Five days until I move out of our beautiful Yarrow Point house and into a hotel for our last month here in Washington. So bittersweet! It’s going to be very tough for us to say goodbye to this house and to Bellevue. There are so many memories here. Two of my three sons were born in Bellevue at Overlake Hospital. This was our house after the divorce. We closed on the house just two weeks after I met Ty Gurney for the first time. And this was the house Mac came home to as a newborn in May 2009. We did a two year remodel here, not knowing we’d be leaving for California so soon, so it’s a strange time…good, exciting, scary, but hopefully, ultimately, positive.
The practical now demands attention, too. I finalized everything with movers today, and tomorrow we start packing up books in the kids rooms, and then the winter clothes, etc. It’s going to be chaotic packing and sorting out what goes to the hotel and what goes to storage, as I have a book due by Friday and I need to write, but keep getting distracted by all the things that demand a decision and my personal attention.
And speaking of practical…my office and files and promo stuff will all be packed as of Friday too, and that includes all the blog prizes that are sitting in my dining room unclaimed. If you haven’t written to me to claim your prize yet, please do it now. I have at least 5 unclaimed prizes from my last two blog contests, and you might be one of the winners and forgot to check. So do check, and if you won, contact me!! You have until Thursday night to claim your prize, and then it’s too late as everything will be packed up until July 1st when we start settling, and unpacking, in the new house.
It’s a gorgeous day here…the weekend was unbelievably beautiful. Warm temperatures, blue skiies, lots of sun. I walked around my garden with my coffee this morning and admired all the flowers that are in bloom, as well as the perennials that are popping up in my shade garden. I hate leaving my house and my library, but also my dogwoods and my Japanese maples, and the wisteria that is blooming profusely right now. It’s so wonderful to see my young wisteria that I planted two years ago finally blooming…so glad I got to see it bloom before I left. I always struggle leaving my gardens…is anyone else that attached to their trees and flowers?
I have a special contest prize for one of you and it MUST be claimed by Friday. Tell me about life…tell me about something you are reading…or something you are thinking…tell me anything and you’ll be entered for my Gardens & Goodbye prize. Contest runs through Thursday night and winner will be announced Friday morning. The winner must get back to me Friday, too. So talk to me and I’ll keep checking back to read comments in between writing, writing, packing, and more writing.
What a beautiful garden, Jane. I could sit out there for hours. Not only am I attached to our beautiful plants, trees and view, I am attached to the birds that visit the feeder and bird bath each day. I am especially attached to the hummingbirds who return to our feeder each year. How do I know some of the same hummies are return visitors, you may wonder. Each May, prior to putting the feeder on the Shepherd’s Hook, the hummies will be perched on the hook in the early morning hours wondering, “Where’s the beef?” I love when they return! 🙂
Absolutely. That is where I find true peace and serenity. I love my garden, listening to the birds and the soft tones of the wind chime. Just remember, you have made somewhere a lot more beautiful with your touch and vision. Think of all the smiles it will bring to others. What a beautiful gift.
Good luck with your move. I am pretty attached to the tree in front of the house since I remember my kids when they were little climbing up it. It was a great climbing tree.
I hope everything goes smoothly with the move. I know how hard it will be to leave your home you’ve known for so long. just think of that beautiful new home and all you can do to make it even nicer once you’re in it.
Praying for a safe and happy time for you and your guys as you pack, move into the hotel and then into your house. Change and moves have been a big part of our lives. The best thing is that no matter where we have lived we have been blessed with dear friends. We thank God for them each one.
I just finished reading Anne Lamott’s book: Some Assembly Required which was about life changing events for her and her family. Looking forward to lots of summer reading. Good luck with your writing, hope it flows smoothly for you.
Getting ready to start Miss Julia!
The merry month of May is for flowers, what joy they give! You are leaving the plants to brighten the world for others, and what a beautiful bunch of colors they are!
I love trees and am waiting for the snow to melt in the mountains so I can hike up my favorite trail and see if my “soul” tree is still standing. It is old growth and leaning a little, so I worry until I spot it on that first hike every year and know it is still there waiting for me. As long as I am healthy enough to hike and the tree is still upright, I feel like all is right with the world.
