read a speech he had written about his elementary school experience in front of his class, as did all of his classmates, to select a student to read their commencement speech at 6th grade promotion next week. I read the speech he had written, it was simple yet emotionally strong enough to make my eyes well up with tears. No wonder then, that while he was standing in front of the class reading his speech, he stumbled when he read he would miss his friends. He cried and couldn’t continue so his teacher finished reading his speech. We know this move is not easy on him but to have to publicly display his 12-year-old emotions is rough.

Today at a our son’s third grade class Reader’s Theatre production of Charlotte’s Web, I felt a wave of emotional finality at the elementary school. I said my first “goodbye in case I don’t see you next week”. Goodbyes are going to happen, the countdown is getting close to single digits, goodbyes are inevitable. I just wasn’t ready at 9 AM. I need time to prepare. I need time to brace myself. I need to bring tissues!

We have been at our elementary school for 6 years. We have made many great friends. Five families are hosting a going away party for us tonight. Their thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity humble me completely. Everyone’s excited except no one wants the party to happen to have to say goodbye…except our youngest who just wants to go swimming and eat tacos. He’s ready to party. This is our last big event, our last get-together.

In our virtual world, goodbyes aren’t as forever and final as they once were due to limitations with high-priced long distance calls and the chore of writing a letter. Goodbyes are not any easier though. My son may play virtual FIFA Soccer video games with his OC friends, but won’t play on the same real soccer team. I can email and text my friends but I won’t volunteer with them, see them regularly or just hang out. Virtual and real living are not the same. Living in Spokane will not be the same as living in OC, nor do we want it to be. We want change and the price tag for change is that our lives won’t be the same. With friends, that’s difficult and emotional.

Don’t forget the tissues, there will be plenty of tears.

T-22 Goodbye Beach May 28, 2013

Filed under: Family,Life — multihyphenatedme @ 6:43 am
Tags: #2013, #beach, #friends, #goodbye, #goodtimes, #kids, #love, #memorialday, #moving

We gathered with longtime friends on Memorial Day. This wasn’t a goodbye nice knowing you visit because we’ve been friends long enough that they see our moves as their vacation destinations. In fact, we see them more often living further away than we do living close by.

Their 7 year old daughter returned my jam jar filled with beach sand and made a card. In the card she wrote that the sand is “to comfort you” when you move so far from the beach.

I wasn’t expecting an emotional day, let alone an emotional moment yet this little girl grabbed my heart and the tears flowed. Surprise attack. Kids are good that way.

A little bit of LBC is going to Spokane so I won’t have to say goodbye to the beach after all.

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multi-hyphenated-me

the hyphens that define my life

Blast off! June 19, 2013

My Daily Blog T-11 The Love of Friends and Cake June 8, 2013

My Daily Blog T-12 And So It Begins June 7, 2013

T-22 Goodbye Beach May 28, 2013

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