one year in seattle
a whole year already. wow! 365 days ago, the kids and i boarded a one way flight and started this adventure. it's been one of the hardest and best years of my life. for years thatcher and i dreamed of moving to another part of the country for a while, but i never thought we would actually make it happen! we had such an unusual start to our new life here. when we accepted the job offer my dad was sick, but i never imagined he would go downhill as quickly as he did. while we were waiting to see if the job offer would come in, i remember him telling me "if you don't go and i live for a long time, you'll regret not going. but if i pass away and you don't go, you'll really regret not going." he was so supportive. all of our family members were, even though i know it was really hard. i will always be so grateful for that support.
we are still on a "2 year plan" for living here. minneapolis will always be home to me and we miss our friends and family, but seattle has been a pretty darn amazing place to live! here are some reflections after 1 year:
we've learned how to live in 900 square feet as a family of four
the scenery is breathtaking everywhere you look
the winters are mild (no ice or snow unless you go in the mountains)
the summers are wonderful (no mosquitoes and not too hot)
i've met a great group of girl friends (including others not pictured)
azalea had a great year of preschool and we are excited for her to start kindergarten at a school we have heard so many good things about
ashford has some little buddies around his age who he loves to play with (and i love to play with their moms. ha!)
i've been able to keep working while also staying home with the kids
we've been able to play tourists in our own city
we've had lots of friends and family come out to visit
we've survived spending some holidays alone and spent others with friends
moving your family (or even just yourself) across the country, away from your entire support network is not for everyone. in fact, i think it's a requirement that you are a little bit insane. haha. but i have grown so much as a person in the last year. i've gone out of my comfort zone more times than i can count. and it has felt so good. so, if you even have even a tiny part of you who wishes they "could" make a move like this, i want to tell you that you can and you should. you can always go back home :)
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And I was hoping to make it to the potluck on Sunday, but I might not be able to now (thanks to my in-laws being terrible planners). Do you have any other free days while you're home?