So many memories for you…and beautiful garden! Your thoughts remind me of the poem about a ship sailing from one shore to another; the people on the first shore are sad to see it go, while the people on the far shore are joyful and cheer as they see the ship coming toward them. So it is with your life at this time. I have so many wonderful memories of my home from my early life. Although as a young woman I moved 3000 miles from home with only two suitcases, loving memories of home have sustained me over the decades…even though I didn’t have “things” to hold in my hands, I’ve had memories to hold in my heart and share with my family and friends in my new life. Looking forward to hearing about and seeing photos of you and your family in your new surroundings. Know that you have left “heartprints” in the lives of those whom you have touched in the Pacific Northwest. All the Best, always.
(((Hugs)))
Lovely garden Jane! I really enjoy my gardens too, but they have been sadly neglected the past few summers… two of my daughters are equestrians and we have spent the last 10 summers at horseshows almost every weekend and it shows in my gardens that I haven’t been around. I got fair amount done last weekend and will do more next week. I want them in shape so they can last the month until the next free weekend. My azaleas and rhododendrons have big fat buds on them and I am planning the potted plants and annuals I want to arrange and plant this spring. I just wish I had more time… Post some pictures of your new gardens in San Clemente when you get there; they’ll be a new adventure. Hope all goes smoothly for your move.
I would love to take a peak into your house, both of them- I’m sure they’re gorgeous!
Right now, at this moment, I’m a little sad. My son, who has been with me though thick and thin is leaving for Chicago for a month and a half to intern with his uncle. I know he will be leaving for college in the fall but my heart just feels sad and a little empty.
Your gardens are so lovely, I am sure that you will miss them. It looks like you will have wonderful gardens at your new place as well. Moving is never fun or easy especially when you are trying to meet deadlines and not being go from one place to the next but to have to stay someplace in between. I have moved thousands of miles twice. When I was 19 I moved to Colorado from Indiana. I moved on Christmas Eve of all things, probably not the best time! I went around taking a ton of pics of trees, because I was convinced that I would never see those trees again! lol When I moved to CA, 20 yrs ago, (I did move in December again though, again not sure what I was thinking.)I didn’t take pics of trees, but I couldn’t help wondering if I would miss seeing the snow and the mountains, but I am lucky, where I live, I can see the Ocean, the Mountains and the Dessert all within minutes to a few hours. SO CA really is an incrediable place to live and I know that you will be happy here and the new adventures you and your family will be embarking on.
Nothing exciting going on for me except I need to be working on my CEU’s, but I keep procrastinating. I plan to turn everything in by mid June. Unfortuntely the 24 one hour classes are not nearly exciting as one of your books. At least I don’t have to take a test after reading your books either, but I think that would be easier and more enjoyable.
Hope all everything goes smoothly for you!
the best with the move Jane!!
love the peacefulness of your flowers picture!
I’ve had the flu like there was no tomorrow(lol); it wasn’t funny and thank goodness for dh being there to clean up messes.
Goodbyes can be hard. I try to look on the positive side. New beginnings can be very exciting.
Your garden looks beautiful. It reminds me that I need to get into mine for a tidy up.
Jane,
I returned to the full time work force this past week here. It’s been hectic and exhausting but I do believe it’s for the best for me and everyone else. I was home for over 8yrs and I never really aspired to be home full time. Our youngest is 8 and in 2nd grade so it was time. I am enjoying learning something new and meeting new people but I miss my stay at home friends also. But our daughter has college in 5 yrs and that’s going to come faster than it sounds.
Good luck with the move!! Hope you stay calm and focused!!
Cindy
All I can do is admire your garden. I’ve killed cactus before and have no green skills whatsoever. But I am a great audience for other people’s gardens.
Hi Jane. Your garden is beautiful. Moving to a new house is always a lot of work.
I am reading Kiss the Bride by Lori Wilde. 🙂
beautiful garden! im sure the next will be just as beautiful…good luck packing and getting your book finished. i am just working away and enjoying the sun…yeah! have a great week….
Right now, life is banging the crazy like a sailor on shore leave. Caregiving – it aint for the weak, I’ll tell ya.
I’m overwhelmed with work due and work owed and working on halting my self sabotage before it tanks my plans for the year…and so far not having much luck. But then I rob Peter to pay Paul, the sun sets, the sun rises and we move on.
