I’m currently learning the meaning of the phrase, “time flies!”

I spoke of the New Year in an earlier post as a time of new beginnings, new goals, new outlooks for the future…all of those things that add up to make New Year’s resolutions such a universal term.

For me and my family, 2010 really is about new beginnings. After 12 years in southern California (and after four children!), my husband and I have decided to move back north. “Wow!” That’s what we hear from our friends. Others ask, “How do you have the guts to uproot your whole family?”

How do I respond to this? (Perhaps this is why I’ve had writer’s block the past few weeks—I have been trying to wrap my brain around it all to process an appropriate response.)

Let me begin with an answer to “why now?” The simple answer is that three of our four kids will begin attending new schools in the fall—of course, that will happen whether we move or stay here in Newport Beach. But in moving, we’re also seeking more affordable living; as we plan our long-term financial goals for our future with four children, we want more affordable living that will enable us to put more money into savings. And in the process, we’re also trying to achieve a more wholesome lifestyle with an environment that further accentuates our personal values and beliefs.

I know that the unknown lies ahead and that we are taking a huge leap of faith, but something about this is so exciting! My five year old daughter sets the tone beautifully when she said (as we’re looking at possible new homes in El Dorado Hills), “I’m not so sad about moving out of our house.” Her voice sounded so small from the back seat of the car, but she continued, “because we are all going to be together and it’s us that makes a house a home.”

I return to those words often as I imagine what life will be like in our new location, and what impact it will have on our children; change is good, but change is still change and it can create anxiety.

I’m trying to remain sensitive to this as our last months in Newport Beach unfold, and I welcome any advice!