The L.A. Dime

Been meaning to update you on things but I barely know what day it is or how to navigate around the boxes taking over Hamlin House. We are down to 1 week before the moving truck arrives and the kiddos & I take off for our last plane ride out of LA (Brad is staying 2 extra days to have the house cleaned and do the transition with our renter). Here’s what we’ve been doing lately:

- Boxed up about 90% of the house…I’ve purged, given away and sold quite a few things so it feels nice knowing that we’re only taking things that we still need or matter
- Have switched addresses on most bills, closed out utilities and are starting the new ones
- Have 2 preK programs picked out which we will visit as soon as get to Baldwinsville and choose 1 to enroll Miss Sophie in
- Hosted a dual bday party for the kiddos and am preparing to host a baby shower for our dear friends Laurie & Gary on Sunday
- Brad returned from his work trip to Italy and immediately got to work on doing another script draft for “Crocked Arrows” which is set to start shooting in about 2 weeks!! And ironically enough some of the shooting schedule includes locations around Syracuse so we might even get to go on set!!
- Trying to see as many of our friends as possible – it’s such a hard process to say good bye….when we moved her 12 years ago, we knew 1 person….now we are surrounded by an incredibly awesome, supportive and fun group of friends that have been there with us through various ups and downs…I’ve moved enough to know that friendships change a bit once you don’t see each other on a regular basis but I really do hope to remain close to as many people as possible
- Had my last day of work – it’s been a great 6 years where I grew a lot as a person and a trainer
- Enjoyed having Manfredo out last week to help with repairs around the house and packing all our pictures and larger sized items
- Looking forward to having Pops here this week to help with painting and moving day
- Thinking a lot about what it might be like to be a stay-at-home mom…..never done that and cherish the opportunity to do so….I just hope I’m cut out for it

That’ll have to do it for today…..but I’ll try to come back soon with pics from the bday party

After returning from our trip, the preparations are in full force but some of the major items on the to do list have been scratched off…

What’s been done:
- Researched, got quotes from and finalized contract with moving company (they show up on July 27th)

- Researched, got quotes from and finalized contract to move both cars

- Posted Hamlin House for rent, had 2 Open Houses and found renter (moves in August 1st)

- Found a rental for us
- Purged every closet and had a yard sale
- Started boxing up a lot of stuff (thanks for helping Saundra!)
- Researched and narrowed down Pre-K programs for Sophie

Still left to do:
- Try to visit with as many LA friends as possible
- Pack, pack, pack
- Get house ready (clean, paint and do small repairs)
- Finalize school decision for Sophie

- Prepare for and hold kids’ bday party

- Prepare for and hold baby shower for our dear friend Laurie & Gary

- Figure out what to do with our plants and liquor (apparently the moving company’s have strict rules about taking those:( )

Lots of emotional moments these past few weeks and I’m sure upcoming weeks…..I booked a one-way ticket out of LA last night….feels weird…and good…and sad…and happy…

With the goal of finding a place to rent that was big enough for the kids to have their own rooms, an office for Brad and a decent back yard….in a good school district…Brad and I headed to Syracuse 2 weeks ago. After many, many appointments, 3 full days of driving all over the place and getting a little concerned, we had 1 place left to see. I’d been emailing with the owner for several weeks and after a phone call with her, was very excited about her home. It was in the best school district, apparently had a huge backyard, was in a wonderful neighborhood, 3 bedrooms, a big guest room/office area and was apparently painted in Pottery Barn colors. The description did not disappoint….it’s perfect for us so we sent in the deposit that night and signed the lease 2 days later!!

It has wood floors throughout, 2 full bathrooms, a laundry room, a back deck, lots of young kids as neighbors and on a quiet street that I could envision Sophie learning to ride a bike and Clay running after her trying to keep up….. and….oh yes…wait for it….the rent amount includes snow removal!!!

Big news!!! After many weeks of soul searching, pro’s and con lists and talking it over (and over, and over), we’ve decided to move to Syracuse, NY this August.

Several factors led to this decision:
- For a while now we have watched the screenwriting market contract and even the Writer’s Guild reports show a very low number of movie scripts being sold
- Brad’s next step in his teaching career is a full-time, tenure position and even though USC is very happy with his performance there, no such positions are (or will be in the near future) available
- We want a more kid-friendly house/neighborhood
- While I love my job and appreciate the opportunity to contribute financially to our family, I would love the chance to stay home while the kids are young
- We miss seasons…yes, I know…it’ll be cold…but we’re ok with that
- A change in scenery, pace and environment creates learning opportunities and experiences we both find important for us and the kids

So, that’s the list of why and what we weighed to make our decision. Obviously there are also some downsides: Brad will be more removed from the industry so will need to work even harder to stay connected; we have an amazing group of friends who have been there for us in the good & bad times; we love Sophie’s school; the weather is great and I have a good job.

Overall though, we look forward to the change and are both excited about the opportunity for Brad to help continue to build the screenwriting program at SUNY Oswego while also having the chance to teach some production classes which will add resume-building experiences.

