ADIOS, SUNNY SAN DIEGO!

We officially moved away from our sunny San Diego one whole week ago, and I honestly can’t believe two things: that our chapter in our sweet beach town is over, and how hard we’ve hit the ground running here in Santa Clara. I’ve barely had time to think about not living in San Diego anymore due to how much we’ve had to do here so quickly — and that busyness has been good. You know those times when you just have so many big fish to fry that your mind and heart have no room for the little fish that cause the kind of longing that often turns to moping (or maybe that level of emotion is just me? haha)? That too-busy-to-be-sad state been mine, and yes, it’s so good to be going 100 here. And yet, I’ve been itching to get back here to give closure to our last life chapter. While listening to “Don’t Let Me Down,” of course 🙂 (but really – it’s on – and Claire is jamming to it while I’m writing here. SD songs forever)!

Between my blog and Instagram, I’ve written a lot of cathartic posts in the last few weeks about the last three years of living on the prettiest stretch of California’s coast (in my un-biased opinion 😉 ). I’ve thought about what to say in order to tie the bow around our book of San Diego stories, and I keep thinking about a journal entry I wrote the night that we officially decided to move. It’s from Thursday, August 13, 2020, and it’s straight from my heart…

We went to the beach with friends today and I just soaked it up. Like I sat with my eyes closed and listened to the waves, knowing our beach days are dwindling. I am so grateful for the life I have had here. It has been nothing but beautiful.

We took the long way home from Del mar, driving toward Carmel Valley Road and dropping into Torrey Pines — it’s my favorite road on earth — and the views gave me the chills. I love San Diego. I love this place so much. I love my people here so much. And I’m relieved that as I drove and felt the flood of my memories here wash over me — and as it further sunk in that I will soon leave — I felt joy instead of pain. I felt the memories of loving and living in this town wrap me up in warmth and assurance that the time has been well spent. My San Diego years were the farthest thing from wasted. Deeply grateful to be here almost every single day, I maximized life here. And for that, I am so grateful.

I still cannot believe it’s over. I thought we would live here for life. But, since that dream will not be, the years we did have here are all the more sweet, if not sacred to me. I’ll keep the San Diego chapter tucked in the center of my heart forever, a golden chapter in the story of my life. 

Pic via — our very last beach day as a family. I’ll cherish this photo forever!

Adios, sunny SD!! Thank you for everything.

xoxoxoxo,

Jeni