And I have lame excuses-- the endless hamster wheel of school, activities, sport teams, and laundry... and did I mention the laundry? But at the end of the day, we did Cali wrong, like really, really wrong, and that's the unfortunate truth.
We put serious efforts into doing whatever we could during our 4.5 years in Sydney, because we knew our time there was finite. And this move to San Francisco was supposed to permanent, and we were supposed to have plenty of time to "do it all"… but now-- it's done. San Francisco is done. We are gone, and it is over.
And we never made it to Lake Tahoe, or Sonoma, or Napa (or anywhere else we could have drank ourself silly on a day tour). We ignored opportunities to see Monterey, Carmel, Sacramento, Big Sur, Yosemite National Park, and The Pez Museum.
And now we are here, back in Sydney, land of kangaroos and didgeridoos. The kids, now nine and ten years old, are back at their old school, wearing those cute Aussie school uniforms and "giving it a go", reverse-adjusting back to an all-boys school, and the kids who swear like sailors.
And here I am getting back up on that writing horse after a very long hiatus, because Sydney was not supposed to happen again. It's all very strange, but I'm sure, that I must be back in Australia because I didn't fully get, what I was supposed to get, the first time around.
And this is what we've left behind...
Upon moving to America my boys were introduced to baseball-- and became completed obsessed. This is my nine year old making the first pitch of the season.
And my ten year old: Mr. All Baseball All the Time.
We tried to tour the It's It ice cream sandwich factory, but ended up with no tour, and just a bunch of ginormous ice cream sandwiches; you can see the disappointment on their faces. Not.
Our dogs are in America with my mom until October due to changes in the Aussie quarantine laws; my nine year old refuses to look at photos of them, because it makes him cry.
My sister and the found autograph book she had signed when we were little.
Basketball clinic with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Luckily, a month before our move back to Sydney, the Florida grandparents came to San Fran and we took an all-day tour to celebrate my mom's birthday and see a few Bay Area highlights.
Makes me sad we didn't do more. Broken record much?
Pier 39.
Very big trees in Muir Woods with grandparents
My husband got quality time with his dad during our time in America; it brings me tears. Literally.
At least we made it to Ghiradelli Square with a visiting Grandma.
And we ended our big San Fran tour at Scoma's Restaurant for my mom's birthday dinner; this is my mom and sister selfie-taking. These are the times, and people, I will miss the most.
Goodbye San Fran; hello Sydney. We are back-- older, possibly wiser, and full of sourdough bread.