Our New Life

“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.”

Good Morrow!

Well, we made it without too many problems. It's been very stressful. Our limbs are sore and bruised and our feet ache like never before. I'll talk about the feet later. I'm sorry if I've been anti-communative...unpacking everything you own and fitting it into a space is tough work. I seriously don't think Daniel and I have had any time outside of unpacking and buying more things to try and fit into this house. I had my interview today...so a little bit of escape but not a very fun one. Anyway, I suppose you want to see our new place? I have some pictures from our drive and first sight of the new house. I am going to wait to send you pictures of the finished packing until we have finished. Also, we're getting a couch and dinning set next week, also a rug, so you'll have to wait until we at least get that far until you see the living room. 

Click HERE to look at Pictures

So, we got here pretty late on Friday evening. The traffic wasn't horrendous when we got into the area but it was definitely busier than we were used to. It was almost dark. We were tired and hungry...and cranky. So, we decided to go get some dinner at a Denny's we saw that was near our new home. We were going to leave Miya in the house but when I left for a moment and came back I found her shivering on the floor all by herself and we decided we would bring her and park close to where we were eating so she could see us. She was really freaked out. She still hasn't eaten an entire bowl of food. She's not quite ready to call this home. However, the eating issue might be because we couldn't find her particular brand at Walgreens and she's a picky little doggy. So, cross your fingers that Miya will start eating soon because I can tell she's getting terribly hungry. The ferrets have never been happier. The floors are all stone so we're not worried about any "accidents" and they get to wander around a lot more often than they did back in SLC. When we got back from Denny's we unpacked the mattress and as many blankets as we could find and went to bed. 

On Saturday we packed and shopped for more things to pack at the local Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is about a five minute drive from us. Target is actually a five minute walk but it's more expensive, we might go there later because Wal-Mart has a poor selection of groceries (but has a lot of everything else). We discovered that grocery stores don't carry plastic bags here in L.A....so you'd better have a way to get your groceries to the car. Honestly it wouldn't have been a big deal if we didn't have $300 worth of stuff in two carts...but now we know. We managed to get our kitchen and bathroom mostly unpacked on Saturday too. Also, we finally returned the U-Haul. Goodbye!

We went to our new ward on Sunday. It is an interesting mix of people and I got a good gauge of some of the values of the church members in the area because the subject of the talks of the day were for Mother's Day. The first talk was given by a woman who really moved both Daniel and I. I have honestly not heard a talk for a long time that softened my heart like this one. She spoke about our mother in heaven and how our bodies are shaped from our heavenly parents and not just our father alone. She spoke of how this knowledge allowed her to feel better about her self as a woman, how she did not fit into the definition and role that most in the church and out of it place on women but this knowlede helped her to reconcile. This is definitely a talk I needed to hear and it made me feel good about my unwillingness to conform to gender roles within the church.

Then there was the second talk that began, "those women in Salt Lake City....why would any decent LDS woman want the Piesthood....women were given to man..." I am serious, all of those phrases crossed her lips within the first five minutes. I then checked out, if there's anything that alienates members it's phrases like that, but it was an interesting introduction to the diverse mind frame of the church members here.

I met another woman from the ward who helped us move things out of the U-Haul on Saturday. Miya helped break the ice with her incessant fetching and I was able to gain one friend here. :) She's my age, she was just married in February, and her husband dragged her here from Arizona to work in the film industry. 

Favorite quote of the day (on Sunday): "Balaam smote his ass." Regress to the maturity level of a teenager and read Numbers 22:21-30. Best Sunday School lesson ever!

After church we managed to unpack our room, we actually have some decent sleeping conditions now. 

Monday was more unpacking as well as my interview at another charter school. We managed to get my desk unpacked. We had to run to Wal-Mart to get some ink for the printer and we got a few more things we needed. We also ordered a couch, a table/chair set, and the fluffiest, softest rug you can buy for under $100. 

My interview went really well. Keep your fingers crossed for me. It was for another charter school system. There are about ten different schools I could work for in L.A. if they hired me. I'm not sure where yet. It was a group interview, there were three other candidates in the room with me and we all went in order and answered questions. I actually enjoyed that quite a bit. It took a lot of pressure off of me as well as allowed me to see what a California teacher looks like. There was even a new teacher like me in the interview and that made me feel a whole lot better. So, yeah, it went really well. I will hear back within the week for a second interview where I prepare and teach a lesson. 

I had to drive on the freeway for the first time today. I didn't drive during rush hour so I still haven't experienced that madness but I would have to say that my first drive went well. It's a little like driving on I-15 in between Salt Lake and Provo. Actually, a little bit better because the drivers don't feel like they own the lane and will let you over almost immediately when you signal. I NEED the GPS though. I miss my grid system :( 

So, anyway, I'm going to give you a list of the positives and then the negatives of our new living quarters:

Positive

- The house is located in the back of another house which makes it nice and private.

- It's bigger than I thought it would be. Super plus!

- Gas stove

- It's a pretty house, nothing ugly. 

- It came with a washer and dryer!

- Every room has a fan, which we have used!

-  The temperature is almost perfect, it is a little warm right now. 

- Our ward building is prettier than your ward building (all of you). 

- A lot of different kinds of foliage....seriously, it smells like flowers all the time and there are so many birds and crickets at night...and our neighbor has what I think is a lemon tree. 

- Everyone is super friendly and laid back - even the mailman and cable guy! I haven't met anyone who was grumpy or who didn't have time to stop and help...well, the Wal-Mart checkout guy, but I don't think he spoke English that well. 

- There's a big tree that shades our car and house.

- Really diverse community which is really great to watch and enjoy. 

Negatives

- There are a couple of dogs next door who bark at leaves blowing across the sidewalk and basically anything else. Still, I haven't been woken up by them yet, so that is nice. 

- Stone floors - I know I told you I liked this...but, my feet are killing me from being on stone floors...seriously - MY FEET HURT ALL THE TIME!

- I stepped on a bee. This is not the house's fault...this is God's fault. Bees, bees live here. Now my feet hurt more. 

- Birds poop on our car because of the big tree in our driveway.

- I think the guy who built this house is 7'11"... I want to meet this fellow. Everything is super high in this house... the shower, the mirrors...we had to buy me a step stool so I could reach the lowest cupboards. 

- The ice-maker and two of the outlets in the kitchen don't work.

- The water pressure...it is soooooo bad. Also, I have to take Miya out for a poop walk and come back in order to get the water hot enough to shower in. 

- Poop walks - need lawn. 

- Milk: $3.50. Gas: $4.10. 

- Our internet upload speed is .25 mbps. - blegh

Finally, I just want to thank everyone who has helped us make this move. Thank you all so much for your gifts and love. There are so many things we needed that we didn't have to buy and so much love I needed as we headed west. Thank you Thank you Thank you! I miss you all a ton. I promise I will start calling and talking as soon as we can get our lives back in order again... walking through the house without tripping over a box or five boxes would be nice.

With Love!
- Brandy