Saturday, January 24, 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR :)



HI ALL :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

Am I a little late, just a bit but life happens, so I am hoping for "better late than never, yeh!?!?" :)

I know I haven't been around much in Bloggerville the past year and I won't be around too much in the next few months either (but I promise to pop in from time to time :)

So, It isn't a terribly big mystery as to why I haven't been around but it is terribly stressful for me :(

Exactly a year ago my Hubby started another job in another State. 

It doesn't sound too dramatic really if you look at the map given that the State he got a job in is California and we are next door neighbours in Oregon. But when you look at the distance between Portland, Oregon and San Diego, California (1,000 miles) you realize that it isn't a simple commute. :(

We have been trying to bridge it for the past year with our home in Oregon and an apartment in San Diego; 1). because our Sons needed a roof over their heads and 2). we were not sure that we were one hundred percent on board with moving to California, esp. Southern California. 

I had lived in L.A. for a while in my early 20's and had absolutely HATED it. :( I was a LONDON Girl thru and thru, a BRIT thru and thru and L.A. was foreign and really weird!!! I have been back on a few occasions and my opinion really has not changed, you have to be a complete weirdo to live in L.A. lol :) 

I guess it is just one of those places you either Love it or Hate it.

But I have spent a considerable amount of time in San Diego; it is where we go every year to celebrate our Birthdays in March (esp. to get away from the cold and rainy NW.) and we have some good friends who live there too, so it is like a home away from home :)

Anyway, to cut a very long and possibly really boring story short, we have decided, lock, stock and barrel to up sticks and move to San Diego :)

So, now the real fun begins :)

All the prep to selling a house, the movers, the looking for a new home in one State while trying to sell a home in a different State; juggling all this fun to move forward is overwhelming, esp. if you are dealing with multiple chronic debilitating illnesses, yep, the joy of my life, but I try not to complain too much, although leaving our home of 18 years and our Sons behind and also my beloved Portland is gut wrenching to say the least but hopefully the benefits will eventually outweigh the negatives (I am telling myself, over and over, lol :) and so we strive forward :)

So, my Dears, if you don't see me here often know that I am busy dealing with all of the above, phew!!! :)

Oh, and I dropped my lovely camera, again, with my zoom lens attached so they are both in camera hospital getting fixed; So, no new photos yet in 2015 but as I didn't post many photos last year I will try and post a few in the next few weeks :)

Here are a few photos I took on our LONG road trip from San Diego to Portland the week before Xmas. It pretty much started raining in LA, of all places, and hasn't really stopped since :(

Hope you enjoy them :)



click on photos to see larger images :)

Beautiful moss covered rocks exposed at low tide and the start of a Sunset glistening on the water - La Jolla, California - Dec. 2014 :)





La Jolla, California - Dec. 2014 :)





Sunset at La Jolla, california - Dec. 2014 :)





Stormy clouds - Northern California, Dec 2014.





Stormy clouds - Northern California, Dec 2014.






Shot of rolling hills in the mist (Northern california) but you know this could be many other places in the world, isn't it amazing how landscapes can be so similar and so different too, just like people :)





And here we are back in our beloved Oregon - Dec. 2014 :)


We were Home for the Holidays :)


I Hope everyone has a Wonderful Weekend :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.


15 comments:

Annette said...

Absolutely beautiful photos, T.
I don't envy you at all with everything that is ahead of you. I understand the gut wrenching part all too well. I still miss our last home and not being close to friends and family. We've been here 10 years and I would move back in a heart beat! I hope all goes well. I will be thinking of you and looking forward to hearing how things are going.

Take care of yourself my friend :)

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi Annette :)

Thank you so much for your sweet, sweet words, they mean so much to me. I am totally dreading all the work but having a job is so important, without it nothing else would be possible, so we move on :)

Hope you are well, cheers, T. :)

Duni said...

Hi Teresa,
ugh...moving. I've moved around on three different continents, so I get it! About a decade ago I lived/worked in California for a while and I must say... I LOVED it!!! I wish you the best of luck with the move and all that it entails and I do hope you settle in quickly in your new home :)
The photos are beautiful!

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi D. :)

Thanks so much for your honest view point and encouraging words :)

I am sure it will all work out but I am so stressed "I can't see the forest for the trees" :(

Hope you have a wonderful week, cheers, T. :)

Why Girls Are Weird said...

Oh my gosh can I just crawl into these pictures. It is freezing here with too much snow and gray skies.

Why Girls Are Weird said...

Oh my gosh can I just crawl into these pictures. It is freezing here with too much snow and gray skies.

ColorWorkStudio said...

awww..Teresa, sounds like you have a lot to deal with, but sometimes change can be very good too! Keep calm, take a deep breath, & enjoy the adventure! Love your photos! I can almost smell the ocean...wonderful!!!

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi K. :)

Yep, feel free to jump into the images :) Definitely one of the perks of moving to San Diego is the sunshine :)

Hope your week is starting off as a wonderful one, T. :)

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi Keri :)

I am trying to keep calm & trying to see it as an adventure, I have always loved adventures but this one is a little overwhelming right now, deep breath :)

So glad you like my photos, I am definitely missing the sunshine right now :(

Have a wonderful week, cheers, T. :)

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

How scary and exciting for you all at the same time. I had to leave my beloved farmhouse 19 years ago. I think of it every day but what I traded it for is equally wonderful. That's life and we make it through, ailments and all, right?!

Kathryn Dyche said...

I can understand your feelings about LA . . . I know I wouldn't want to live there. Love San Deigo though, such a great place. Hope it all goes smoothly for you, I know how stressful it can be moving. Hugs xoxo

Clare said...

Both stressful and exciting! I will miss having you as a *neighbor* here in Portland, but I'm going to climb out on a limb and say that San Diego will probably be very good to you!

The photos from your road trip home are gorgeous! Love the transition from Southern California up north.

I'm sending you all the best wishes for a swift house sale, and for finding your new home in San Diego!

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi AnnMarie :)

Thanks for you lovely words of encouragement, yep, we will make it thru come hell or high water, lol :)

Cheers, T. :)




Hi K. :)

Thanks for your sweet words and understanding; you and I have a lot of similarities, so I know you know what I am going and will go thru :)

Cheers, T. :)




Hi C. :)

Thank you for your wonderful words and positive energy :)

I am looking forward to being settled in San Diego but that will be a while yet .

I'm going to count on you to be giving me my infusion of Northwest beauty with your amazing photos when I do leave :)

Cheers, T. :)

Almost Precious said...

Best wishes to you on your move. San Diego is a gorgeous place with a beautiful climate.
I'm sort-of a California girl at heart. Spent most of my childhood in Long Beach, my teen years in Ojai and my young adult years in Ventura and in Thousand Oaks. They are all nice places but I believe my heart will always be in beautiful Ojai. :)

T@PoppyPlacePdx said...

Hi Anna :)

Yes there definitely is something to be said for the lovely weather in California. I haven't been to Ojai but I am looking forward to going at some point. :)

Hope you have a wonderful week, cheers, T. :)