The Family Wright

We've been thinking about moving. The number one reason is to get Fin into a better public school. And we're lucky to live very close to some really good schools. But unfortunately our current address doesn't put us at any of the schools we want him to go to, thus the search began. There's other reasons. We could use more room (oh to have a garage!). Our house is older and needs a lot of updating, that as renters we can't/won't do. Our carpets are shot, our a/c unit a joke, the back door doesn't slide open. I dream of a shower void of any toys. And I've always relished moving. I like figuring out where everything goes, I like "shopping" for a new home. But this time, I find I'm much more sentimental about moving. We moved here when I was nine months pregnant with Parker. She's never lived anywhere else. Our neighbors have seen her grow up. The older couple next door, the young couple on the other side, the sweet Guatemalan family down the way. Its hard to find a place where you know your neighbors like we know ours. I have no problem sending Fin next door for an egg. And if they're not home, then to the other next door neighbors, or the next. We sign for each other's packages, tell each other when we go on vacation, exchanged keys and phone numbers.

We went on a walk today. One of our normal routes, which takes us across the street to the bike path that follows a creek. Its less than a five minute walk. Along the path there's orange trees, giant oaks, eucalyptus, bamboo. There's a giant oak with a hole in it, the roots reaching out into the air over the creek. We sat under the street where the kid's throw rocks in the creek, watching tree swallows swoop, careen and disappear into the tiniest of holes in the bridge. As I sat there I thought about how many times we've come down there in the past three years. In good weather we'll come almost every day. When it gets hotter we'll go less, and earlier in the morning. When the nights get longer we'll go when Daddy gets home. We've seen skunks, bluejays, dogs of all sizes, baby ducks swimming with their Mamas. We've run into friends, made new ones, gotten angry at the cyclists who go to fast. Its our little bit of suburban wilderness and more than once its saved me from a Mommy meltdown. If and when we move it will be what I miss most.