As I mentioned in my last post, we are moving. After 11.5 beautiful years in the bay area, we will be moving ~2 hrs east to El Dorado Hills. As we have shared the news with friends and family, we often get the reaction of “what, why, what was wrong here, we thought you were bay area natives for life.” 

This post is a bit of a peek into our decision-making process and why we will be upending our beautiful life as we know it here. I will start with the basics – we really enjoyed our life in silicon valley and are hugely grateful for the professional opportunities, meaningful relationships, and the numerous purposeful experiences we have had over the last decade and I wouldn’t trade them for all the joy it got into our lives. I won’t lie, I am still grieving the losses I am choosing with this decision …

And yet for the last several years, we had both been fantasizing about the idea of living somewhere else – out of curiosity to experience life elsewhere and the desire to have more space, especially outdoor space to enable more hosting and gatherings of different kinds. We really liked our jobs, had a 10 min commute, and living in a cabin in Montana felt like a distant dream to us. But it was still a bucket list item, one that would come up often as we paused to reflect on the life we wanted to create. 

And then the pandemic happened. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the fully remote work life and the simpler, slower pace of life. Weekends at home were more joyful than I would have imagined earlier. Simple hikes, home-cooked meals, and board games made for very soulful weekends. And then we both had the option of working fully remotely with our respective employers and we realized it was time to honor this dream of a new home in a new city.

For me, Portland, Seattle, and Denver/ Boulder were top contenders. I have always liked the PNW and wanted to experience the rainy, moody winters and access to all that nature (Yes, I recognize a California human is asking for more nature). I even had an Airbnb booked in Portland, numerous conversations with realtors in Portland and Seattle to help us find the right home. And it was ultimately my sister, rather my relationship with my sister who lives in the bay area that kept us here in California. We had a few friends who had moved to the El Dorado Hills area over the last few years who told us how much they liked the area and after we spent a week in the area, we made an offer on a home on the 7th day (that we didn’t get given the craziness of the housing market!).

We will be moving in a few months and I am really looking forward (and a bit nervous) to rebuilding life on a blank canvas. We get to go back to the drawing board and think about the rituals and systems that honor our values. We really wanted to have the flexibility of not enrolling kids in an after-school program and giving them the option of playing at home that our remote work will enable and we couldn’t be more grateful. 

I had always hoped to have a home that I could make into more of a retreat and sanctuary and having more space and outdoor access has meant a lot of hours of looking through design books and magazines to create a home we can create experiences for others in our lives too. I am looking forward to lots and lots of dinner and board game nights and sleepovers! I am hoping to embrace a simpler way of life and see what that means for our family. 

And yes, I know I will miss the people that filled up our lives here. I remember moving here knowing a handful of people and over the years made some really close friends, strengthened relationships with family here, experienced motherhood and the joys (and struggles) of raising children together, and simply living life in community that is absolutely priceless. I hope to create new memories (hint – sleepovers!) and keep the relationships alive in the years to come.

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I am deeply curious and called to have more of these conversations around designing our post-pandemic lives. I know several of us are feeling anxious about everything going back to normal and yet so many of us are looking forward to the little joys of hugs, concerts, plane rides or simply eating at a restaurant!

I am facilitating a gathering for women that will include conversations, coaching, and connection on this topic and would be so honored if you’d like to join. These will be small intimate circles with a combination of coaching, journaling, listening so bring your cup of tea, wear your comfy sweater (or T-shirt!) and join me and other brave and curious hearts as we uncover what we are called to create out of this season, literally and metaphorically!

Dates: May 2nd
Time: 9 am to 10:30 am (Pacific Time)
Cost: Free

Please email me to save your spot and receive the zoom link to join! You are welcome to forward this email to others as well.