California Trip Day 6 - Tuesday

The boys and I have been sleeping at Debbie's home in Diamond Bar. Might make a move into the valley however, if we can locate a "taker" to have us crash there. This gas thing going from one county to another is too much, so I must get creative.

Going into our old neighborhood, Evan ran to our previous house, knocked on the door and said, "Hi! I use to live here, can I look inside?" And she let him in to see the place. He's so funny. I dropped the boys off in our old neighborhood at the twins home (Tyler & Ryan) and they are playing with them for half the day.

I've just run errands and went to a movie. My favorite Indian restaurant, Tamarind, is no longer owned by 2 of my favorite people there. SooOOO sad to not see them there and I have no idea where they went. The reality is that people move on, but I think I get bummed when I try to keep in touch with certain people and it is not reciprocated. I've learned to just move on too. Over the years, I've purposely become very particular about who I spend time with. And although family is my absolute priority, connecting with people is a huge part of why we're here in our life. Friends feeds us. They nurture us. They comfort us. They help us mature. Friends make us laugh & cry. They also make us see ourselves for who we really are. They love us unconditionally. These are all descriptions of not just acquaintances, but really GOOD friends. A really good friend always makes you feel comfortable around them like you are blood family. Friends have always been important to me ever since I could remember being very little.

So can you imagine my chagrin moving to another state after all of the relationships that I've found, nurtured and tended to ... only to find that they didn't come as quickly as I'd hoped moving to Denver. The first 9 months I felt lonely, a bit regretful and saddened by the fact that these people in Denver didn't know who I was. Throw on top of that a few situations that were actually hurtful and nowhere close to the "friend" thing. Quite the opposite, actually. But I know who my heavenly Father is and how He has comforted me during times like that. Some of these people were not aware of what I would sacrifice to connect with them as a friend, they didn't know ME ... and that hit me in the gut like a rusty piece of hardware. I had to then hold tight to my husband, my children and the friends who lived back home and elsewhere to get me through this transition.

I have a friend whom I've known since we were in Kindy together and he keeps moving from country to country and I swear ... I keep finding him. Last time I told him to just tell me up front if he's running FROM me or is it okay that I keep tracking him down. He laughs and we agree that we have something special that you just can't deny. He's always grateful when I search and find him and can't believe I can do that. You have to remember I use to do professional hard core collections and also worked as a Subrogation Specialist for Insurance companies so I use to find and locate people for a living. The internet makes it easier too. No running from me anymore DEVIN!!!! You know I'm talkin' to YOU! I guess we never forget our first kiss . . . especially at 7 years of age ... in the sandbox ... by the swings. Turned out kissing was pretty gross!

I'm happy to report however, that at this point, being 20 months new to Denver I am at a place of contentment and peace about where we are now. My strategy was purposeful and full of great expectations. The new friends David and I have found since moving are incredibly precious. They know who they are and we hold them close to our hearts. All this to say, that when you have a good "fit" it is so precious and fulfilling and so what God would want for our lives. He so knows what he is doing and if we can just quiet our minds and open our hearts, we too can hear the beauty of peoples' hearts speaking to us ... it is juuuuUUUst precious!