Lompoc, CA - a quiet town in the Santa Ynez Mountains

Each Friday my posts have been taking you on our adventure across the country from Wisconsin to California. If you have missed the last couple of weeks, you can find the start of our journey here and last weeks post telling the story of landing in sunny CA.

After spending a few weeks in Oxnard, CA. We decided to go north. With no employment prospects in the picture, we knew that it would be more affordable in smaller cities located inland and off the coast a bit. We set our sites on Lompoc, CA.

Field of flowers, Lompoc, CA

Lompoc was much more my style. With just over 42,000 people, Lompoc is quiet; almost reminding me of home. It is best known for being the seed and flower capital of the world. Because of its cool Mediterranean type climate, Lompoc was the perfect place to grow flowers and extract their seeds. Almost any type of exotic flower could be grown in its hilly countryside. Pictures of that time show a very beautiful city nestled into the valley between the surrounding mountains. Today, with the drought that started about four years ago, flower fields have been replaced by crops of cabbage, strawberries, broccoli, and other vegetables.

Vandenberg Air Force Base

In addition to the flowers, Lompoc also sits on the outskirts of Vandenburg Air Force Base. The base has a large space launch complex and is the main site of rocket launches for satellites on the California coast.

White Oaks Inn, Lompoc, CA

We found ourselves at an extended stay hotel in Vandenburg Village, a part of Lompoc named for its proximity to the base. When I say that this hotel was affordable, that is exactly what I mean. In its heyday, it may have been a beautiful location. Today, it leaves a bit to be desired. It was clean, so that's all that really matters, right?

Ocean mist coming into Lompoc

The first thing we noticed about the hotel is that there is no air conditioning. In fact, that could be said of almost any hotel in Lompoc and most of the houses. Having the evening mist come up over the mountains and settle on the Lompoc Valley cooled off the temperatures enough that just a fan was needed. At first I had my doubts, but after a short time I grew accustomed to opening the doors at night to bring in the cool air and then closing the curtains early afternoon so the hot air stayed outside.

Looking down over Lompoc Valley

Hiking in the Lompoc Valley was beautiful! La Purisma State Park has some awesome trails. Many of them go up into the hillside so that one can see the Lompoc Valley below. Hiking became a great stress reliever which I definitely needed mainly because I still didn't have a job.

Bridge on the San Marcos Pass

It was at this hotel that I finally got my first job - working for a temporary placement agency at a realty office in Santa Barbara. The pay was less than desired and it included an hour commute, but it would at least bring in some money. I learned very quickly, commutes on California's Central Coast can add up quickly! There is usually no road that goes straight from point A to point B; rather, the road goes up into the Santa Ynez mountain ranges and through the San Marcos Pass. Trips that should only take 30-40 minutes end up taking 65. But, again, I was blessed with a job after eight weeks of praying, worrying, and wondering if we had made the right decision about coming to California. Don't get me wrong, the drive was beautiful. It was also very time consuming and not a road I wanted to drive on when tired.

Tunnel on San Marcos Pass Road

 We had a roof over our heads, we had food, I now had a job, and things started to feel a little less strained. We both knew that in order to actually rent a house, I would need a permanent job; one with a temporary placement agency would not work. We had resigned ourselves to be living in the hotel for at least six months or until the company I was working for would hire me on permanently. All the while continuing to pray that a permanent position would come along.

Thankfully, God showed that blessings happen in his own timing. While out hiking, I received a phone call from another temporary agency.  They had a position in my field and the company wanted to interview me. Although this position paid more, it was still as a contract only position. I agreed to the terms. Then at the very last moment, the agency called  back and said the company had changed their mind -- they wanted to hire me directly! This was the opportunity we needed!

Within a week, I was working for my present employer and we were looking for a house to rent in Santa Maria, CA - 10 minutes from my new place of employment.

It had been a very frustrating time, but maybe this brave adventure was finally turning the corner.

Oxnard, CA - So much fun and so much frustration!

We found ourselves at an extended stay hotel in Oxnard, CA in the county of Ventura. I knew very little about California, but I was enjoying the sun, the beauty, and the excitement of a new place.

We arrived on a Friday and that Monday, I made a call to my future employer. Conversations with the employer had started in Wisconsin and we agreed that once I got to California, around the 1st of the month, I should give them a call to do all the formal paperwork. My first call was not returned. Giving the employer the benefit of the doubt, I waited until Wednesday to call again. I left a message with no return phone call. Now, I was beginning to worry. The next three phone calls had the same result - voice mail from my end and silence from theirs. Finally, I gave up calling. Eventually, the employer called me back saying they had decided to go another direction with the position. I kind of figured that out on my own.

