It’s been a year. A year from tomorrow was Tiger’s last day at Goddard’s, and to this day, he still speaks of it with a smile on his face, and a bit of sadness in his voice. He misses his friends and teachers, but most of all, I think he misses how much people genuinely liked him for who he was and who he was going to become.

With all the complaining about the NJ weather, bugs, and lack of great food, also came a great enjoyment of family-togetherness and exploration. Of course we won’t miss the hurricanes and blizzards, but we will miss our predictable food runs to Doc’s, the 53 Grill, Carmel Haifa, Mara’s Cafe, Penang, Denville Meat Shop and Arthur’s Tavern. Beyond our weekly trips to Farmer’s markets, Target, Panera, Rockaway mall, Barnes & Noble, and even the public library, few places could surpass the memories that were made when visiting Turtleback Zoo, Liberty Science Center, Princeton, and of course, Cape May.

When we finally made the decision to move, we took everything into account. We knew we’d miss the freedom of being isolationists, but we also knew we’d create new memories for our kids and for our entire family.

It’s been a year. A year of packing, unpacking, and getting settled into a new neighborhood and home. I still don’t think we’re completely settled in yet, but I can feel we’re on the verge of finally feeling comfortable with our routine. For four years, we managed to do our best with what we had, and actually, when you look back at it, it was an unbelievable experience. Not to be outdone, this past year has also been amazing. From going to multiple county fairs, multiple trips to Disneyland and the Long Beach Aquarium, getting a chance to furnish our HOME, and enrolling Tiger in public school…we’ve done more than most people get to do in a few years. Most importantly, and the true reason we moved back, the kids get a chance to experience the countless family functions and daily interactions that we would’ve undoubtedly missed out on while being across the US.

It’s been a year. I forgot my password to this website and only after hours of thinking about it, I finally remembered. It’s been a year, but in actuality, it’s been a journey. We picked up our lives in NJ and moved to CA without knowing where we’d ultimately call home. We now know where home is, but we’ll never forget the time we spent making the most of the Garden State.

After signing on the dotted line and cementing our decision to move, we took one last trip to our favorite NJ place, Cape May. It was an awesome trip and a perfect way to say goodbye.