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October 7, 2016 In Moving to Cali By Tammy McMullen

Inquiring minds…they want to know!

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It’s true right? We have questions when people make a major life change. We want to know why in the world they would do something like that. Have they lost their minds? Are they having a mid life crisis? Are they running away from something? They just think the grass is greener on the other side right?

I think we may have had all of those things, and a few more, said to us before we moved.

People had a hard time understanding why we would move. Throw in the fact that we were moving to Southern California, and oh me oh my, the things that people said! Some days I had to make sure that I wasn’t using the wrong words and telling people that we were moving to a terrorist country by the way they reacted. If I am being honest, there were a lot of hurt feelings before we moved, but I will save that for a later post.

So, now that we have been in SoCal for a few months, I thought it might be interesting to answer some of the most popular questions we were asked, or comment on some of the things people told us we were going to experience..

Inquiring minds…here you go:

You know how expensive it is to live there right?

This had to be the statement we heard the most. I think it may have come out of everyone’s mouth when we told them (ok, that may be an exaggeration but it sure felt like everyone). Well, is it true? Is it really that expensive to live in SoCal? If all you are looking at is housing, then yes, yes it is. The prices of homes here are ridiculous, I call them “stupid expensive.” The problem…there are people here who can afford homes at that price, actually they can pay cash for those homes. In case you were wondering…no, that would not be me or most of the people I know here 🙂 So, yes the price to buy or rent a home is very expensive. Other than that though I have not seen a real difference between here and Granger, Indiana. I spend the same amount on groceries and have actually found that some things are less expensive here. Our utilities here are much less expensive than they were in Granger. Part of that is due to only running the air for about 2 weeks total this summer (gotta love the hot days, cool nights and no humidity…that is SoCal). From what I have heard you really don’t have to run your heat much in the winter either. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me…it is one of the many reasons I am good with living here!! Eating out tends to run about the same too. Now I don’t eat at the high end restaurants, and really have no desire to, so I’m sure you could spend a lot more there. Gas for your car is also a tad more expensive but to be honest, nothing like I was expecting. So if you take housing out of the equation (yes I know you can’t really do that unless you plan to live on the beach, which by the way I might be ok with) it really isn’t that different. Keep in mind you make more money here for the same job than you do other places (I think mostly so that you can afford to have a roof over your head…again stupid expensive housing), so that does help equal things out.

Traffic…you know you will be sitting in traffic for hours right?

Yes, there is more traffic. I guess that is what happens when you live with 3 million other people. Yes, it does take me longer to get some places. No, you don’t want to be on the 5 or 405 at certain times of the day. Truth is, you don’t live with that many people and not have traffic. But since they know that, most every road you drive on here is at least 3 lanes and the speed limit is 55 just about everywhere. I still find it hard to drive that fast in some areas. It just feels too fast to this Midwestern girl! The beautiful thing though is that Irvine is a planned community. What does that mean? It means that they plan ahead so that everything you need is within reach. Tyler’s school is right across the street from us, he either walks or rides his bike to school everyday. The girls HS is 10 minutes away and they are technically not at their neighborhood HS, if they were it would be about 5 minutes away. Within 5 minutes from us, we have a grocery store, gas station, Trader Joes, HomeGoods, Home Depot, Kohl’s, banks, restaurants, soccer fields, post office, etc. Just about anything we need! So yes, there is more traffic, yes you do have to plan more time to get some places but overall it isn’t as big of a deal as I expected it to be!

You know people there are just rude/mean/fake/catty
and list went on and on.

Oh and I would never want to raise a family there! Those were just a few of the things that I was told about people here in CA. I was telling a friend that I met here what people had said to me, and she couldn’t believe that people actually felt that way about Californians. I had to laugh, because she is a native Californian and just couldn’t understand it. I told her I thought that probably came from the TV shows that people watch and that this area gets lumped in with LA and all the craziness that exists in the Hollywood scene. What I have found is people are people…all made in the image of God! Sure we have our differences, but you find those differences every where you go. I have met some of the nicest people here in CA, people who took it upon themselves to talk to me, invite me to coffee, invite my family over for a BBQ, etc. Now in the name of honesty I have had a run in with someone who wasn’t so encouraging, but I just smiled and let her speak her peace – deciding that it wasn’t worth my time or energy (though don’t get me wrong I had all sorts of things I wanted to say to her :)). But here is the thing, I had those same kind of run-ins with people in Granger. Midwesterners have this idea that people in California are catty and uppity, but again, there are those same types in the good ole Midwest. The biggest difference I’ve seen with people here are cultural differences. There are so many nationalities represented in Irvine. At times that can be intimidating, because I don’t feel like I have anything in common with them. But I have decided that a simple smile speaks a thousand words, and can go a long way. I take it upon myself to make eye contact with as many people as I can each day and make sure that I give them the biggest smile. I hope that smile communicates I’m glad to see them, and that I am grateful that God has given us this world to share.

I could continue this list but I am sure most of you have stopped reading by now 🙂 Here is what I have come to believe:

People are scared of change and the things they know nothing about.

