We made it!

On February 6th 2010 we rolled into Oceanside. It was a great relief to have a "bed" to sleep in, but it was even more exciting to just be able to call a place home. The movers and our stuff arrived early Sunday morning. We were expecting unpackers to arrive as well but apparently there was an oversight and they never got scheduled. It was probably better that way so we didn't feel rushed to just put stuff places.
I didn't know what to expect driving across country with two kids, one being stuck in a car seat and the other just being bored the whole time. It was great fun and so educational. Despite himself Nicolas did too. Even after the two diaper dashes we had to do at gas stations we had fun. It's those unplanned events that usually make trips so much more fun than we thought. As I'm running out of the gas station telling Nick to, "go go go start the car and go." He thought I robbed the place. We can look back and tell those funny stories to Bella and Nicolas. We had many abstract Nickisms. Things that only Nick and say and of course Errinisms. Nick telling me that Bella will have to have a Quinceañera and I then asked didn't he have to be a practicing Mexican to do that. Nick telling me I didn't need to go up to the room to fix my hair. It didn't matter I was going home with him at the end of the night anyway. Point taken.
We had great experiences in Chicago that have influenced all of our lives. We have learned from some more than others but regardless we have learned. We made friends that we hope distance won't keep us from staying in touch. We are closer to family which we learned even more so is so necessary. We are closer then we've ever lived since being away from Tucson.
I feel like we belong close to the ocean. We are sun people and both my children love the water. It's a hard thing to adjust to when you can't leave the house for days at a time because of the weather. If that's what you know then more power to ya. If you've been born and raised in Arizona it's difficult to get used to. -16 is very cold. We won't miss shoveling snow, mowing a football sized yard and the continued worry of what will break next when owning a home. Nicolas will miss the snow days but I think he would trade the ocean for snow days anytime.
Thank you for keeping tabs on us and for all of you who helped us in this transition. Nick is completely 100% back to being Nick. No stress, laid back and healthy. It takes a lot out of a person when they are trying to be perfect for everyone. It just can't happen. He's loving being back and working with all the people he knew before leaving.
While it was a hellacious 18 months in Chicago it taught us so much we would've never learned otherwise.