I admit it....
 

I am feeling a little "homesick" for LA.....can u believe it!?! It doesn't help that my best friend lives there and we're living in a rental surrounded by boxes and stuff in black bags with hardly any furniture and husband doesn't have a job and the weather is cold and about to get REALLy cold and.........*breath*

I'll be fine!!!!! :(

There's plenty of cake and I've decided to buy myself another MINI even though I still haven't passed my test over here - sometimes you just have to spoil yourself and I really need to build my credit so hopefully I can get a used one with financing :fingerscrossed:

Hope everyone else who has moved back this year are doing OK :o

Re: I admit it....
 

awwww. Don't beat yourself up about feeling homesick. It happens to the best of us. I'm sure after living in LA the weather adjustment is something that will take some getting used to.

Just know I'm rooting for you :fingerscrossed: and please give yourself time to adjust the many differences you will encounter.

Re: I admit it....
 

thanks so much :)

Re: I admit it....
 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!:lol:

I hope you settle soon Britwhore. I know it is hard living in a rental especially if you haven't got your own furniture and belongings around you yet.
Also I am sure you will both settle more once hubby is in a job.
I can't say anything about the weather I'm afraid, you will just have to dress warmer and get out there in the 'fresh' air.;)

I have about 8 months and I am getting on that QM2, going home and bloody staying there! :lol:

Re: I admit it....
 

Complete with your shiny new Canadian Passport ! :)

Re: I admit it....
 

Oh I can understand totally how you feel. We moved back in Sept 2011 and moved into a rental (it was damp and nasty), 12 months on, we've bought our own place and looking forward to Xmas. I found a job quite quickly and felt very settled but there was times I felt we'd made a mistake. I think you're feelings are totally normal.

I think the LA weather is something I will always miss though :)

Good luck and I hope you start to feel more settled soon.

Re: I admit it....
 

Thanks so much! Hopefully my husband finds a job soon - it's been 4 months :( not good. Glad to hear everything is going well for u :) have a great Christmas!

Re: I admit it....
 

Yep :)
Are you stalking me again? :sneaky:

Actually, I didn't get the passport.

Re: I admit it....
 

Awww its only natural to feel like that. I've just moved out of my nightmare rental and into work accommodation, I move back to the UK in June and all my stuff is on its way to the UK now but I had a 'wobble' the other day.

Since I have moved I don't have to put up with my horrible drunk noisy neighbours and their hideous yappy dog, not to mention the screaming, swearing child and her awful mother on the other side! For the first time in 18 months I have peace, privacy, quiet and aircon (bliss!), finally now I get a good night's sleep!!!

I realised that I won't have this work package in the UK - excellent pay, free gym, free accommodation, no bills, great boss - and I had a 'am I doing the right thing' moment, I didn't expect to feel like that AT ALL!!! Still now I am back on shift, bored all day, dragged out of bed right around the clock on call to deal with drunks, no one to talk to, its far too hot (35!) and the humidity is SO awful so therefore today I am ok with my decision to go home after all! ;)

Your circumstances are not ideal atm. When my parents returned with my sister and I from Oz in 1980 we left a lovely house with a pool and moved into a grotty two bed rented flat, my Mum cried every day and my Dad spent ages looking for work. Fast forward a few months, they both had jobs and they bought a nice little cottage where they still live now. They have no regrets and say moving back was the best thing they ever did!

I think you are down my way (SE) so have a look online at Coopers Tunbridge Wells. They have branches all over the SE and they do finance deals, there are some lovely Mini's on there, hope you feel a bit more upbeat soon and your hubby gets a job. Hang on in there!!!! :starsmile:

Re: I admit it....
 

Britwhore, Best wishes for 2013 and hopefully things will fall into place for you and OH. Our things arrived a few weeks ago and we still have boxes in spots where they don't belong, so I have a little sense of what you are feeling. Are you still thinking about moving to London? How are the dogs doing?:)

Re: I admit it....
 

Thanks MissBetty! I remember having those "am I doing the right thing?" moments....so difficult. The thing is you don't know you made the right decision until you're actually here which makes life pretty bloody difficult! I will check out Coopers Tunbridge Wells - thanks :) And thanks for taking the time to reply.

lf1 - how are you? Yeah our boxes arrived a while ago but have been sitting in storage. Been picking up a few at a time but I'm surrounded by boxes - not the best feeling!!!! We moved up to Westerham which is near London. We tried and tried to find something closer to the city but with 4 dogs it was a nightmare. But the place we live in now doesn't care how many dogs we have. It's a country estate that Henry III built ( i believe) We're living in a 400 year old stone cottage!!!! The dogs and my OH LOVE it. I'm definitely a city girl. but it's a nice change of pace and getting into the city for auditions isn't horrendous :) How's life in Scotland? This week is going to be SOOOOOOOO cold especially up there!!! Hope you and the OH are keeping warm :)

Re: I admit it....
 

I also can relate to how you feel. We have made the big move back from Oz (to Germany) nearly six months ago and we feel still not "at home" , despite having our families (parents , siblings) closer again. Also surrounded still by some boxes, as we've moved from a house double the size of the rental flat we are in now. Everything is very expensive, starting with rentals, insurances, food etc. for us compared to Australia.

I guess a lot changed in the six years we've been away, including ourselves, we are more Aussie than we thought we'd be. Also we miss our best friends as well, and the winter is so bloody cold and snowy here.

