365 days later

365 days ago we started our new journey here in Fillmore. In those 365 days we've met a few really nice people, Leroy has a Hot Wheels group thingy in nearby town where he's met a lot of Hot Wheel collectors like himself and Derrick has started school.

What I expected to be a fun new adventure in a new and exciting place hasn't turned into that. Southern California is filled with utterly rude and obnoxiously snobby, hurried people. I won't say everyone is horrible but the majority are. The few times we have ventured out of our "area" it's a traffic nightmare. We spent one night sitting in traffic for 4 hours and went less than 100 miles. This past weekend we went to Goleta, a small town near Santa Barbara and were flipped off so many times we lost count! Leroy was going over the speed limit and still people were zooming by weaving in and out of traffic like mad men. I now know why there are so many accidents down here.

Today I was waiting for Derrick to get out of school and watched parents basically let their little ones run around like banchees. These kids aren't held accountable for anything. Parents here are, are, I can't think of a word other than stupid that describes them. They want everything handed to them and don't even try to help their kids better themselves. While volunteering in Derrick's class, the amount of kids that don't understand the teacher because of a language barrier is unimaginable, it's scary is what it is. It's disheartening to know we are doing everything to help our kids excel and some parents are using their kids as a welfare check.

I just wanted to be happy with a relocation. This relocation has been nothing but stress. I'm constantly worried about hours, about my job, about money. The truth is I didn't realize how good we had it 365 days ago. Now we live in the middle of this crazy place with people who don't realize how horrible this way of living is. My hope is that in the next 365 days we can find a way to either make this living hell tolerable or get back to home, and by home I mean Fresno.....

Oh how I miss 115 degree weather in the summer and the tule fog in the winter! All Hail the Central Valley!!!!!