In love with a 44 year old . . .

This beautiful lady is my new wheels. Darcey and I have yet to name her but she's already a member of the family. 1965 was a great year for the Volkswagen Beetle. It was the first year the defroster was added in the dash and the front axle was improved. The innovative designs and features on the car were both classic and timeless. It's arguably the best selling car of all time after the Carolla. But the Toyota has gone through way more changes and upgrades. The VW has been almost the exact same over the more than 40 years it was produced. I hope this car will be with us for a long time. We'll slowly restore it back to it's original condition with some modern upgrades like better brakes and a bigger engine.

We are going to be moving within the next two months and that means the start of paying a monthly rent bill again. In order to continue saving for a house we've decided to sell our 2006 Honda Element. After the payment, insurance and everything else it was costing us up to $400 a month which is a lot of money for us right now. Darcey can drive the Jetta when we have the baby. It's a very safe car and reliable too. But first things first for the new . . . old bug. I have to install seat belts. Maybe I'll get a fire extinguisher too.

At the Crossroads . . .

The days are rolling by pretty calmly right now. As the time comes closer and closer for our baby to be born, a pretty large decision looms over our heads. "Where are we going to live?"

When Darcey and I first married, we lived in a nice little apartment in Riverside. It was an awesome place to live since it was smack in the middle of a mall, a theme park, a hospital, Target (Darcey's favorite), and work. Plus it was cheap so we were able to pay rent and buy food. Imagine that. In January of 2005, a storm rolled into Ojai that kept the rain pouring for almost three weeks straight. In the time this was happening, a large landslide got a lot of media attention in nearby La Conchita where several homes were destroyed and one man lost his entire family. Back in Ojai, my in-laws were putting sand bags around the property trying to keep the water out. They ended up losing almost everything. It's a long story but you can read it on my brother in-law's blog here. Darcey and I bought a trailer and moved up to help get the house rebuilt and back in shape. Sean and Randi have been in their beautiful home for around two years now and Darcey and I are still in the trailer.

With all the struggles and frustrations that go with living in a camper, there's also many benefits. We've been able to go on a few sweet vacations, buy a new car, and save a bunch of money. The trailer life is not going to work any more since the family is growing so we're on the look out for the right opportunity to move up in the world. Option #1 is move to Ventura. It would be the most expensive choice and it's hard to spend a lot of money with the way the economy is right now but it's a nice safe town to be in and everything we need is near by. Option #2 is to buy in Ojai. It would be great to stay close to Darcey's parents while the baby is small but there is nothing in this freakin' place! If you want to do anything entertaining or need to buy a specialty item, chances are you're making a 30 minute drive. Option #3 is to move back to Riverside or Corona. My family is mostly within 10 minutes and there's the most amount of stuff to do. It's also the cheapest but there is a massive work shortage. If I'm able to find a well-paying, steady job I think this is the best choice, but only if I find that job does the plan work. Pray for us. It's a huge decision to make while our family is going through so many changes.