Thursday, August 27, 2009

Still here

So nothing much new is happening here. We're still just plugging away at school and I'm busy doing nothing all day with Kassidy. It gets kind of tedious, but I love that I get to be with her all day. Kevin's working really hard at pharmacy and has decided it's definitely harder than undergrad! We have a new nephew, Kamdon Kent Marchant was born on the 25th to Kevin's brother Kent. We're so excited for them and wish we could be there with them. He and Kassidy won't see each other much for the next 4 years since they moved to Boston for dental school. I don't have any fun pictures or really anything to update on right now, but we're still here!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

It's official

It's official, we're Californians!




Wish they all could be California girls

You know you're NOT in Utah when...

So we've successfully survived the first two weeks of living in California. I say survived not because California is that awful, but because moving in and of itself is NOT my favorite thing to do, and uprooting a two year old and yanking her hundreds of miles from everything she knows is a little traumatizing.

We're also surviving the beginnings of what I foresee to be a very long 4 years of pharmacy school. My diligent husband is already in his "groove" at school. This is where I often hear frustrated grunts and G-rated curse words mumbled from the corner where he's working. It's also a reality that we won't get to spend much time with him because Touro University has assumed ownership of his soul and every spare minute of time.

Kassidy and I are acclimating though. We took a very hot 20 minute walk to the nearest park today and met some kids (I tried to force Kassidy to play in the sandbox with them and received shrieks of "I'm dirty! Wipe me!" The kid doesn't like to get dirty...where'd that come from?) We have a few ward friends and are enjoying being forced to introduce ourselves and ask names repeatedly.

Now for the real reason I'm posting. I've been taking some pictures around the area and I've noticed things are a little different here. Thus the title, You know you're not in Utah when (I borrowed the idea from the Johnson's cute post, You know you're in the city when). Enjoy!

You know you're not in Utah when...

You need a map to find your way to the nearest Wal-mart (seriously)...

Instead of wave runners on Utah Lake, you see these in the bay. It's amazing to me that they can even float-they are enormous!

The trees have a little more attitude...

The ocean creatures walk right up out on the street...

Even at 1:00pm on a Thursday, this is what traffic looks like!

The cars run on cables...


You have to go over a bridge to get anywhere (And they charge you for it! You'd think the state would be rich off of tolls alone. We've already gotten a toll violation, don't ask Kevin about it!)

The local pets have a slightly different bark than we're used to...

We miss our UTAH and everyone in it!!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

We're here!

Okay, so a week later I'm finally getting a chance to write about our moving experience. Looking back I just realized I didn't update any of our July activities, so those will have to come later.

Well we made it to California in one piece so to speak. The 15 hours in the car wasn't ideal, but Kassidy was much better than expected and the moving van wasn't too bad either. My sweet uncle and aunt were here to help us move our stuff in took us out to dinner afterward. Our apartment is nice and seems to be in a quiet area. We have done a little exploring in Fairfield and are quickly discovering the good and bad areas to shop. It's definitely NOT Utah though (I have a post coming that will explain what I mean) and we are missing our bubble and family.

Kassidy keeps asking to go home, which is making us feel bad for ripping her away from everything she knows and loves. I'm sure she'll adjust soon enough. In the meantime, I'm trying to distract her and help her like it here.

Kevin started school this week with orientation. He's liking it so far and is already buddies with the Dean. I think it helps that he's 1 of the 4 white males attending, 1 of the 5 out-of-state students, and 1 of the 6 married students. So he sticks out pretty well, plus he's pleasant and draws people to him.

We're adjusting and are excited for this new adventure.



Here are some pictures of our little over-priced apartment if you care to peek:

Kassidy definitely got the big room, but the other room had a balcony attached to it which we didn't really want her to have.

Kassidy's room #2

Kassidy's room #3

Guest bathroom

This is the view when you walk in the front door and see down the hall

The living room

Yeah, the kitchen table is in the living room...

Our miniature kitchen

Our bedroom

The master bathroom