Your garden is lovely. I have a purple thumb; plants and flowers don’t like me. Probably b/c I forget to water and care for them. But I do love them. The house where I grew up had a Japanese cherry tree in its back yard and I loved to see it bloom every spring, before it strewed a blanket of pink petals all over the lawn.
Good luck with the move! It’s a real pain, I know, and takes deep wells of patience and strength, which I KNOW you have. Can’t wait to see more pics of your beautiful new Cali home!
Good luck in your packing and your move Jane! It is hard moving, especially when there are so many beautiful memories made. Right now, I have just been drawing my artwork and working my two jobs.
I wish you all the best with your move. I know that goodbyes from places you have loved are hard. Your garden and your house there are beautiful, but I know that many wonderful things are waiting for you in CA. As for me, I’ve been organizing and picking up my house this week. My house had been very neglected while I was in school so now that I have some free time I’ve been getting a lot done. Organized the book shelves yesterday. They look so much better!
You sure do have ALOT going on. Moving is harder when you have to pack up for separate places; you don’t want to forget anything. Make a memory book of your current place; take lots of pics of the house, your friends, your town, the hospital, schools, your favorite places, restaurants, etc. so you and your family can remember. Take care Jane, and let those around you help as much as they can.
Best wishes on your move. What a beautiful garden. It is special and unforgettable, but your California house beckons. Look after your family and yourself and safe travels. I am enjoying the warmth and good books.
How bittersweet! I am sure that the new home will be amazing and any second thoughts you might have will melt away every time you see the ocean so close!
It is so nice to see everything in bloom and to know that summer is just around the corner. I can’t get enough of being outside at this beautiful time of year. Too much to do and not enough time off! Good luck with all of the packing!
Think of your move as the start of new exciting things to come. You have such a great group of guys that adore you I am sure everything will go fine during the move.
Since this weekend I have been cleaning and trying to find places in the garage and attic to store my daughters stuff from college until she relocates at the end of July.
My oldest daughter took me shopping at the nursery for new plants and ceramic pots for Mother’s day. I came home with pots of fragrant Lavender.
I have never had lavender before but I have always loved the scent. have always love the Yardley scent.
Anyway I liked them so much I am going back for more. The purple flowers are so pretty and the plants just smell so good.
Well back to getting finding places for all of my youngest girls stuff.
Good luck with the move, I would hate to move right now. We have been in the same house for 27 years now and its a lot of memories here. My son is home from college now and its been me trying to catch up things and put them away. Also trying to get dental, doctor appointments out of the way. They are saying I need back surgery and I am avoiding it but not sure for how much longer. I hate to go through it not knowing how it will come out. Have to take son to dentist today and hubby to eye doctor tomorrow and me to another surgeon next week so its going to be busy around here. Hope everything goes well with your move!
Your garden/flowers look beautiful. I understand that you will miss such a lovely place. I hope it is a comfort to know that you are moving to another beautiful place. Good luck with all the packing. My week has been nice so far. On Saturday we have a family wedding which I’ve been looking forward to. Looks like we will have wonderful weather for it too.
Moving is such a sweet sad trip! I’m a military brat, and I do know that. I wish I had more time in this gorgeous weather to sit in my garden and just relax and read!
Good luck with the move. I can sympathize with you, our offices are moving this week too. after being in the same place since 1937 it was scary seeing all the stuff that had accumulated. I am sure you don’t have that problem though, lol!
Did not see where to check if I am a prior winner, maybe I will win now!
Hi Jane,
Right now I’m reading The Pre Nup. It’s an easy read and I hate when I have to put it down. Unfortunately I don’t get to read as much or as long as I’d like. I tend to sneak in a chapter or two and then have to do something else.
Good luck on your move. I’m sure that it will be a wonderful new chapter in your life 🙂
Have a safe trip Jane. Yes, you will miss your old house and plants but think of all the new memories you will make and all the new plants. (You will be able to garden ALL year round!)
I am reading Violets are Blue by James Patterson.
I’m also trying not to punish myself. I took a giant step backwards on my health plan. I gained a lot of weight back. I suspect that I have been using food again since Dad died at Christmas. His loss in my life has devastated me far more than I ever imagined.
