July 9, 2023, Sunday night, 8:24pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went and saw the Insidious movie this evening with my daughter and her friend. It was frightening, lots of jump scares. We originally planned to see an early afternoon show but the girls slept in and had homework so we pushed the time out until 5pm. That meant I spent the day lazying around the Aliso Viejo apartment all afternoon while they did school assignments. The movie ended at 7pm. Afterwards, I dropped them off and had a couple slices of pizza before heading to Dana Point for laundry. I am going to stay up past my usual bedtime waiting for stuff to dry but it was worth it. I am not looking forward to going to Bakersfield tomorrow. I don’t really want to stay here I am just tired of the same routine I have been doing for the past year.

July 8, 2023, Saturday night, 7:47pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. The girls went to a gem show most of the day so I hung out with the dog in Aliso Viejo. When they got back I took my daughter to get dinner and drive around. Now I am in Dana Point, watching shows and having a beer.

July 7, 2023, Friday morning, 5:58am, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. My dream job was recently posted. I came across it on indeed.com this morning. I am not actively looking for work yet I like to browse Spiritual care positions, more for relaxation than anything else. This job so exactly matches what I envisioned it is scary. It matches my training as a chaplain, my desire to travel and it provides for my family. I wish I had found it a year ago. Even if I don’t pursue it I feel relieved. The type of job I want exists.

July 6, 2023, Thursday night, 7:30pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Today went quick. Which is good because it wasn’t particularly fun. The state came to the office at noon, following up on an anonymous complaint. That created unease. I spent an hour answering questions and pulling data. I won’t know the outcome or plan of correction until the report is done and I don’t know the specifics of the complaint though I asked for details. We will see how it goes.The office also had a biweekly group meeting this afternoon. It didn’t go smooth since the clinical leader quit last week. But we managed with the help of a regional nurse. Finally, I called mom tonight, told her the itinerary for our visit next month. She is excited.

July 5, 2023, Wednesday evening, 7:38pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. I got the same room I checked out of yesterday morning. I wonder if someone stayed here last night? Probably not. It is a good room, so I am not complaining. Been thinking about this day last year. It was my final interview for a job in Rancho Cucamonga, California. A job I accepted on July 8. I ended up rescinding my acceptance to take this job. I am much happier with the choice. I would be burned out already and no closer to stability if I had taken that job. I am thankful things turned out the way they did.

July 4, 2023, Independence Day, 7:16pm, pacific standard time, carnival in San Juan Capistrano, California, USA. Drove back to Orange County from Bakersfield this morning, came to the carnival this afternoon so the girls could ride rides. After dinner we came back. Now it is packed. Fireworks start in two hours, after that we will go home.

July 3, 2023, Monday night, 11:02pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Spent the day trying to get up to speed on the pressing needs in Bakersfield. The last two months have been frustrating. If I am responsible for the details I need to focus on the details. Instead, I have been going back and forth between Palm Desert and Bakersfield. Split between two places means I am producing half-baked results for both branches, even working as hard as I can. The new director in Palm Desert is coming along. I have to give him more tasks and responsibilities for his development and for my sanity. The next month or two needs to be solely about Bakersfield and getting them back on track. On a personal note, I booked the airline tickets this afternoon for our Wyoming/Utah vacation next month. The girls are excited and so am I. It will be fun to spend time with my mom and show my daughter and her friend things they have never seen.

July 2, 2023, Sunday evening, 6:11pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Bakersfield, California, USA. Drove to Bakersfield this afternoon. Stopped in Valencia to get groceries and made it to the hotel in three hours. Traffic was light, probably because of the holiday. It was a nice drive. No work emails, texts or phone calls distracting me. Tomorrow, I will open the office and work a full day then come back to the hotel for one more night. Looking forward to the evening tomorrow and the holiday Tuesday. Rare to say I am in a good place emotionally. It feels great to be present in a moment.

July 1, 2023, Saturday night, 8:17pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA. Went out this afternoon to lunch and a movie with students and parents from my daughter’s school. We saw the latest Indiana Jones movie. Afterwards, I went to dinner with my daughter and her mom. We ate at the Olive Garden in Laguna Woods. Now I am going to get some rest. Tomorrow I drive to Bakersfield so I can open the office Monday morning. I booked a two bedroom suite for the next two nights, trying to convince my daughter to go with me. She would have her own room with internet and television. I think she would enjoy the experience. And I would appreciate the company.