Return to California livin'

Returning to our former home from the peaceful Mediterranean wasn't a simple choice, but we wanted to find a way to build a home for our growing little family. While Astrid turning into a big kid before our eyes, we are growing in other ways too. Our little family plans to add one more in September 2017! Astrid will be entrusted with watching over her soon to arrive little sister!

Jen's pregnancy drove home the need to perhaps set up shop a little closer to home and prepare for a bit of nesting. While San Francisco was the home we left behind, there goes a saying that "once you leave, you can't go back" due to the golden handcuff of rent controlled livings and the outrageous sky high home prices in the Bay Area. We wanted to call a home our own, be close to family and still take advantage of the working arrangements we currently share.

With that in mind, we found a beautiful home next to so many wonderful people in Sacramento, CA, just a few hours drive East of San Francisco. Our newest neighbors are old friends from our Brooklyn, NY days and my sisters are just a short drive away. We see them all regularly for family gatherings and regular weeknight get-togethers. Astrid adores her aunties Mimi and Julie, who seem to treasure her in return.

Our new home is a cozy two bedroom in the heart of Sacramento's Midtown neighborhood, in close proximity to plenty to do and great schools all around. The neighborhood is rising quickly and Sacramento seems to be surging from a recent influx of Bay Area residents and new businesses propping up left and right. Best of all, our friends Nils & Caitlin literally live next door. We tend to bug them with dinners and drinks far too often, but it's always a friendly face to start the day. It's icing on the cake with a little bundle of joy on the way next door, so infant playdates will surely be a lot more fun than befriending strangers at the daycare.

Astrid graduated from her crib in the corner of our room to her very own room and a toddler bed! She's got big, open rooms to explore, plenty of books and a backyard to roll around with Louloudi in. She seems to be taking to the new location quite well, but surely she must miss the water and sand of Paros. Surely, Jen and I do, but it won't be long before we head back that way for some extended time. But for now, we're soaking up our Sacramento life and loving every bit!