Yoga Pants

Moving from Hanford to Huntington Beach has been a bit of a culture shock. Having spent my entire life in the Central Valley, I knew to expect some major changes. Although I've only been here for 2 weeks, here are a few of my observations.

#1: Traffic.
Major Traffic. No longer is everything in town 5 minutes away. I can't look at the # of miles on google maps and estimate the amount of time it would take to get there. I am beginning to learn not to leave the house without first checking the freeway traffic report. Also, aren't all streets supposed to run North/South or East/West? Hanford was a perfect grid of streets. Here in Huntington Beach, I am perpetually directionally confused. Somebody buy me a compass!

#2: The Great Outdoors.
Just in Huntington Beach alone, there are 71 parks equaling 752 acres of playgrounds and fun. All this in addition to being less than 5 miles away from the beach. The kids are loving it. Time to stock up on sunscreen!

#3: Mom Attire.
While spending a big chunk of our vacation time at the previously mentioned parks, I have realized that my standard wardrobe of jeans and flip flops is not adequate. Every time I have gone to the park, I have been the only mom not wearing yoga pants. EVERY TIME. THE ONLY ONE. Note to self: buy more yoga pants, do more squats.

#4: Cash Only.
Laundry, parking, toll roads. I am a person who never carries cash...ever. I only carry an emergency $20 and Mia keeps my wallet completely free of change. I have found myself scrounging for change everywhere...couch cushions, under the car seats, Jason's pockets. We need quarters for everything! P.S. Yoga pants don't have pockets for change.

#5: Options.
Too many options. In Hanford, we had a very limited amount of options for shopping, dining etc. A few more options if you wanted to travel to Visalia or Fresno. My head has been spinning with the sheer volume of stores and restaurants. It's overwhelming. I told Jason, my goal is to never eat at the same place twice. I think we could go on forever. (I better double up on the squats so I can fit into my yoga pants.)

Today is our last day of spring break. Tomorrow reality begins. Mia goes back to school and I get back to working on Maddox's programs and getting our household in order. Tomorrow we will really begin to see what Orange County has to offer us. Let the adventures begin!