So while I am facing a summer heavier than before I am hoping I can pick myself up and keep trying. And to not obsess about it. 🙂 🙂
Moving is hard, Jane. It’s always harder than we think it will be, too. All that packing and physical part is nothing compared to the emotional upheaval. I left my hometown and moved to Washington to start over..and then we lost our house and it was adjusting to an apartment. But as long as you have your family and friends it works out. And you are moving to a beautiful area. We will miss you here 🙂
I am getting ready to move to CA, too. We are moving home after being away for 1 1/2 years. It’s a crazy time, but so looking forward to being close to family and friends again! Good luck on your move!
Jane, I hope you’ll be able to take a cutting or two from that gorgeous garden. Our loss is California’s gain, and I know you’ll enjoy the sunshine!
I’m looking forward to seeing you on Friday!
Julie
your garden is so beautiful. I have the black thumb of garden death. 🙁
Life is starting to get a little better not much our family was hit with a devastating loss of my12 yr old niece with that its hard to do the good byes I how ever have planted flowers for her in her memory and every time i see anything happy and springtime related I think of all the happy times we had your garden is beautiful
Hi Jane!
Good luck on your move! I hope it goes very smoothly! Life here is terrific! My daughter finishes elementary school next week, and neither of us can believe it! Time is so fleeting! All my best to you!
I’ve never had a garden because we always lived in an apartment, but I can imagine feeling sad leaving your plants and flowers behind. Right now I’m reading Sarah MacLean’s “A Rogue by Any Other Name.
Hi Jane,
Good luck with your move and all the transitions in the next couple of months.
I am currently reading, The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.
The weeks seem to be flying by lately. I can’t believe there is only about a month left of the school year. My kindergarteners have shown such growth lately and it’s very exciting. I will be sad to see them go.
Good Evening,
It sounds like you’re quite the busy bee these days (not like that’s any different than any other day for you). Up rooting and moving is always a bit stressful, but is fun and exciting too. We just bought a second home in Florida. We have a home in NY too that we should sell, but I can’t seem to let go of yet. Maybe in the next 2-3 yrs we will. Maintaining two houses, in two different states, is not always easy.
What a beautiful garden! I’m like you, I put a lot of effort into making my front yard bright and colorful every spring (even with our shorter growing season up North), because it just makes me smile every time I come home to the beautiful flowers!
I am reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for my book club right now, really enjoying it…and have been holding off seeing the movie until I’m done the book!
Best of luck with your move!
Beautiful gardens…I have a Wisteria that has never bloomed since I planted it about twelve years ago. I’m sure leaving is hard to do but starting up again in California will be fun and an adventure in itself. Good luck with the book and generally burning the candle at both ends, lol…you are an amazing girl …Ruth
It is hard to move when so many good memories have happened in your home. We moved a few years ago. I dug up some of our favorite flowers.
Hi Jane,
Although we don’t have such beautiful gardens, I understand how you feel. I am pretty attached to the trees in my woods. This spring our largest ash decided not sprout any leaves. Now we have a dead tree towering over my house, much too close to the kids bedrooms. If it doesn’t come down I’ll be a nervous wreck anytime it storms but it depresses me to think about it being gone. I always enjoyed lookimg up at it through my great room windows. But change brings new opportunity, it will be fun to start new memories at your new house! Which looks like it has nice gardens of it’s own from your pictures! I am thinking a pretty flowering tree to replace our ash and add some color to our backyard.
On the topic of what I am reading, I just finished Nora Roberts “The Witness.” I thought it was one of her best books in years. Good luck with your book and getting packed up!
My son is saying goodbye to high school this year…it’s such a combination of sad and happy.
Take plenty of digital pics and place them in a beautiful digital photo album for your new home decor. What a wonderful thing for a new family, start a new flower garden in Cali. Build new memories that will last you and your wonderful family. Sweet memories will last a lifetime. In a past blog you mentioned going to the beach to clear your mind and how you are (not sure of the exact words) at peace by the ocean and how you enjoy the water. Now your oasis awaits you. May you have stress free packing (if possible) and a safe trip moving. Welcome to the start of a new chapter in your life.
Wishing you the best with your move to California! I am reading the latest Richard Paul Evans book. I can’t wait to start reading Sarah Pekkanen’s latest.
We just closed on a new home this evening! We will have keys by the 31st of this month. Eeek! I have boxes all over our current house. It looks like a hurricane blew through. Packing stinks. And I don’t even know how many boxes we will need for all of our books. We are all excited, and the kids are glad they are still in the same school district so they don’t have to leave their friends.
