just a few of the reasons I'm SO sad to leave this place

all our fabulous friends who are ready for an adventure at a moments notice:

like taking us to Six Flags Marine World (see pictures here) or setting up a Lemonade stand with us

or coming to our house for a spur-of-the-moment toy sale Jaden decided to host.
(instead of me hauling them all off to the freebie bin in the laundry room. he made $90!--which did include the sale of the Power Wheels Jeep for $50--I know it's a steal of a deal but the two front tires were completely cracked down the middle from so much lovin'! AND it went to a good home)
or meeting us at the gymnastics studio for open-gym, or at Central Park for a double decker bus ride, or the REC pool for a swim, or a picnic at the park, you know what I'm talking about?!

We'll miss the millions of these adorable little hatch-lings that grace the grounds of Solano Park every year, despite the terrible messes they leave in our breezeway:

Have I mentioned the playground before? Yeah, well I'm really going to miss it. Look what fun we have:

and just the town itself. the culture. the cleanliness, family-friendliness, the big, old, beautiful trees that canapoy the streets, the convenient and safe biking/walking accessibility to downtown from where we live, the great community activities that are constantly happening and the time and energy that's put into making spaces beautiful
this is just a little space in a corner next to a small shopping area 2 min. from my front door (which includes Ben and Jerry's, Borders, Jamba Juice, The Gap and Bath&Body) that they've created recently for us to enjoy. totally kid-friendly, beautiful and peaceful!
there are spots like this all over town that you just might stumble upon as your strolling along.
(sigh)

so why are we leaving in the next few days for 3 weeks before our BIG move?
To give my beloved husband some uninterrupted, guilt-free, quality, hard-core study time before THE BAR because we really want him to pass the 1st time so he doesn't have to suffer through this again.
(tangent):
actually, he's not suffering at all. he ENJOYS it?! YES!
and is looking forward to the exam. weird, I know.
I've realized recently that he's the KING of positive. enjoys studying? never criticizes. not even really bad movies, he just appreciates the entertainment. he never hates anything (nor does he commit to favorites. I guess he wouldn't want to insult the others. whatever it might be: movie, drink, dessert, etc.). I suppose you could say we're exact opposites in this regard.
I think I have a LOVE/HATE opinion about everything.
micah teaches me a lot about myself and I'm slowly improving from his example. don't worry, I've already admitted it to him.

we'll have a lot of work ahead of us when we return with a week and a half to pack and get out of here.
during my three weeks in bakersfield, my mom and I will be treking to monterey to find someplace for us to live and we'll be spending time with family and getting caught up with friends we don't usually get to see because of short trips so you might not hear from me for awhile.
but you might.