I was bound and determined to not let this set-back get me down. I did learn through this first leg of our journey that you must have someone along that is willing to go the distance. My husband was a real trouper - he didn't get upset about not having money come in. He didn't remind me that no employers were knocking down my door to gain my talent. Instead, he reminded me that we had saved up a few months of salary and four months worth of hotel costs just for this reason. When you decide to go across country you never know what awaits you.

Making the best out of a very frustrating situation, my husband and I explored.  After all, there wasn't much else we could do.  We visited friends in Santa Barbara. Decided to go the Navy base and see if it was what my Marine (once a Marine always a Marine) husband had remembered. We went to the beach a few times. We even made the long long trek up the coast to Santa Maria a couple of times to visit his daughter and her family.

 


I will have to admit that the food in Oxnard was superb! There wasn't a whole lot Midwestern food - unfortunately, no cheese curds and Friday night fish fries were unheard of. We had choices of Thai, Mexican, American, and everything in between - very different from what I was used to in Oshkosh.

During this time I continued to job search - sending out resumes, making phone calls, and continually hearing nothing in response. Not working was becoming a frustrating issue in my life quite quickly.

Adding to the frustration was the shear number of people. Coming from a city of just over 50,000, Oxnard's population of 203,000 people was overwhelming. Walking at night, which I had become accustomed to doing, was now out of the picture. This quickly added to the frustration I was feeling.

Oxnard lasted a whole six weeks.

We had no idea how long this was going to last, but we did know we needed to go someplace a bit more affordable. So, North we went.

Come back next Friday to hear about the next phase in our journey.

The ride we will never forget

The drive from Wisconsin to California took a total of 36 hours. It was exhausting. It was also a beautiful trek.

One of the things I so admire every time I make the drive between California and Wisconsin (yes, I've done it a few times) is the diversity of the landscape. The beauty of the cliffs and valleys of Wisconsin followed by the level land that stretches for miles upon miles in Nebraska, and the mountains of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Each of the areas is different. Even the mountains from one state to the next do not look the same. Yet, we are one country. It is an amazing concept if you think about it.

But, on this drive, there was something even more awe inspiring - the weather. The drive from Wisconsin through Nebraska was pretty much uneventful. Then we hit the Denver area. I've learned now that Denver and Colorado as a whole can make travel very exciting. The snow, rain, sleet - even in late-May - was a definite change from the Midwest.

 Yet, Mother Nature had more in mind for us. As we traveled into the area of Colorado, Arizona, and Utah we were met with dark clouds, tornado warnings, and water. More water than there should have been, more water than they could contain.  At one point, we got off the road to do a little shopping and take a break. Getting back to the highway was a little sketchy, towing a car didn't make it any easier.

We got through with stories to tell.

Eventually, we made our way to Ventura, CA one day before I was scheduled to meet with my new employer.

Little did we know that this would be the start of a few very frustrating weeks and uncertainty.

Would it be a brave change if we didn't experience some hurdles and obstacles. Probably not.

Introduction to Friday Fun Day

I like to post on a regular basis and with regular themes. I have Motivational Monday, Small Business Wednesday, and I've struggled with Friday. I'd love to have a Friday Fun day, but really what does that mean when trying to discuss personal growth, goal setting, and small business? I'm sure I could fill it with something meaningful, I just haven't found anything as of yet.

Talking to one of my sons this last week, he pointed out that my life these last eight months have been brave in and of itself. I hadn't really thought about it like that. Sometimes, eyes from outside the process are needed for clarity. He definitely gave me clarity.

So, today is the introduction. Each Friday, you'll get to see a little bit of our journey so far. Hopefully, it will fill the bill of Friday Fun day. I hope that you will be able to see the beautiful sites we've seen, but also experience the highs and lows of a person born and raised in Wisconsin moving to a very different world - California.

Here's the story.

Having lived my entire life in Wisconsin, I was about to embark on a journey. It was, and sometimes still is, a little scary. This journey would take me from beautiful, but often cold, Wisconsin to warm and sunny California.

At the end of May, my husband and I packed up his Jeep and my Toyota with as much stuff as we could fit in them. Luckily three of our children were going to continue living in our home, so we had someplace to store whatever didn't fit into the vehicles. We loaded the Toyota on a car trailer and hitched it to the Jeep and we were off. After 36 grueling hours, we made it to Ventura, California.

Eventually, we made our way up from Ventura to Santa Maria, California. The Central Coast has been our home away from home for a bit now. I make it sound easy, but it wasn't. There were bumps - some small and many big - along the way as well as some beautiful sites. But, that is another story for another day.

As Paul Harvey would say, you'll have to return on Friday for the Rest of the Story.