By Pat Doody
Meet Your New Neighbors
Hilltop Welcoming Service
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Laura Burdick moved to Stallion Springs in August with her two children Luc,14, and Corinne,12. She is very specific when she says she moved from East Lancaster. She said she wanted a safer environment for herself and her children, so she put her house on the market and began searching for a new home. She considered the western areas of Lancaster since the children’s paternal grandparents lived there but the rural setting and seasonal changes of the mountains called to her. When she found a brand new house that was in her budget, she knew that would become their home. When I asked Corinne what she liked best about her new home, she said “not hearing gunfire and low flying helicopters at night”.
Laura was born in Glendale and has lived in Southern California most of her life. Both of her children were born in the Antelope Valley. She has a degree in social work and had been working as a school aid in Lancaster. She said she may consider doing that again here once they are all settled. She has also been a distributor for Young Living essential oils and natural supplements. Luc and Corinne are kept very busy at Jacobsen Middle School where they are studying hard and making new friends.
It didn’t take long for all three of the Burdick family to find new interests. Both Luc and Corinne have taken classes at Woodward West. Luc took skateboarding while Corinne took T&T (trampoline and tumbling). Laura is a true crafter and has been taking classes at the Treasure Trove – so far she has tried watercolor, jewelry and soy wax candles. As if they were not busy enough, they felt something was still missing in their lives so they each adopted a cat from Books and Crannies. Cali is the only male and he appears to have taken a back seat to Crystal and Angel , the two females.
According to Laura, they are “nesting” in their new home. A big “welcome to Tehachapi” to Laura, Luc and Corinne.
Larry and Yelonda Benson first moved to Tehachapi in 2006. They were here for three months when the sale of their Bakersfield house fell through so they had to move back to Bakersfield They have been trying to move back ever since. It finally happened in November 2013.
When Larry retired from his job with Kern County Roads, his parting gift was a glider ride from Mountain Valley Airport. While soaring over Tehachapi he was very taken with the area around the airport so that is where they decided to buy a home. Yelonda is still commuting to Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield where she is the dean’s secretary. She has one more year until retirement. In the meantime, Larry has plenty to do. They own seven horses. Five of them, including a Thoroughbred stallion and assorted Paints and Appaloosa, are still in Bakersfield where Yelonda gets to feed them daily until Larry finishes the horse facilities at home.
Until this year, they rode with the Old West Today equestrian group and had appeared in Tehachapi often particularly at the Mountain Festival. Yelonda says she has not had the heart to ride much since 2010 when she lost her favorite horse but she loves to read and play games, “Candy Crush” among them. A true outdoorsman, Larry likes to hunt and fish when time allows.
Their very busy household includes daughter Shawna, granddaughters Victoria and Makayla, grandson Isaiah and great grandson Andrew. Victoria still rides and has appeared with the Kern County Cowgirls. Twenty two month old Andrew already likes to ride. The Benson’s son Jeffrey lives in Vacaville with his wife and two children. He is career Air Force and also going to college.
Topping off the household are three dogs (a Chihuahua named Taco and “mutts” NuNu and Roxy) and three cats (Sylvester, Ersky and Wanda). There is never a dull moment in this household. To the entire Benson family: Welcome to Tehachapi – finally.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
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.
