CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

Living in San Diego is the best.  I should know my husband and I have lived in all four corners of the United States and some areas in between.  We started out in Oklahoma, he from Norman, me from Del City (after moving there from upstate New York (Rome) where I lived my first thirteen years).  We met in the Federal Building where we worked for Naval Recruiting District in Oklahoma City.  Yes, the one that was blown up by Timothy McVey.  Luckily, we had already met, fell in love, married and moved away.  He will tell you it is the first time he saved my life.  Oklahoma is the hottest hot in summer, the coldest cold in winter, windy all the time, don't even get me started about tornadoes and ice storms.  Wicked weather.  Only hardy souls should live there.

After we married he left Pensacola, Fl. and we moved to Corpus Christi, Tx where he attended flight school and I attended Lamaze.  We were then sent to Beeville, Tx.  One road in and out, no McDonalds (just a Whataburger and a Walmart).  Actually the perfect place to be pregnant except for the 100 degree weather and 100 percent humidity.  I swelled up like a Macy's Day balloon.  

Then Eureka! we were sent to San Diego, CA to complete flight training.  We packed up the kids, dog and two cars and drove out.  What a beautiful place, sunshine all year long, with soft even temperatures.  We lived there from 1980 until 1990 when we had to move to Willow Grove, PA.  Willow Grove is just north of Philadelphia.  We arrived sans winter clothing but soon found out it would be needed.  The winters are both beautiful and cold.  The snow piled up so that our dog had trouble getting through it.  The summers were hot and sticky and when little league began we were still wearing winter coats.  What a shock from living in San Diego.

Two years later we moved again to New Orleans, LA.  Put the winter coats away and get out your white hand towel to wear around your neck to catch the perpetual sweat leaking from your head.  The heat and humidity are stifiling and the rains were biblical.  There was a constant influx of bugs.  Our dog began losing his fur and had skin problems.  If I had fur I probably would have lost it too, it was that bad.

Just when you think the next move would be better than New Orleans we moved to Jacksonville, Fl.  Hot and humid times two with a non-stop parade of cockroaches and palmetto bugs.  Yuk, I hated it!  Did I mention the snake in our swimming pool?

Next stop, Manassas, VA.  Oh, the beautiful countryside, Green, green, green.  Four seasons again.  What a relief from the heat and humidity.  I felt like I could live there the rest of our lives,  but of course the U.S. Navy always has other plans.

Back to Willow Grove, PA.  Loved it, had a lot of friends and decided this should be where we retire.  Had I forgotten about beautiful San Diego?  I think I did.  My husband convinced me that our home in San Diego was waiting for us so we packed up and drove to the west coast.  There were rainbows, unicorns, pots of gold and flowers everywhere as we drove in.  I knew I was home.

But, one final test, there was one corner we hadn't lived in so my husband decided to take a job in Seattle.  OMG, we lived there (me not so much as I commuted between San Diego and Seattle) for five years.  If I stayed too long in Seattle I found bits of moss and mushrooms starting to sprount from my body.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Soooo depressing.  The people walk around with frowns on their faces.  Women don't wear make-up or do their hair.   I can't live in a place like that - so....my wonderful husband arranged  to keep his job but be able to work from our home in San Diego.  HALLELUJAH!!

San Diego is like no other city.  It is "America's Finest City".  Everywhere I go people ask me where I live and I say "San Diego", they always say "oh I love it there".

You can plan on anything outdoors i.e. picnics, weddings, garage sales and not have to worry about rain.  It stays an average 72 degrees in the summer and rarely gets below 50 in the winter.  No snow to shovel, no sleet to drive in, no humidity and no bugs.  Perfection.  But don't get any ideas, we are all full up and I'm not going to mention the "T" word (traffic) unless I have to. 

I will always live here, you can't pry me from our home and I told my husband he would have to drag me out in a coffin to move again.

So come and visit, bring your money, see our Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World, Legoland, Padres/Chargers, The Hotel Del Coronado, Casinos, Balboa Park, the USS Midway, and on and on. 

Stay for a couple weeks then you must leave, you probably wouldn't like to live here anyway we have EARTHQUAKES!  ha ha.