Today marked the official one-month anniversary from when the boys and I first landed in Cali. In some cases, I cannot believe how quickly it has snuck by, and in other cases, it seems like we’ve been here for awhile. With each passing week, it gets more comfortable.

Within my first week here, I connected with a fellow J-School grad with whom I had classes at Mizzou…she actually lives on our street, has 2 little ones and is a joy to be around. This week, I was able to reconnect with my old grade school buddy, Julie (Simpson) McDougal this weekend which was a lot of fun. She was a brave soul and accompanied me to my very first yoga class yesterday. (Hey, when in Rome, right?) There is no shortage of yoga studios in West LA.

I never knew you could sweat or shake so much from yoga…and I definitely didn’t expect to be so sore. It was an incredible workout. And while most rational people would have probably taken today to rest and recover, I had to go back in the ring for more. For Eric had set up another yoga date for me today with a co-worker’s wife…and since girlfriends are scarce out here, I obliged. I’m so glad I did…this class was even better than yesterday’s. I think I may have found something to do with all of my spare time and spare money….er…um…do I have either of these? Anyhow, it could be a wonderful release for me mentally and physically.

In 4 short weeks, we’ve walked all over the Brentwood/Santa Monica area, explored a bit, unpacked a lot and befriended some locals. Bailey goes on daily walks, and she’s adapting to doing her thing on very small patches of grass in between the street and the sidewalk…She seems to enjoy our outdoor patios and overall while I’m sure she misses a yard, I think she’s happy. From these dog walks, I found out that we live about 2 blocks from the Nicole Brown Simpson crime scene…I’ve walked by the location unknowingly about a dozen times before I realized it. So that’s a little creepy, other than that…the area is beautiful, fairly quiet, convenient and all-in-all pretty stroller friendly.

We’re making progress on setting up shop out here…We have a wonderful sitter, a seemingly capable pediatrician, good markets, found a few great dessert stops, signed up for our library reading club, discovered running paths, coffee shops, hiking trails, eateries, etc. Eric even surprised me with a beautiful new bike, since the area is so very bike-friendly.

There are definitely days where I feel small pangs of loneliness and sadness — just missing my friends and family. There are days that I miss the little things — like stopping by my grandparent’s house for a cup of coffee, running into my mom at Target, sharing some wine and girl talk with my best friends or just jogging around the neighborhood with my little sis. And I can tell Ethan misses his family and buddies, too. He talks about his old preschool and his old pals often. I think he’ll be very excited when we visit in late SEPTEMBER!!! Until then, think about when YOU would like to escape to the California coast. I hear January and February are devine out here…just sayin’!