By Gabrielle. Image by Katharina.
Well, hello. Here I am waving to you from Oakland, California!!
We made it. We arrived Monday night. My siblings and nephews (Jordan and Jared and Liz and Sara and Henry and Moses) met us at the airport (SFO) with cheers and a welcome sign. So fun!! My kids could not have been happier.
The Aunts hung out with all the kids (and the luggage + bags — 32 pieces total!), while my brother Jared took me and Ben Blair to rent a van. It’s a huge extended cab van that fits all our luggage. It’s kind of hilarious and awesome at the same time. We have felt like our very own tour group driving it around this week.
We got to the house at about 9:00 PM on Monday night. The sun set as we drove from the airport and we listened to a California mix Ralph had burned to a CD. The lights of the city and the bridges were spectacular. We were feeling a particular mix of satisfaction and expectation, of relief and excitement, and of exhaustion but general awe at this move. Everyone was happy.
The best thing we did to make these first couple of days in California smooth? We hired a wonderful assistant here in Oakland, named Jessica, to prep the house for us. We asked her to set up utilities in our name, and make an internet installation appointment. And we knew we’d be exhausted after our 20 hour traveling day and want to collapse immediately, so we asked Jessica to prep the beds, and fill the fridge with food. (Note: the house is currently furnished, but not with our belongings from Colorado. More on that when I introduce the house in a later post.)
When we arrived, the house was ready and welcoming. We spent some time exploring our new digs, brought in the luggage, oohed and aahed over the contents of the refrigerator, climbed into pjs, and fell asleep within minutes.
Long satisfied sigh.
For the grocery list we sent to Jessica, we asked the kids to name the foods they were craving most from America, and added a few basic staples. Friends, it was mostly junk food! But man oh man it was fun to chow down on so many old familiar favorites when we woke up the next day. Which, by the way, happened at about 3:00 AM California time. (Hah! Hello, Jet lag.)
There’s something so powerful and beautiful about familiar food. It felt like a celebration. Want to see what made the list?
– Marshmellow Oaties (These are the fake Lucky Charms you can find at places like Whole Foods, but my kids like them more than the real thing.)
– Cheerios
– Izze sodas in grapefruit, peach, pear, and clementine — bottles, not cans.
– Carrot Juice
– Root beer
– Vanilla Ice Cream
– Chocolate Milk
– Graham Crackers
– Tings
– Smart Puffs
– Creamsicles
– Fudgesicles
– Ice Cream Sandwiches
– Tortilla Chips
– Salsa
– Frozen Corndogs
– Baby Carrots
– Tillamook Cheddar Cheese
– Flour Tortillas
– Hotdogs
– Hot Dog Buns
– Mustard
– Ketchup
– Eggs
– 2% Milk
– Butter
– Nectarines
– Green Seedless Grapes
What do you think? Would any of this make your list (or your child’s list) if you were homesick?
P.S. — The Marshmellow Oaties, corndogs, and creamsicles were gone first!
How fun! I am in the East Bay right now, too! *waves hi from a few miles away*
Ugh jet lag with kids is the worst. Our last big trip with the kids was to South Africa (with Shannon!) a few months ago and it was an interesting adjustment. We tried to power through it, which was horrible the first 24 hours, but after that they seemed adjusted.
Welcome back! It’s such a big deal to move back home from overseas. What a mix of emotions. I’m an American living in South Africa and when I go home for a visit it’s ALL about the food: Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese, donuts, ice cream, cottage cheese, and even though I never loved it while I was living in the US I find Starbucks to be the ultimate taste/experience of home!
Best of luck settling into your next adventure.
We’ve picked up donuts twice so far! I think it will be fun to discover our favorite donut spot.
what about june? she was too small to have favourite american foods when you moved. most of these must be completely new to her!
Right! She was a nursing baby when we moved to France. I’m sure her little palette is making some adjustments. No surprise, Marshmellow oaties took no getting used to. : )
Wonderful you made it safe and sound. Pretty much everything on your list would make ours….but the carrot juice and Tings…Not sure what tings are =)
Welcome to Cali…..I live just south of you in the Valley.
Hah! I didn’t mean to throw people for a loop with the Tings. They are like sisters to Smart Puffs. : )
Tillamook Cheddar Cheese…how wonderful! Welcome home.
Hey! I missed this! Welcome to the Bay Area – I’m on the Peninsula, waving!!!
Looking forward to hearing your stories about settling into your new community. One of my daughters lived in Berkeley (only 3 years though)… And one lives in Sunnyvale (across the bay from you – near San Jose). So many things to see & do… Love Golden Gate Park.
What great timing for your move… the kids will get to know the neighborhood before school starts.
I don’t recognize Tings but the junk food I’d want are Kettle Chips (crunchier than Lays potato chips) artichokes & tacos. We found Kettle Chips in London, so you may have been able to buy them in France?
Welcome to Oakland!! It’s not this foggy every day…. I promise!
So far, the for has been a novelty for us. We love it!
Welcome to USA and to California! We are SOOOO Excited to see you all.
When will that be? Eager to hear all about your new beginnings in California!
You’re masters of new beginnings and constant happiness. So proud of all of you.
love, Gr.Julia
Lookingforward to seeing the good old USA through your eyes. Maybe it will make us appreciate it more.
Macaroni and cheese is always on my list – the Kraft kind, haha. Love that list, and is it bad I don’t consider that “mostly” junk food. I’m impressed (as always) with the Blair kid choices!
Marshmallow OatIEEESSSS!!! :D Best. Cereal. Ever. Thought we were missing out on the healthy stuff and tried Lucky Charms at a continental breakfast – Marshmallow oaties beats it hands’ down! :D haha Too bad the only place we can find it here is Whole Foods…it’s quite a drive!
Izzie and Marshmallow Oaties…hmmmm let’s live togeather except for without the 3am part, okay? lol
So happy to hear you all are settling in well! What a shock, a wonderful adventure. I hope to hear more soon!