Enough about that though. Let me get into some details that a lot of people mistakenly make of where I live now, mostly to educate and share:
1) Most people think Southern California is nice, but there's "too much violence to raise a family in these parts"...well, I grew up here and I turned out anti-violent and mind you I've never tried drugs, nor stealing, nor was I influenced in any negative way while living here. Truth is, my home is where I learned to be me and while outside and seeing people's lives, I was able to decide for myself through conviction instead of following the general public. So no matter WHERE your family is raised, it's HOW YOU raise them that matters and will determine how they will be influenced.
2) A lot of people think it's super expensive to live out here...it depends a lot on location. Fact is, renting is not cheap, but becoming a homeowner is cheaper. Yup, you can buy a nice spacious home for (a bigger family) around $250,000 in a nice neighborhood including a pool now-a-days (and not in the dessert), which I know as a fact due to close relatives currently house-shopping. Not to mention, utility bills are way cheap...I remember paying almost $190 for just our gas bill one winter month in Utah. Here, most families think paying $80 for ALL their utilities is too much and can easily control due to climate. Also, produce is much more fresh and affordable in California. You can buy up to 7lbs of oranges for .99 cents and food is never taxed so you pay what you see. For sure car fuel is a killer here, running up to $4.10 a gallon on average right now, but when everything is so close to you in distance, your tank can last a while. Now, buying merchandise is also at lower cost here depending on where you go. If you're the type that only buys in department stores or malls, then you're paying too much ANYWHERE. If you like bargains, then there's a whole world at your disposal. I'm talking about flee markets, discount factories and outlets, and everything within 3-10 miles from your home. In Utah I had to wait for a trip down to Salt Lake City (20 miles one-way) to get cute clothing and still crossed my fingers to find a bargain I would love, but since everyone shops in the same places then usually the same style, brand, and shoes are strolling out and about...making YOU fit into a mold. So most times I skipped the $9.99 blouse on clearance or the $29.99 jeans on sale (total $40 plus tax). I recently bought a 7-piece bed set ($25), a car seat ($10), 13lbs of bananas ($1.50), Covergirl Makeup foundation ($2), a cute maternity top ($1), and still spent the remainder on snacks (same $40 without tax) while shopping here in California. So, between mortgage and bills, you'll be paying the same as in, let's just say, Utah...since it's the only other place I've lived in and payed bills. BUT between food, discounts, local stores, and cheaper merchandise, anyone can save in California and anyone who argues this needs to crunch in the real numbers to see reality.
3) Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. Everywhere you go, people are struggling to find or keep their jobs. It's a sad stand-point for our nation really, but trials come in every size, we just have to be ready for them. In Utah, jobs don't pay very high unless you sacrifice a lot of yourself (under the radar) to get there or have connections, which is okay, but benefits stink. In California, jobs pay higher with no relation on who you know or don't know, and benefits are great. Not many know that, personally, we went through a very sad job situation with my husband in Utah. The worst was that it all came down to discrimination and gossip...I know silly huh? A lot of people lose jobs in Utah based on gossip and who your connections are in the line of superiors. Not all jobs are like that, but those exceptions are few. The answer to our prayers was in an email and phone call letting my husband know that he had a job waiting here in California. I was ecstatic, my husband was still re-cooperating from the hard blow from a job he really cared about, but in the end he was happy and we left. Now, he earns about the same, but earns palpable commission with other perks, covered with full benefits at little out-of-pocket expense, and is recognized at work for ALL he does. We were also looking into having our baby and expenses while in Utah and figured it would cost us over $6,200 for me to deliver under my husband's costly insurance at the time. In California we are going to pay $0.00. That's right! We will be worry-free and focus more on our family's outcome than our financial stress for this lil' baby girl! Sometimes, when it comes down to jobs, we gotta take the open door blessedly provided instead of being stubborn and staying where we will ultimately lose in this money-driven world run by wolves and hungry sharks.
4) California loves all races! I will not share my personal negative stories here because I've put it all behind me and learned from what I had to go through in Utah for being LATINA. I will share this though: the select few Caucasians that do like Hispanics (more than just Mexican food) are absolutely good people! Not only on a personal scale is California more accepting, but the laws are more equal and offer opportunities to those desperately needing hope for their dreams. I'm talking about illegals. I'm blessed to be a citizen, but I do admire those that aren't because they are the definition of hard work. I ran into families in Utah living on pure faith, some being torn apart by state laws, and some so alone. Some young people hated going to school because they would get treated differently, and I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to take their place instead of watching them become broken. I could only do so little, and yet I was experiencing the same things while in the park with my child or in the library, even the grocery store. This is a supposed new era, new times, but some people are stuck...covered in modern masks of ignorance...but that's a whole other subject.
Now, I'm just happy to be back home :-). We were living with a relative for just a bit and just recently moved into our new place about 2 weeks ago. I'm exited because I get to decorate and we're only 11 weeks away from meeting out new baby too! Here are some things I've been working on and want to keep making for our home: (click on the images to see the tutorials)
...and once I have my rooms fully finished I will post up pictures to share what I've made. I try to work at a bearable pace since I was put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy and my little one is quite the little "helper"...when the mood strikes ;-)
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