Start.
Tuesday, July 30, 9:26pm. My parents are with the dogs, heading down the PCH towards LAX. Dad sends my brother and I a text. It’s a video of our house, completely empty.
Rewind.
Wednesday, June 12, 8:52pm. My mom calls me. “Jaclyn, we have news for you. We sold the house!”
Rewind.
My family moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles in December 2000. I had recently turned 8. For the next 16 years and 7 months, sunny California was my home (though I did spent 4 of those years in Indiana for college).
In August 2017, at age 24, I was the first one in my family to move back east, heading to New York to begin a new career. My brother moved to Pennsylvania last autumn. Now, almost exactly two years after I moved, my parents are following us. Our family, both immediate and extended, will now be on the same coast!!!
They had been planning this move for a while, so I knew it was coming. When I visited in late May, I knew it was likely the last time I would ever set foot in my childhood home. I helped clean out my room, which was an adventure. I played with organized my American Girl dolls, I found some old mementos, and I was horrified by some of my high school and college fashion choices. Like, seriously, what was I thinking?!
Even though I was anticipating the move, I teared up when I got that phone call on June 12, and again when I got that text. It’s a strange, bittersweet feeling. Somehow, it feels like my parents are simultaneously coming home and leaving home. It’s a bit difficult to put into words, so I’ll just let Ron Burgundy do the talking for me:
People always ask me, “which do you like better, New York or LA?” Many people have a strong preference, but I never know how to answer that question. I love both cities equally, but for different reasons. They have such unique cultures and such different things to offer that it’s unfair to compare them. But to me, what is most important is that New York is where my family is from, and LA is where I grew up. Both are, and always will be, home to me.
Fast Forward.
Wednesday, July 31, 5:50am. Their flight will land and a new chapter of our family story will begin. My childhood home will belong to a working couple with two small children. I hope they make as many wonderful memories as I did.
And hey, it’s not like I’ll never go out west for a visit. After all, my best friends still live there… and who knows where life will take me next.
Play.