10:00am, pacific standard time, apartment in Dana Point, California, USA, Monday morning, March 6, 2023. Yesterday, I went for a walk along the spillway/lagoon that runs by the Dana Point apartment. I also met my neighbor and his dog. The walk is an easy, flat stroll and the neighbor seems nice. I am sure all will go well with the move next week. Now, it is a matter of getting settled into my new life. Funny, the whole time I was in Arizona I obsessed about returning to Orange County. Now that I have achieved my goal I wonder what I will look forward to next?

7:22pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California,USA, Saturday night, March 4, 2023. Went for a walk with the dog at 5am this morning. Apparently, she didn’t want to sleep in as much as I did. Getting up early isn’t a problem for me because I usually go to bed early. But, because of the movie starting late last night, we didn’t get home until almost 11pm. As a result, I have been dragging all day. I did run a couple errands, worked out and took my daughter to baseball. But, since we got back at 1pm, I have mostly lounged and watched movies. I am not complaining, the rest is welcome. With the weather being overcast and cold it was a good day to do nothing.

10:34pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Aliso Viejo, California, USA, Friday night, March 3, 2023. Went to work for a couple of hours this morning, drove to Orange County, unpacked the car in Dana Point, came to Aliso Viejo to pick up my daughter, drove to Irvine to watch a movie and do some shopping. Now we are back in Aliso Viejo and getting ready for bed. All in all, a pretty good day.

6:56, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. The director candidate interviewed well this morning. It wasn’t a slam dunk but, she was engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about the industry. However, she lives far away and talked about commuting for a while, which isn’t feasible. That might be a deal breaker. She has one more interview before a decision is made. My feelings are torn. On one hand, I want her to be hired so I can move on to another assignment. Four months in one place is long enough. On the other hand, the branch is doing really well right now. I worry the wrong hire would set back all the progress made. Either way, there will be something gained and something lost. Isn’t that always the case when a choice is finally made?

6:22pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Wednesday night, March 1, 2023. Today was a rare “slow” day. Lots of pointless tasks and paper shuffling. Which is odd. Usually work is filled with endless meetings and crisis. Which, while stressful, at least makes time pass quickly. With it being slow, hours dragged on interminably. That, coupled with cold rain and overcast skies, made Wednesday a slog. I did finalize the movers for March 11. That will be my last day in Arizona. Now, my energy is shifting toward the future and building my home in Dana Point.

7:09pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Tuesday evening, February 28, 2023. Took care of closing out utilities for the Arizona apartment this morning. Luckily, it was easier than I anticipated so, my stress was reduced a little. I also priced out transportation companies today. Unfortunately, the move is going to cost more than I expected, which strains finances in a number of ways. Lastly, I compiled tax documents this afternoon in preparation for filing next month. If all goes well I won’t owe very much. It has been an interesting year financially. I spent a lot of money on things I didn’t foresee. Hopefully, once all is settled in Orange County the major expenses will be taken care of and I can rebuild my savings.

6:39pm, pacific standard time, hotel in Palm Desert, California, USA, Monday night, February 27, 2023. I am interviewing a candidate for the director position Thursday. All signs indicate go. In that case, she would most likely would be in place the beginning of April. I then would move on to my next assignment. Change would be good. I have been in Palm Desert four months now. They need someone permanent. And, truth be told, I need something more temporary. No complaints though, it has been a good experience. Whatever the future brings I accept the outcome and will work my hardest to be successful.

9:18pm, mountain standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Sunday night, February 26, 2023. The apartment is packed up and I sent information to the movers for an official quote. In two weeks I will move out, give up the keys and say goodbye. At this point, I am ready. I feel like I have said goodbye a thousand times. There is only so much nostalgia one can feel before it becomes redundant. Maybe I will come back to visit. Perhaps I will one day return. Or who knows, I might never be back. Regardless of my fate, I go forward with the lessons I learned these past two years. And for that I am thankful.

6:33pm, mountain standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Saturday evening, February 25, 2023. Finally have a grip on the move. The last week was stressful, worrying about getting my stuff out of the apartment in Chandler and back to Orange County. Now, I am done organizing. At this point, I am throwing everything in a box that fits in a box. I can sort it out when I get to Dana Point. I also reached out to a moving company this afternoon. My daughter’s mom used them back in November. They are based out of Orange County but move nationally as well. She said they are good and reasonably priced; which are two important factors in my decision. The plan is to book an appointment for Saturday, March 11 and get everything out that weekend. After that, I will turn in my keys and complete the final inspection. Time for this move to be over.

6:52pm, mountain standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Friday night, February 24, 2023. I am in Arizona, sitting amongst boxes and bins, watching hockey and drinking beer. By the end of the weekend movers will be booked and a pack out date will be set. It is sad to leave Arizona but, I won’t miss the process of moving. Side note: I got back to the hotel at 10:45pm last night. The roads in the hi-desert were icy but, the snow wasn’t too deep. Not fun to drive on but we made it safely and the patient is doing well on service.