๐ถGoing back (back… back…) to Cali, Cali, Cali…California๐ถ
Yup, you got that right! A California move is happening… and like, soon.
I know, I know, I’ve been very MIA this summer. And for that, Iย apologize; sort of. You see… I needed a break. I love social media and blogging. It’s a fantastic tool. I get to make new friends and connections. And I also get to share lots of aspects of myself and my life that I’ve worked really hard on and that I hope you find value in as well. I’m totally of the mind that, we don’t all have to take the long way to figure things out. Hence, sharing clean and sustainable living, nontoxic beauty, wellness, nutrition, and motherhood content. It’s in my wheelhouse, and I love to do the research.
But, summer… and kids… and a mom with her face buriedย in the phone. It wasย “mom, mama, mommy…” all damn day. And it wasn’t sitting well. Especially once the hubby and I knew we’d be making the transition back to California. I wanted to be present and attentive and to make sure my children felt seen and heard because I knew I was about to rock.their.tiny.worlds.
Farewell Northern Virginia
We’ve been in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, northern Virginia) area for 2.5 years and it has indeed been great for our family. There is so much space. My daughter was born here. My middle child had the opportunity to attend a forest preschool which was precisely what we wanted and exactly what his little personality needed to thrive. And my eldest got to expand into his boyhood within the local community with club soccer, boy scouts, and neighborhood independence.
The DMV didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, it’s an amazing place to raise a family. But the city girl in me missed all the invites and cool popups and having everything accessible. As I grow within the wellness space, I realize that being in a place that is a hub for health, wellness, and all the new buzzy wellness trends is important to me. Not to mention, promotions beckon. My husband is a complete rockstar, and this next promotion for him is huge. I couldn’t be more proud.
But, I also must admit; and this is really hard because I am a diehard East Coast Girl; we kind of missed our SoCal life.
Hello California!๐
If you’d asked me 2.5 years ago if we’d be returning to L.A. (and so soon!) it would have been a hard “nope.” I would have never guessed I’d feel this way. And missing L.A? You would have heard,ย “Nah, I’m good.”ย It has been an odd realization that has grown over the last year or so. Both my husband and I were completely caught off guard by it. You see, we kind of hunted down the opportunity (and promotion) that brought us back to the East Coast. We have family on this coast, we’re both comfortable on this coast, and we really thought it would be great for our family.
And it was. But, it just wasn’t L.A. [๐คฏ] Now, frankly, I’d take NYC over LA buuuuuuut, that’s not where the work takes us. So, to be back in a place that we know, like, and actually have a community, will be fantastic โ and really freaking new. We have literally never lived in the same place twice since we’ve been together. We’ve never moved to a place we already knew. And we’ve never returned to a community. The prep work doesn’t feel asย overwhelming. It’s empowering.
California Move: The prep work
The one thing we knew immediately was that if we decided to make this move, we’d be downsizing. Unless of course, you have 5 million dollars you’d like to donate? A California move with five humans requires us to become very clear on our priorities, and quickly! So Iโve been donating, reducing, running around attending to the business of planning a cross country move (again), all while trying to live summer hella present. And it has not been easy. With big decisions like this, we don’t like to share the news with our children until all theย I’s are dotted, and theย t’s are crossed, and so we had to do the underlying prep work without alarming the kids. So… we decided to do the KonMari method, again. And I’m so happy we did.
In the meantime, we have been at the pool as much as possible and soaking in all of the NoVa summer vibes so that we can imprint this place on our hearts, and then move on.
It’s actually been quite cathartic.
So if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, that’s it. Just trying to prepare to downsize, move across the country, with five people, a dog, and a piano (our one non-negotiable) in tow. Wish us luck!
I’ll be easing back into Instagram content over the next few weeks (and soon blog content, too) –> so if you feel like you’re missing out, find me on Instagram โ @Kimberly__Felix
And SoCal friends… Iโll see you soon! Hit me up!
Have you ever moved cross country? This will be our third time doing it with kids! After this California move, we’ll be pros!
Xo, Kimberly Fe'Lix
