No, the house is not new anymore, or doesn't qualify as new by any standards. We moved in 2019, closing on it in February and slowly moving our possessions over the following month.
The decision to purchase it was sudden and somewhat impulsive. In 2018, over the summer, we had one especially wonderful stay in Big Bear, loving the place and the environment. This renewed our interest in trying to buy something of our own. We, once again, considered vacation home in Big Bear, but concluded that it did not make any financial sense. I proceeded browsing properties close to Big Bear to see if we can find something 'away' that Carlos could still commute from. I saw a few houses in Forest Hill area, but after talking to a random realtor, understood that anything i see on Zillow is either already sold or not any good.
I proceeded to browse areas. I did not want to be anywhere close where I lived, and, really, wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. Somehow area of Temecula sounded more 'away'. We checked the schools and saw good ratings. We checked the commute time for Carlos and it seemed ok. So, in November of 2018 I went to get us pre-approved for financing. Everything went very fast from there. We made an offer on the second house we saw, and signed the paperwork on the New Years eve, while at Gina's house party. We loved this house- it was airy and empty and looked like it is supposed to be "ours" from the start.
There was much drama about this - we had a competing offer, and the seller preferred them, so we almost did not get the house. Stressful times gave way to success! And then to another stressful time -- we had to move and our camper was sitting in the garage without a frame!! Oh, the horror!! We had to pick that project back up in a hurry, ordering frame, then working to install it and get it on the road. Carlos worked hard to get this done on tight schedule. I helped only a little, as he found my help distracting, for the most part.
We moved officially in March and Sara started her new school in Murrieta. The school was not at all as organized as what we had in AH, but we had to find a way to adjust. Sara made a few friends that she was able to invite over our house, since we now had space to host people. This was new and exciting for us.
The year flew by. Carlos biked to work almost every day that year. In the summer we went to Oregon and he competed in the multi-day Oregon Gravel Grinder. He won in his category, and won daily as well. It was so exciting to see all his training pay off, and in such a wonderful setting. His friends were there, his cycling community - it was a wonderful trip. While he was cycling I did lots and lots of hiking. Using AllTrails app, i found the trails along the route that the cyclists were going, and planned my distances accordingly. I saw so many waterfalls, hiked though some snow, and swam in the remote lake where snow was still melting into it. I walked though rain and mossy forest, with blooming rhododendrons, and giant trees. I was grateful to be here, on earth, able to hike, live, see. I was grateful that autoimmune didn't kill me yet, and did not take away my ability to be there. Oregon is the most beautiful place on Earth. We stayed in our camper, and i moved it from location to the next location daily. On the way to this event we spent a day at the Crater Lake. I was just amazed at the view, at the color of the water - it was the most unusual, the most beautiful place that i was fortunate to encounter. We hiked a couple of trails around the lake, but couldn't cover the opposite side, because in June there was still lots of snow, and some of the roads and trails were closed. We could have done more with spikes on, and more time. We stayed in the nearby Crater Lake RV park and found it to be lovely and relaxing. We hoped to return another year when we could go to the other side and take a boat to the island. On the way back home we stopped at Nick's uncle John's house.
Then we fostered Odin. He seemed like a very cool dog, but we didn't get to know him, really. He was so fixated on killing cats that it was not safe to have him here, as we found out when he killed a stray cat in our shed. I was so traumatized. And sad. And the whole thing was just horrible. I wished him well and sent him off to another foster. We needed to find a dog that would be cat-safe. This was a difficult mission.
The rest of the 2019 was filled with drama. Carlos' parents planned a visit to the US, but, as it turned out, could not coordinate with their Ohio visit and our winter break. Carlos was very stressed out those days. I renewed my efforts to finding a dog for Carlos. Rescue organizations were slow to respond to my inquiries about the dog listings. I didn't see anything. I kept scanning local shelter posings. Until one day, on a fine Tuesday i saw her. She was just dumped at the Friends of the Valley, and she was 5 months old, and was marked "good with cats" in the listing. You could not see what kind of dog she was from the picture - the picture was terrible. I talked to Carlos and he agreed that it would be ok for me to go see her. I went later that day. Kayah was energetic, vigorous and much more interested in trying to take away neighbor's dog toy, rather than playing with me or getting to know me. Ha, I should have brought treats! But i did not know to do that. They did a cat- test on her, and she was much more interested in humans than cats, so she was deemed cat-safe and i paid my fees and drove her home. We had a dog!!
Zhanna visited December, but only for a few days. We went to San Diego, but didn't have time to do very much. Carlos' parents, in the meanwhile, came back to LA. He was stressed out that he couldn't see them. Then my parents came. We ended up hosting New Years eve at our house, with my parents, Carlos' parents, with Pablo and Manuel and his parents too, -- it was a full house. I did very intense prep in the few days prior to this, and was stressed out to the max, trying to make sure that i can provide a good party for everyone. It was all good, but i got really sick with high fever right after. I felt so miserable and really wished i could go to my bedroom and just lay there. But, Carlos' parents were staying with us for a few days, along with my parents still there. I didn't really have any place to work. They did not have the common language, and Sara was tasked with translating. I don't think anyone really enjoyed this -it was awkward for all involved. I was hoping that Carlos would take days off to be home with his parents, but he could not. I did my best to keep everyone happy. Carlos got sick from me, and so did his mom. It was a difficult holiday season.
And then Covid hit. In March the schools became virtual. And stayed virtual. Sara did her best to stay upbeat. It was challenging times, times of fear and uncertainty. We did hiking that spring - it was the only way to get out of the house in a safe way. We had our groceries delivered, Carlos worked from home for a while. I was grateful to still have a job, as many people were loosing theirs. I couldn't go to the gym anymore, so gardening replaced all other hobbies. We planted a number of things, some of them are still surviving. Spring turned to summer. Sara went to LA in mid June for a few months. We took a trip to Oregon, but this was a different trip. Carlos was going to ride the bike with Slater and Jerry, and i was going to hike around the area. But, in the very first day Carlos fell and really hurt himself. He didn't tell me right away, and it wasn't until the next day that i saw his blue and purple thigh and leg. I was really concerned, but based on my knowledge, there was nothing that emergency doctor would do. So we decided to continue our trip. We hung around Slater's house for a few days, and then left for our own reservations to do a little camping and hiking. We stayed pretty mellow due to Carlos' injuries. Kayah also had some issues, with paws, and hitting her tail, so we were in a relaxed mode. We did a day of canoeing, we hiked to some beautiful lakes on our way back down to California. It wasn't the trip we envisioned, but it was still a vacation and new memories.
We came back to remote schooling. Sara got her first phone, and she was very excited. She also got her first approved makeup. She is now almost a teen!! Its weird to see the transition, and it is exciting to see her grow and mature, and come into her own. I just wish it wasn't in the covid times. We hope to make it through this, we really hope.
Now we are embarking on the kitchen remodel. Our relationship has hit a really rough patch at this point. It is possibly the accumulated stress. Or the same-ness of everything. Or the inability to be intimate and together. I don't know, but i am really hoping that my soul can heal from this.