We reckon that we made the wrong decision in going back, but it is like you said, we wouldn't know unless we'd tried it. So I don't see it as a waste, it is still good to spend time with our families, we now treat it as a "working holiday" and hope to go back in the first half of next year.....

All the best to you, hope it works out for you.

Re: I admit it....
 

I remember your posts from 'lala' land. You definitely wanted to move. Take a look at them if you have not already. Perhaps that will help. Thank you for your honest post it is foremost in mind as I plan and we have up and down times.

I think Miss Betty says it all. Keep focused and long long term.

I wish you and your husband a happy and prosperous New Year.

Re: I admit it....
 

Wombatz - sorry to hear it didn't work out but I'm glad you're so positive about it!

Vikingsail - thanks! Definitely thinking long term. Things will work out - just having a little wobble!!! Hahaha!! I knew the move would be difficult and I also knew it would take about a year before we felt settled. So it's just a case of giving it time and giving ourselves time.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!! Thanks :)

Re: I admit it....
 

It is 2.5 years back for us. We are settled but still have occasional "wobbles" when we come across some UK aspect that doesn't make sense to us.

There is nothing that makes us regret the move back, just some challenges with the way things are when our US experience of the same thing was better.

Re: I admit it....
 

Your home sounds wonderful. I am fine and getting used to village life, but not feeling completely settled yet. I imagine that will take more time. I have joined the village choir and my first performance with them is on Sunday. It is an "international" gig, so we have hired a bus to take us over the border into England. We will be "on the road" for about 25 minutes. :lol:

The locals have been very friendly and have included us in many events. I have put my name forward for the village Panto, so I might have to hire an acting coach. do you have any recommendations:lol: From what I can gather it is a lot of fun and a bit of a spoof on life in the village.

OH is driving me nuts and I am hoping that he will get some contract work in the New Year. He has taken over the kitchen, which is fine by me, but I am not used to having him around all the time and I need time on my own.

I am still enjoying the weather, the locals must think I am mad. Not keen on the black ice on the roads, so hoping that the winter won't be too bad.
All the best for 2013.

Re: I admit it....
 

Britwhore, I just saw your post. I'm sorry things have been tough but like everyone said (you included) just a little time and I'm sure things will look brighter.

The job thing is tough, but if it's any consolation, the average job search now is 6 months - and longer in some cases - so don't be discouraged that your husband hasn't had success yet. It will come.

Your home sounds idyllic. I'm a country girl through and through and after so many years living right on the edge of the big bad city, I'm loving village life, but if you're a city girl, I can imagine it would be hard to adjust to.

Hang in there and I'm wishing you nothing but happiness.

Re: I admit it....
 

Hi Britwhore,
Sorry to hear you are having a rough time. Hopefully OH will get a job soon and you will be able to feel a little more settled. We are still surrounded by boxes, and I agree it is not a good feeling. We have applied for planning permission to extend our house. The determination deadline was last Friday, but we did not hear anything. I finally managed to get a planning official to return my calls yesterday. It seems that our original case officer has been off sick for some time, and our case was only reassigned this week. So basically the last 8 weeks have been completely wasted because nothing has happened yet. Not happy. Now our new assigned case officer has to start the ball rolling again. Deep breaths.
Anyway, I am glad the dogs are happy at least, and I hope things start to look up for you very soon. :fingerscrossed: Our kids are loving their new school and have made friends, but our daughter complains on a daily basis about the cold and lack of sunshine!
Best wishes for the New Year.

Re: I admit it....
 

Sorry to hear this, Britwhore. I was completely determined that I wanted to move back, but have to confess there have been the odd times when I realise that living in the US has changed me and I can never be the same again. I don't want to go back there to live, but just miss odd little things.
You've come from LA, which must be loads different from where you've pitched up in the UK. Hang on in there, this is the worst time of the year in the UK. The days are shortest and its blimmin cold.
I hope your husband finds a job soon. That places lots of strain when you're going through the job finding process. Can't offer much, but some empathy. Moving back, even if we want to, can involve mixed emotions. For me it's been happiness mixed with guilt (what if it doesn't work out?), apprehension about the future, and worrying the whole house of cards might fall down.
It will be nice to keep in touch and see how our lives move on in the next year.

Re: I admit it....
 

SallySimmons - Thanks for the encouragement! 6 months? yikes! Oh well, we've been here 4 so hopefully in the new year something will pop up!

Pombat - sorry to hear about the planning permission. Not good. I hope the new case officer actually gets something done soon. Yeah living surrounded by boxes is not fun. I've got OODLES of time to actually be sorting thru the stuff and yet I find that I don't have the energy.....

jemima55 - thanks for your kind words. It's such an interesting mind-set to be in right now. Trying to stay sane (sane-ish!) and remember why I moved back. I'm definitely a routine person and my routine in LA was comforting in a way so being over here and trying to find my feet is very unsettling to say the least. Looking forward to hearing about your life next year and the plans you decide to make.

Re: I admit it....
 

One thing's already worked out. Our son, who came back with us is now working. He was a student in the States, and going nowhere with it. At least now he's earning some pennies and in a better place, although still degree-less. He's so much happier in himself.
I'm going to be looking for a job in the New Year.
Also, we just took our (late) summer holiday in Belgium and Germany. It was so nice to return to England after!