Right now we are burried in to do lists ranging from finding a renter for our house here, finding a rental house for us to live in there, finding a school for Sophie and figuring out how to get all of our stuff (literally) across the country.

So, there you have it. It’s a very bitter-sweet time for us right now and we are trying to get to see as many of our friends as possible before we go. We are going to take full advantage of what LA and its surrounding areas have to offer over the next couple of months so we can take those memories with us as we embark on our next, great adventure!

We colored, hunted and ate eggs. We also hosted an Easter Brunch where we had ham, cornbread casserole, carrot/cauliflower casserole, fruit salad, chocolate chip cupcakes and (my very first ever) Lemon Meringue Pie. The Dempseys came and brought a hashbrown casserole and the Perdue/Okano’s brought their green beans. We also had the Dodes’ come by and they added some broccoli to the mix.

Dear Tina,

I love you,

Brad

So here we are almost 2 full weeks into 2011 and I’m just now getting around to writing about our holiday break. Let’s just say that it was fun-filled excitement for 10 days straight!! We were lucky enough to be invited to a Christmas Eve brunch at our friends’ Laurie and Gary’s house and then a Christmas Day dinner with the Thomas’.
Trying to incorporate & establish both German and American traditions, we opened a few presents on Christmas Eve. Nana & Opa sent a beautiful, wooden doll-house (complete with room furnishings, a solar-panel roof and plants) which we set up in Sophie’s room while she was having dinner. We then asked her to come upstairs and uncover the present that had been left for her. We had Nana & Opa on Skype so they could see her anticipation of walking into the room and her wide-eyed amazement when she pulled the blanket off and found the exact gift that she’d been telling us about wanting for the last month. She immediately dropped to her knees and started checking out each room, talking to the little dolls and continued to be deeply involved in play for a good hour. The only way to get her to stop playing was to tell her that since Santa would be on his way soon to deliver his gifts, it was time to put out the cookies we’d baked.
While we expected her to wake up early on Christmas morning, she actually slept in a little but then quickly realized what day it was and was ready to run downstairs. As soon as she made it down the steps and around the corner to see the fireplace, she started pointing at the empty plate and milk glass because she’d lost her words with surprise that Santa really did come down the chimney, not only ate the snacks we’d set out for him but also left some Santa-presents too!! From there on out it was a mad dash to open all the presents – lots of smiles, happy giggles and asking us to break open packaging let us know that she was surely enjoying this exciting event.
The day after Christmas, we headed to the airport to pick up Uncle Chad, Aunt Mandee and cousins Sawyer & Bishop who were going to stay with us for a while to visit & play. Together, we explored Disneyland, Legoland, several hands-on museums, the Aquarium and spent lots of time playing, being silly and just catching up in person. We had a great time and hope to continue these sorts of family vacations again in the future.

….that’s a song Miss Sophie has been singing a lot these last few weeks so we took her lead and got Hamlin House ready for the big event. Below are some of the traditions we’ve started with her this year as she seems to understand the happenings around her a little more than in previous years and I feel it important to pass those traditions on to her:
- One of my favorite Christmas memories growing up was the Advent calendar – I loved coming downstairs every morning and choosing one of the lovely little red bags that my mom had so lovingly stuffed with chocolates, stickers, pens and every once in a while, a $5 bill; while I’m a little late, I did finally finish filling the bags tonight and can’t wait to see little Sophie’s face tomorrow morning when she gets to experience the same joy (PS: We are lucky to have 2 Advent calendars – one that my grandmother made & I’ve decided to use this year as it’s Sophie’s first year to experience this tradition and one that Ines made for us that for this year, we’re using as a beautiful decoration
- St. Nik’s was also always a big deal growing up…my parents would provide me with a brush and remind me to polish my boots if I wanted them to be filled overnight; with Sophie was excited to find some chocolates and fun snowman pajamas this morning
- The “Elf on the Shelf” is a book that Nana gave us last year and is a great little story that we’ve been reading almost every night….the elf of course watches Sophie’s behavior and will surely be reporting back to Santa
- The nativity scene are composed of pieces that my Aunt Moni has been sending us over the last few years and now is complete with wise men, animals, angels and shepherds….Sophie loves playing with it while we make dinner

- Some upcoming activities/events I’m hoping to partake in this holiday season are: Drinking a cup of egg nog while reading by the fire, heading to the snow in the surrounding mountain areas, making a Gingerbread house, letting Sophie watch her first holiday movie (we have Rudolph and Frosty ready to go), taking walks all bundled up and just trying to slow things down as much as possible

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

When we had Sophie, we wrote a will where we identified my cousins Ines & Fabian to be “cultural advisors” to her and any future kids we might have. We wanted to be sure that our youngens would have a strong tie to their heritage and Ines & Fabian stepped up to take on the role of helping us teach and encourage German customs and the language.
This week we were lucky enough to have Ines (and her very sweet and helpful boyfriend Christian) come for a visit. There was lots of talking in German, singing German songs and adding new titles to our growing German Book Library. Thank you so much you two for visiting, helping and lots of playing. And a big Thank You to my aunt Moni who sent along lots of great toys and clothes.