Meet Your New Neighbors

After 13 years in Lancaster, Carlos and Mary Jane Aguirre said that they wanted something better for their family. They found a piece of land in Tehachapi on which they decided to build their own home. Carlos had a friend who owned a construction company and together they would build the house. Their house in Lancaster sold quicker than they expected so they moved onto their property in an RV along with their nine-year-old son Daniel and their two dogs, Coco and Princess. They pictured the house being done quickly, no problem. They began the house last November, but with weather and time delays as well as construction snags, they now hope to have it done by next summer. In the meantime, they moved their RV to an RV Park and cheerily await the completion of their home.

Carlos is currently working as a drug and alcohol counselor in the Lake Hughes area. He grew up in Fresno and left when he was 17, moving to Pismo Beach. He has a brother living in Bakersfield. Before he became a counselor, Carlos once had a career as a chef. He still likes to cook says Mary Jane.

Mary Jane was born in Los Angeles. She also moved to Pismo Beach which is where she met Carlos. Her mother lives in West Covina and she has a brother living in Idaho. Mary Jane said that she also likes to cook and bake. She is very creative and loves crafts. She always seems to find space to make things, even in the RV.

Their 23-year-old daughter, Marissa who has served in Afganistan, is a newly commissioned Sargeant in the Army and is stationed in New York. Their 20-year-old son, Carlos Jr. lives in Bakersfield.

Like most nine year olds, Daniel is video-game-proficient but loves to play basketball. He played for a YMCA team in Lancaster and is looking forward to joining a Tehachapi team.

Welcome to Carlos, Mary Jane and Daniel; we hope this winter is mild enough for you to complete your home on schedule.

Mike and Gretchen Westwood arrived in Tehachapi at the beginning of August. It was MIke's work that brought them all the way from Pocatello, Idaho. They arrived just in time for him to begin the school year at Bakersfield College teaching English language learners. For three years prior, he had taught ESL at Idaho State University in Pocatello. Gretchen told me that they had lived in Kentucky before that. When I asked her how they ended up in Tehachapi, she said they drove out to Bakersfield on a scouting trip when Mike was hired. They discovered Tehachapi and liked the rural feel of it. They were used to commuting distances so the drive to Bakersfield from Golden Hills wasn't an issue.

Mike was born in Erlinger, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. He has a brother and two sisters now living in Milo near the West Virginia border. According to Getchen, his family moved about every two years.

Gretchen was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She has a sister who now lives in Ashland, Oregon. She attended Northern Washington State University and studied Elementary Education. She said that she had the opportunity to teach in South Africa for a couple of years. She has also taught preschool and remedial reading. It was while she was teaching at a church school in Redmond, Washington, that she met Mike. He was working there in maintenance.

For now Gretchen is a stay-at-home- mom with two young children. Justice is four years old and Micah is one. When asked what their hobbies are, Gretchen answered, "life with the kids"; however she does admit to enjoying cooking and hiking. She is certainly in the right place for that.

A big Tehachapi welcome to Mike, Gretchen, Justice and Micah; we may be abit partial but we think you chose a great place to live.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.