It is much easier for most of us to live in our comfortable little bubble and assume we know how the rest of the world lives. Yep, that used to be me too. But here is what I have come to understand – God created it all! He made us and different parts of the country different for a reason, and thank goodness he did (have you seen the majesty of the mountains or the vastness of the ocean?). So, I am choosing to open my mind and heart and not be scared of differences. Instead, I’m trying to embrace it and teach my children that change is not something to be feared, but to be embraced.

So there you have it inquiring minds…now you know! Feel free to resume life as normal, or come visit me and check out SoCal for yourself. Be careful though, you might just fall in love!

December 29, 2015 In Moving to Cali By Tammy McMullen

The Adventure Begins

THE NEWS

A few years ago, Tammy and I began talking about the future, and started asking questions like:

Where do we see ourselves in 5 years? 10 years?
Do we want to stay in this climate or find a warmer place to live?
Did we see ourselves doing the same thing for the next 10 years?

After talking, then going back to living life, then talking again several times, we finally determined that we were both on the same page.

We were both ready for a change.

So early this year we began the process of putting out feelers, asking around and keeping our ears to the ground. Applications were filled out and interviews had. But nothing seemed to be standing out as the summer set in.

Then an opportunity came up that seemed a little far fetched. A friend of a friend said there was a church in California looking for someone to lead the charge on their new digital strategy – including the impending launch of a brand new website.

So talks began. There were phone interviews, and then there was a trip to California to see what it was all about. Then more phone conversations. Then an official offer.

tammy-daryl-cali-summer Which we accepted.

Truth be told, California wasn’t even on our radar. We were looking to move somewhere warm, but assumed it would be the Southeast: Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, etc

But it’s strange how things work when you open yourself up to change and are willing to let God guide you through the process, and guide He did. We’ve been in constant prayer through it all – asking God to close doors if this wasn’t where He wanted us. But the closed door never came. In fact, around every corner there seemed to be a reassurance that we were headed in the right direction and that this was the plan He had for our family!

THE DETAILS

In October, we told the team at Granger Community Church that we had accepted the position at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA.

This fall Daryl made a few trips to Mariners to help them prepare for, and launch their new website. He’s been home for the holidays and will be moving to California the first week of January.

Tammy and the kids will stay here so the kids can finish out the school year and then the whole family will make the move to Cali in June. There will be some trips home between now and then. Tammy and the kids will be making a trip out in January so the kids can see California before actually moving there.

THE EMOTIONS

This has been the hardest part, hands down!

Tammy and I began attending GCC back in 1997 – when it was just a little box that saw 6 services come and go each weekend. Attending the church led to strengthened spiritual lives, friendships, volunteer teams and eventually a full time job for Daryl. We fell in love with GCC and will always have a place in our hearts for the ministry that exists here. We wish the church much success and know that many lives will be impacted because of its ongoing presence in Michiana.

Daryl would tell you he found his dream job when he was hired at the church. And for nearly 10 years he got up and looked forward to going to work. His team changed over the years, but the relationships formed were for a lifetime. We understand that the staff culture and level of excellence at GCC is nothing short of amazing.

We also knew when we made this decision that it would mean leaving behind family and friends. Both of our parents live close by and Tammy’s brother and his family are within a couple of hours. One of the great things about being so close to family is that you can spend holidays, birthdays and any other time in-between with them. They can come to the kids sporting events, plays, choir concerts, etc. Those are things we don’t take for granted! We know how important that stuff is to our kids.

Do you have friends in your life that are like family? You know, those people that if you could choose your family you would choose them? We do! These are people that we have raised our babies with. We have experienced mountain top highs and heart breaking lows together. We have spent holidays and vacations together. We have traditions. We came up with a group name that we can yell and the kids know we are calling all of them. We have done life with these people for 15+ years! These people aren’t just our friends, they are our family.

We also have many other friends in our lives that mean a great deal to us. People that you absolutely love hanging out with, people that you trust your kids with, people that you have spent countless hours with on the soccer field, baseball field or ice rink. People that you know will help you out when you’re in a bind. And you would do the same for them. We don’t take any of these friendships for granted, we know how special they each are and we feel very blessed to call them friends!

It’s for every reason listed above that made our decision to pick our family up and move to CA one the hardest, most emotional decisions we’ve had to make. Many tears have been shed, and we know there will be more to come! Is there joy and excitement? Absolutely! But there is also a deep sadness for us and our kids!

We are trusting God and leaning into His will now more than ever. We are allowing our faith to be bigger than our fear! This is a HUGE step for our whole family, and the one thing we would ask of you is to pray for us. Pray that we all survive our family being in 2 places for the next 6 months without too many scars. Pray for the kids, that there friendships here will remain and that there will be new friends in CA waiting just for them. Pray for all the logistics here and there as we prepare to sell our house, and find one there. Pray that we will finish strong and love well here.

We are excited for what God has in store for us. We are looking forward to the warm weather, sunny skies and the abundance of things to do in CA. We are on an adventure of a lifetime and as long as the 5 of us are together with God by our side we know it will all be good in the end.

Our prayer for each and every one of you as you enter 2016 is that you let your faith be bigger than your fear! Step out and take some risks. Do that one thing that you have always dreamed of. Now is the time, today is your day! Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Live without regrets and trust in God with all you have!

Love,

Tammy & Daryl