Bittersweet Farewells

When we first moved to Los Angeles and for the first couple years, I didn't really let myself get close to people because we always knew we would be moving back to the Midwest at some point and I wanted to spare myself the inevitable good-bye. Well, obviously when you know people for a certain amount of time, you're going to get to know them, and find people you really like to hang out with. After I had Ella and chose to stay home with her, I realized that I needed contact with the outside world and preferably adults. I found a playgroup online that was very informal. There were no requirements for joining and you could go to whatever you felt like, however often. Sounded good to me! I never expected to meet such good friends through that group! I guess when you see people 2-3 times a week plus a weekend event every now and then for 2 1/2 years, you're bound to grow pretty close to them.

Andrew and I decided at the beginning of September that Sept. 27th would be the big day, officially. So began the good-byes. And it seemed we couldn't just do one big shindig. We had to drag it out for more than two weeks. We did our best to spend one last outing with all of our good friends in Los Angeles. Starting with one last Mom's Night Out for me with The Tot Lot (our current playgroup). We had a fondue party at Melissa's house and played The 80's Game where I got to show off all my completely trivial pop culture knowledge (Like that Michael Bolton sang Down in the Boondocks and Bo Diddley did a "You don't know Diddley" commercial for Nike). From there, we moved to one last Wednesday playdate. (our regular weekly scheduled playdate) That week's playdate was at Petco. Ella and her friends went on a guided tour around the store and were able to touch/hold various animals such as rats, birds, and chinchillas.

Friday, I met up with my friend Shelly at a great children's bookstore in Studio City called Storyopolis where Ella and Lily enjoyed storytime and then we grabbed a bite to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. We met Kate, Pete, and Liam at the "sand" park in Burbank on Saturday morning for one last outing to our favorite park. Kate and I worked together at the Autry. She started there as my assistant and now she's running the place and has been there longer than I worked there!

Saturday evening, we took Andrew's boss, Greg and his wife, Kelly out to eat at my favorite restaurant, Taverna Tony's in Malibu. We really enjoyed their company and are so appreciative of the opportunity for Andrew to continue on with Famous/Hornet here in Minnesota. Sunday evening, we visited with our friends the Pickenpaughs and the Smocks with homemade pizza and the kids running around the backyard. It was a really fun, relaxing night. And finally, the last, yes, I said LAST good-bye, was our last "Mondays at the Park" outing with the Tot Lot where 9 of the 11 members came to wish us well. Ella ended the evening by giving everyone hugs and high fives. Even Lily gave out some hugs too!

After all of that, I spent Tuesday packing, organizing and being in frenzy mode to get everything ready. And Wednesday morning Sept. 27th, only 15 minutes behind our estimated departure time from the house, we left with 6 bags to be checked, 5 carry-ons, 2 car seats, 2 kids, 1 double stroller, and ourselves (We left the partridge in a pear tree in California). We had a near perfect travel experience. We were able to get everything on the shuttle bus and utilized Northwest's curbside check-in. The girls napped for half the flight and were well behaved for the rest of it. My dad and Clare (in two vehicles to fit all our stuff!) picked us up from the airport and we arrived here at their house in Bloomington without incident! Whew. Minnesota! Here we come!