S is for Sacramento

I still think of Sacramento every once in a while.  Sacramento, California was an awesome place to live.  About 10 years ago my family and I up and moved from Louisiana with our 2 small children.  My husband had a job opportunity come open in that area and after doing some serious thinking the next thing I know we were selling the house, quitting our jobs, the U-Haul was loaded down, and we were headed West.

When we first moved to Sacramento we lived in a hotel for a week while we looked for a house.  We fell in love with the city of Folsom located about 20 miles outside of Sacramento and found a house to rent.  Chris began his new job right away and Nick was enrolled in his new school.  I then spent the next three months preparing for the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test), a California teaching credential, and the CLAD, an English Language Learner certificate.  I am still amazed at how there were as many as 70 different languages spoken in the Sacramento area.  Every teacher was required to be certified to teach ELL.   Once I had these credentials, I found a special education teaching job at a middle school and enrolled Caleb into daycare.

The four years we lived in Sacramento we experienced it all.  The beaches, windsurfing in San Francisco, skiing in Tahoe, wine tasting in Napa, and vacationing in Yosemite and the Redwood forests were an experience we will never forget.  I can't forget to mention the fabulous friends we met while living there too.  After a few years we returned home to Louisiana to help take care of my father-in-law.  Although this wasn't an easy decision, I'm thankful we were able to spend the little time we had left with his dad before he passed away.

My home is still in Louisiana with my family and friends, but I will always treasure the memories of my California life.