All about our inspired and half crazy decision to move from the Midwest (where we have all lived our whole lives) to San Diego. Where we have spent a collective 200 hours.
It's the first day of fall! I have lived here long enough to be able to recognize the subtle signs of fall here in California. Because it was in the 80s, so it ain't the temps. And it's only going to get... hotter!
You know it's fall in Southern California when:
You start getting notices from new teachers. Mostly asking for donations because the classrooms are resource-poor.
2 of the trees on your block lose their leaves. In our case, it's the 2 plum trees in our yard. Figures.
People start to break out the Ugg boots. Despite the 80+ degree temps.
There are a bunch of Oktoberfests popping up all over. With a "k".
Christmas decor hits the stores.
You start to discuss where you'd like to go when you get evacuated during a wildfire.
First they hated each other. Then one day, Olivia made a friend list and Becca was on it! From that moment, Olivia and Becca have been best friends. It is not any more logical than that.
Becca cracks Olivia up with her fake dinosaur roaring - it's just like a best friend to adore something that annoys just about everyone else on the planet. And Becca loves going to cheer Olivia on at her soccer games. She even loves to eat whatever it is Olivia eats.
This friendship is part of what we now cherish about Becca. And an unexpected byproduct is becoming close to the whole Yun family. Thanks Becca and Olivia!
Six months ago, I posted Sarah's very first ice skating competition! Holy smokes.
I'm getting back on the blog, so anything from March 11 forward, I have shamelessly posted now, just to give you a sense of chronology. I always have you in mind.
So why the 6-month blackout? Part of the reason is that facebook has provided an outlet for the daily thoughts and quick on-the-go snapshots of life.
The other part of the reason is that on February 14, I became the president of NYCA! For those of you who ever thought the president of your company had an easier job than you (or that you could do it better than he/she), I can assure you: he/she did not, and most likely you can't. It's been like having a 3rd baby. At this point, the baby is at least sleeping through the night and squirming. Healthy as hell and going to grow up just fine! So I can get back to life.
I wonder what you have been reading lo these many months...
Don't you ever wonder how birds can hearlessly and abruptly shove the baby birds out of the nest? What if they don't fly? What if they aren't ready? But yet, grown birds instinctively eject their young, and the offspring instinctively take flight.
We human beings aren't so deft in our management of our kids. In fact, I would postulate that the more educated and more prepared we and our kids are... the more afraid we are to toss them out of the nest. Funny that.
Until 6th grade camp, Sarah's never spent more than a sleepover night away from us, just a couple of blocks away so we could go and fetch her if she couldn't sleep. Even at 6th grade camp, she knew every face she encountered, so it wasn't so strange to be away.
But this summer, we sent Sarah to camp in Palo Alto for 10 days. We fell in love with the Supercamp program - and no matter how I try and describe this camp to people, it sounds like nerd camp. Even in the video below, it really does look like sitting around and studying.
Sarah wanted to go. Then all of a sudden, she DREADED going. That's when I knew she had to go - to a place without 1 single person she knew, so far away we could never come and rescue her.
Truly, kids say they have a transformative experience at Supercamp. The combination of learning skills, life skills, independence, and social issue exploration is profound for them.
When we retrieved Sarah 10 days later, the same kid that didn't want to go now didn't want to leave - in fact, she bawled her eyes out for half a day. I asked Sarah what she really took away from camp, she thought for a minute and said, "Well, I learned that everyone gets rejected, every day, all the time. So not to dwell on it when someone rejects me. And that if I want to do something, I shouldn't let my fimage get in the way."
(fimage is a camp term for "fear of image." Self-consciousness holds us back from 80% of the experiences that pass us by in life.)
"And I learned how to speed read."
Seriously, I want to go to this camp. And Sarah wants to go back next year - a testament to the positive force they crammed into these kids every minute. After all, there are no swimming pools, horses, TVs, movie theaters, field trips, or other distractions. There are only self explorations.
I read about the Outdoor Adventure Day in the camp materials - the kids don harnesses and walk tightropes. The exercises are meant to help them realize how far they can push themselves. But Sarah is never one to take bodily risk - she still prefers the baby roller coaster. So I figured she would be on the sidelines helping and cheering on her friends - which they totally encourage and don't force anyone.
Anyway, that night I was still awake when the camp posted the daily pictures online (a modern-day phenomenon) at midnight - and I nearly fell out of bed when I saw photos of Sarah! In the harness! Climbing up a 20 foot pole! There was nobody else awake in the house to share this jubilant moment - not even Gizmo. Through the miracle of Facebook, I was able to virtual high five with several Midwestern insomniac friends - I will never forget what I felt in that moment for my baby, for whom I have felt love, anger, fear, disappointment, gratitude, pride, empathy, friendship, and so many other things...
