The Katz Family

Ok, so it is Thursday night and the magnitude of this move is starting to hit me.  There is just so much to do!  There are so many details to figure out….thank god for Nick that’s all I can say.  He is so responsible when it comes to arranging travel, wrapping up bills/change of address stuff, and those kinds of things.  I have been consumed with getting medical records transfered, getting Hayden’s immunization info up to date, and trying to figure out a logical way to fit our life onto a moving truck.  You know, we could have been packed already, we could have devoted a weekend to packing and organizing, oh well…shoulda coulda woulda…it was much more important to us to spend time with all of the people who made our lives here in California so special and make sure we said our appropriate farewells to them.  It doesn’t look like we will be making the trek back to California until Thanksgiving so we are soaking up all the time we can with all of our friends and family out here.

At this very moment, my parents are stuck in O’Hare overnight, for all I know they are curled up in a corner attempting to get some sleep.  They are trying to make their way out here to help us move all of our stuff across the country…again.  Once they get here the mad dash to pack our apartment will begin.  Then bright and early Sunday morning my mom, Hayden, Matza, and myself are hopping on a plane back to Illinois and it will be up to my dad, Paul, and Nick to drive the moving truck and cars across the country.  We are hoping they will make it to Macomb by Wednesday evening, so we’ll see.  They are making a pit stop in Vegas so that could very well hold up the  trip a bit…

Tomorrow is both Nick and my last day of work.  It is so terribly bittersweet.  We both enjoyed our jobs out here so much.  We met and worked with great people who will hopefully be in our lives even though it will be from a distance.  It is amazing how you are able to find your niche in a new place and I truly feel that I found that at work and I think Nick would agree as well.  But of course, it’s not good bye, it’s just see you all later.  We will be  back often to visit family and will be sure to make special trips to visit everyone.  I am composing my next blog entry in my head which includes some special shout outs to some people who made life extra special for us out here.  So stay tuned and check back soon!  Good night!

And of course here’s a pic to brighten up your day.  Hayden’s first attempt with rice cereal

Wow!  Time flies that’s all I can say.  It was 4 years ago this month that I made my first trip to California.  Nick and I were still in that very gray area in between the friend and the couple zone…so I decided to take a leap of faith and get on a plane to California to see what this crazy boy was all about.  Then I was hooked…now 4 years later with a marriage and a baby boy under our belts it feels like it was just yesterday that I was on that plane wondering what the heck I was doing.  

So now we are at a major crossroads in our lives.  After a year spent living and working in Atlanta we decided that we wanted to give a life in Southern California a shot.  So we did, and in this shot we  got our little dog Matza, valuable experience in our careers of choice, and our blessing and pride and joy:  our little baby boy Hayden.  We rode the rides at Disneyland, put Hayden’s toes in the sand for the first time, attended Angels’ games, and ate many meals at Arthur’s (Nick’s parent’s restaurant).  But best of all, we got to spend two great years with Nick’s  family and got to share some of our best memories with them.  

After a lot of long conversations and many pros and cons lists we have decided to take a leap of faith and head back to the Midwest.  This move allows us to get back to Macomb and WIU, which has a very special and meaningful place in our hearts.  It opens up many a door for both of us in terms of career and makes the most sense financially, because if we have learned anything out here it’s that California isn’t cheap!!  We are excited to establish some roots for Hayden and provide for him things that we wouldn’t have been able to provide for him in California.  We are ready for a backyard and a 5 minute commute.

So now as I think back to that trip to California 4 years ago, I think of how overwhelmed I was of the freeways, the many options for entertainment, the shopping, and everything else that came along with this crazy place.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would have had the opportunity to live here and gain the life experiences that I have. In these several moves that we have made I have learned that you always value the things that you had once they are gone.  But for now it will become a place to visit again, which is exciting in it’s own right.  I know that I will miss our lives here terribly, but I know that we our doing the right thing.  

I will leave you with a pic of that fateful trip to California 4 years ago….small town girl from the Midwest and this crazy kid from California…who would’ve guessed???

Welcome to the new and improved nickandash.com!!  We have been out of the blogging world for awhile now but are excited to jump back in and keep everyone updated on our lives.  We are currently beginning the tedious process of packing up our lives as we are about to make the cross country trip back to Illinois.  Please check back often for updates!  I promise we will post often!