I will be thinking of you, Jane as you guys pack and get ready for your move. Excited that you will be closer!
I always think that moving is bittersweet, there’s always something you hats to leave behind. Just think about all the beautiful flowers you’ll be able to have in California. I had a big beautiful herb garden at one of the places I used to live and I really bated leaving it behind. I haven’t had as nice one since. I’m hoping we will get my mint plants in containers this week while the weather is beautiful. As for what I’m reading, I just started City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare, I really love this YA series. Next up is City of Lost Souls and then it will be two years before the next one, I hate waiting that long. Good luck with your move.
I did not post from my computer so please ignore the typos.
I love the garden. I am such a slacker I would love to have a garden like that but the problem is I am so not an outdoor person. Trying to get motivated for summer. So excited that I should have about one more year left of college (seems like it has been forever). Right now I am reading the Left Behind series. I must say that I am sooo addicted. Good luck writing and have a great week. Don’t let the packing drive you crazy it will work out. 🙂
Your comment on saying good-bye to the garden hit me- I left a huge lilac bush, a snowball bush, and a grape arbor in Indiana. Oh and some peonies.
When I think of it, I miss the smell of lilacs. Now, of course, those pesky spring freezes killed the lilacs every other year when we lived there.
Hi Jane, Life and what I am reading? As a busy working mom of two teenage girls, life is a blur: hugs, contracts, laundry, occasional yoga poses and constant interruptions. I enjoy following your blog, your tweets and FB status updates because you share the ups and downs of life as working, writing mom with such openness, humility and humour (note the Canadian spelling of humour!) It rather makes the rest of us – or me at least – feel as though we’re not alone in facing our own day-to-day life in all the glorious, beautiful mess it might be, and often is. So, thank you, Jane, for all that you share. I wish you a beautiful garden in your new home and much love and laughter their with all of your boys, your books and everything else that makes a full life. Cheers from cottage country, Ontario, Canada.
Jane,
hat a beautiful garden. You have every reason to be proud of it. Don’t think of it as saying goodbye to it as you will have the opportunity to create another masterpiece when you get settled in your new home. Here’s hoping that the packing goes smoothly and that you get that book finished by Friday.
The wisteria is beautiful. I love my garden, it is all mine, every plant, every flower, every weed. 🙂 Too many of those right now, but I love working in it, too. It’s the best sort of therapy for me.
I’m battling a virus, so I’ve been reading a lot. I finished Shana Galen’s LaVere trilogy, and Eloisa James’ The Duke is Mine. I’ve just begun Nefertiti by Michelle Moran; a friend thought I’d enjoy it, and I’m giving it a try. I would never have picked it up without the suggestion, so it’s fun to try something different.
My daughter has a school dance this week, and my son has a birthday. It is a busy, busy week.
Good luck with the writing and the packing. Say a solitary good-bye to the house when it’s empty, before you leave. I cried when I left my last house, though I love my current home. The last one was the place of memories and the first home I shared with my husband, where my children were babies. It was very hard to leave it. I have so many memories of that house, memories that can’t be lost simply because I now live somewhere else. Yours will stay with you. Take pictures, keep them on hand when you need them. Then California, here you come! 🙂
SharonA
What a beautiful garden! I hope your move goes smoothly. I can’t imagine trying to finish a book, while packing/moving. When we moved the last time, I swore I;d never do it again because it is so stressful and so much work. You guys will be so happy together in CA, it will be so worth it! Best of luck to you with your move and have a safe trip!
Your garden is fabulous. Mine pales in comparison to yours. I so don’t have a green thumb. It’s more like a brown thumb. Oh well, I guess that’s why I hire someone to landscape my yard. I know my limitations and they can make it look amazing.
I hope you have a smooth transition with your move. I’m sure you are very busy with your move and your writing. It will all be done soon and you can enjoy your new home. Have a safe trip and I can’t wait to see pictures of your new place.
Best wishes for your busy days to come! I am currently reading a Mystery by the Bay byEllery Adams titled ‘A Deadly Cliche’. Love how it’s a book about writers struggling with their writing. I’m half-way in and I’m falling more and more in love with this book! Have a great and productive weekend.
