My family and I moved to the West Coast from the Midwest in late 2013. Though we were somewhat familiar with the territory we had no idea what to to expect. We drove 2,071 miles in search of the next chapter in our lives. We couldn’t wait to start having new adventures in our new surroundings. We pride ourselves in being a team and I want to make sure my kids look back and appreciate the many things they got to do with their parents. So in a way, these photos of places are snapshots of change for us. They are new destinations that we’re just now getting to explore and appreciate. Northern California has an endless amount of places that range from mountains to beaches. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to start our new lives. And we’re just getting started.

We’re a 30-minute drive from the mountains, beach or city. The sun shines all day everyday and there’s no humidity. And the other day we got to watch dolphins in their natural habitat swim and play in the ocean. It’s hard to complain here.

We love to wake up on Saturdays and walk to downtown Willow Glen for breakfast at Top Nosh. After our bellies are full we usually head down 17 to Santa Cruz and hang at the beach and grab a corn dog on the boardwalk. We take tons of pictures of surfers and VW vans and then pack up our stuff and head to Pescadero for more beach and pictures, and probably some more food. To finish off a perfect day we drive up to Half Moon Bay, park on the edge of a cliff and watch the sun go down.

You’re 30 minutes from everything. And the weather is perfect.

The cost of living.

The access to so many different places without much hassle.

Umm… Morgan Freeman? I have no idea.

Danny Yount, David Carson, and Paul Rand.