A Day Off- Music Memories Part 3

Thanks once again to the Riley family for sponsoring the blog today. Marlene, Dave, Taylor, Skye (and Chris, a friend of Taylor’s) They are Baltimore friends who are vacationing in Venice Beach, California. Love the timing of this. Thanks for dinner, a place to stay, a place to park and good, yogurt from Sparky’s!

For more information on sponsoring a blog go www.livealifeworthcelebrating.com

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A Day Off and Music Memories Part 3

An uneventful morning yesterday. Hannah and Rosie slept most of the way from Fresno to LA. I listened to a variety of radio stations with music from the 60's up to current Top 40 music.

As I turned towards the ocean and neared LA, I got tears in my eyes. I was so happy. I felt like a little kid before opening presents at a birthday party. The mountains, the sun, and the change of air. I could feel the ocean.

Hannah and I have been talking about moving to the LA area since January. For Hannah it has been almost four years of telling me that we would move here. I didn't feel it until January. LA has been a place to visit, vacation, but not a place to live.

The feelings of excitement and being ready for a move had subsided. Since January I have been in a mode of selling, donating and recycling most of my stuff. I have been selling a house, saying goodbye to friends, and finding a home for my cats (still need a home for my cats!) I have been following the Jonas Brothers with Hannah for almost two months now. I love our country. It is so beautiful and I have felt content to live in all parts of America. I could live almost anywhere. So many great locations and wonderful people.

I thought that maybe the desire to move to LA was just a moment of wanting to leave the winter weather of Maryland or the feeling of releasing another layer of the loss of my husband. Could I really leave the community that has been my home for 20+ years? How would I exist out in the world without living down the street or across town from them?

As I came through the mountains and began to feel the Pacific Ocean, I felt the spontaneous response of happiness and joy. I felt like I was home.

We dropped off Rosie in Culver City and made our way to Venice Beach to spend the evening with friends. The Riley's, Marlene, Dave, Taylor and Skye, were all born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. That is their home. They have a lifetime of memories, friends, family, work, school, and a church community. And, for the last six years they have vacationed in California. The time they spend here is anywhere from two weeks to a month. Even Taylor's boyfriend has come with them for the last two years.

Dave and I were talking about music and California yesterday. He has been coming to here for over 20 years. He has a huge smile on his face and is so relaxed, as he talks about California. One of the things he does while he is here is listen to music. He has created a two hour collection of music on his I-pod. He listens to it while he walks on the beach and looks at the ocean and the mountains. When he walks on his treadmill at home in Baltimore, he listens to this music and it brings back all the feelings of relaxation and happiness of the summer vacation.

Maybe some day they will move here or maybe the infusion of a trip once a year is enough for them all. A respite from the day to day routine. For now, Dave listens to his music, connects with the nature here and takes a piece of California home with him in his iPod.


Hannah and I are planning to move to California in Dec or Jan. It may be for a 6 month infusion of good California energy or it may be a place we will call our home for 20+ years. All that matters is today is the feeling I had when I approached the ocean today.

I AM HOME.

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A few more memories of music and the Youtube links:

Some of the music of middle school (1969-1972)

Monkees, Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman, Cowsills

Posters on my wall. Tigerbeat magazine. Staring for hours at their faces and dreaming of meeting them in person.

Monkees:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts

Partridge Family:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOiKa51ll-k

Bobby Sherman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJOuTr0BXb4

The Cowsills:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ord6UXaep_w