I bet you are sad to leave your beautiful home and garden. It looks wonderful from the pictures you have shown. But you have a beautiful new home waiting and you will build a lot of great memories there too.
It is always hard to leave a home, especially for us women, I find men don’t get that attached, but I hope you can get everything done with the least stress possible.
Take care.
I understand that feeling of loss when moving. Plants, flowers and trees are alive and when we’ve tended to them for years, it feels like leaving a loved one behind.
Maybe you could take a little bit of your garden with you when you move? My late grandfather hybridized daylilies and I’ve moved some of them with me through one divorce, one re-marriage, and one subsequent divorce. Those flowers never fail to bring me happiness each June when they open up and show their beauty and resilience, reminding me how resilient that I am, too!
That is a really wonderful idea! I bet those daylilies bring you lots of joy. 🙂
Beautiful garden and flowers! Oh my yes I am very attached to my gardens. I still wonder what happened to the one at the house where I grew up and I left there in 1982! Right now I am celebrating that our first pink frangipani is blooming! We have lots of white with yellow throat but no pink or reds.
As a good recommend from Library Lady a began the Miss Julia series and am getting ready to start her latest…Miss Julia to the Rescue.
Hi Jane!
Life’s been busy lately, though not as busy as yours!! Wrapping up the school year for my boys, spring cleaning, and doing lots of reading! I have read The Hunger Games trilogy and the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, and just started Arranged by Catherine McKenzie. First time reading anything by her, so we’ll see. I wish you all the best with your move. The day of the move and the days leading up to it are sad, but once you are in your new home, it will be so exciting! Good luck finishing your book! I can’t wait to buy all you have coming out!
Lynn
Good luck with the move! Hope everything goes well for you.
My baby is graduating from high school ON her 18th birthday. So getting ready for graduation, birthday party and an open house. Busy days here and I’m not ready for her to be a grown up but, hopefully, I’ve done my job and given her what she needs to be independent but still need/want her momma sometimes.
HI Jane,
Then picture of your garden is beautiful.
Good luck with your moving adventure.
I am on my last day of vacation. I hope to finally see a movie and it will be grocery shopping and getting ready to return to work on Saturday.
Take care!
Hi everyone,
Thanks for the good luck wishes with the move. As you can imagine, things are really starting to get crazy here as we move tomorrow so I’ll make this quick! The winner is –
#53 Susie Q.
I know I said I’d pick one winner today but I’ve decided to pick 4 bonus winners also.
#21 Anne
#59 Nancy E.
#7 Mary J
#27 Raynore Jones
Please send me your mailing info right away and I’ll get the prizes in the mail early next week!!
I’ve got to get back to packing details now but I’ll check in soon! I so appreciate each and every one of you!!
much love,
Jane
Good- Luck with the move!
Praying for you to have a good experience with this move. Remember to take breaks and enjoy life with your guys through it all. 😉
Congrats to today’s winners!
I absolutely love my garden. I simply cold not have a house without a garden. Its my personal sanctuary. When I moved 3 years ago I brought all my potted plants and bromeliads with me. The plants that I could not bring, I took cuttings. I rooted the cuttings by sticking them in water, changing the water every few days and when they developed roots I potted them up. I now have those plants growing in my new garden. Before you leave Jane, I encourage you to take cuttings of your favourite plants, stick them in water and take them with you. That way you get to take some of your old garden to your new home. Good luck.
What a beautiful garden…once you get settled in your new housem you’ll love your gardens and being closer to the beach is so wonderful! Your new home will feel like home, once you get settled and all! Looking forward to your new book! Enjoy your new adventure…I’m going thru so many changes myself, have 2 babies in my home daycare and both kids are off to college, and I’m gonna be alone for the first time…I have friends but nothing serious, which is a good thing, even though one of the guys who is a minister and goes around and preaches to cowboys ant rodeo’s and cowboy church wants more but I just can’t right now…but understand,I have so much on my plate, i want to finish my schooling and have time for me…my daughter and I have never been apart so thats so hard on both of us, but she needs to go to school and hae her life..so excited for her..will both be ok! Anyways, have a nice weekend!
Congrats to the winners! I want to read a Jane Porter book in that beautiful garden.
It’s always sad to leave a place we’ve called home and venture to a new place but you will grow to love San Clemente…it’s just up the road from where I live..I’ve been there many times and the beaches there are great. Welcome to CA