One Year Ago. . .

. . . we moved to Massachusetts. Tyler was just turning two, Kendall not even 6 months. What was I thinking? Oh ya better to do it now than before they start school. It's been a year since we ventured out here with no friends or family. When I agreed to the move I actually didn't think anything would come of it. Thinking only how fun it was to talk about the size of house we could have "there" compared to what we had in California. I should have given Kevin more credit because within a month or two he had the job and we were announcing our pending move. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even have time to think about what things would be like until we arrived and all I could think was "what in the world did I agree to?" It's not that I hated it here right away it's just nothing was what I expected. In my former life of working in the investment banking world I had wanted to move out to the Boston office. Of course that would have meant living in a CITY not the Country which is where we ended up; Boylston is a town of 3,500 people, that's a far cry from any of the suburbs in California.

Here's a summary of what I realized in my first year here:

Things I hate about Massachusetts:

1. Snow
2. No Mexican food
3. Takes at least 15 minutes to get anywhere
4. Roads are basically paved over cow paths (there is NO grid system)
5. Winter (I think last winter lasted 6 months)
6. No wine can be shipped here
7. Gnats (aka fruit flies out here in my wine constantly)
8. Major infestation of Lady Bugs last October

9. No garbage disposal
10. Where are the wineries?

11. It's not California

Things I've learned to like about Massachusetts:

1. Different seasons
2. Having a basement and a walk-up attic
3. The large yard

4. Traffic is not nearly as bad
5. Lush green summers.
6. Tap water is delicious.
7. No tax on clothing!

8. It's not California

So while my list of things I've been displeased with here is still longer than what I've grown to like I'm sure my list will continue to grow with pleasantries. I still miss my friends terribly but I've also made some great new ones. I think in the long run this will have proved to be a wonderful move for us. It definitely seems to be a great place to raise our kids and I look forward to what the future brings. Without faults there can be no benefits. Here's to another year of making memories in Massachusetts!