Sunday, July 19, 2020 – 11 days till moving day!

Thanks for visiting our new blog. If you are here, you have probably heard that Chris and I are making a pretty big change and after 10, incredible years in San Francisco, we are becoming a statistic and moving to Port, Townsend, WA. 

We know for a lot of our friends and family, this transition may seem a bit sudden and out of the blue, however we’ve been dreaming and discussing our next adventure for quite a while.

Chris and I genuinely love the charm and chaos of San Francisco and are so grateful that we are fortunate enough to have the means and privilege that supported us in building a really wonderful life here. However, in the last few years or so, the City has also started to feel limiting for us. Chris’ dreams of woodworking and building (pretty sure his YouTube history is just woodworking videos and videos of people hurting themselves while falling down…) and my dreams of having a farm and early mornings outside, drinking my coffee with Maverick playing in the yard, just didn’t seem feasible. There was talk of trying to buy a home in SF, but we both knew we wouldn’t be able to get the space we wanted, (space is definitely needed when a couple wants to build tiny homes and rescue farm animals!), or perhaps a bit of the quiet that we seem to be looking for.  We also desperately miss being close to the mountains. A change was needed but we’ve struggled, especially me, with how and what our next steps could be.

Then this tragic pandemic hit. As we felt the fear and anxiety that is so prevalent for so many of us, we also felt a deep gratitude and a new understanding of our privilege. Chris and my jobs are both secure and we have been able to easily and happily transition to working from home. We also realized that while we miss so many pieces of the hustle and bustle of what was our normal city life 6 months ago, we are actually quite content day-to-day to spend our time taking long walks with Maverick in Golden Gate Park. This time has given us a moment to pause and with the hours of conversation and dreaming, we both realized it was time to start something new.

Enter Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. A few years ago, I visited the town with my mother and fell instantly in love. A port and tourist town on the edge of the Salish Sea and the Olympic Mountain range, it’s filled with old Victorians, great restaurants, and incredible access to the outdoors. Chris and I visited the following year and he felt the same kinship with the Olympic Peninsula that I had felt. It’s a place that supports so many of the things Chris and I want in our lives and with the idea of starting our hobby farm and possible tiny house village/animal rescue, we decided to start looking for a new home. 

In late April, we started looking around Port Townsend and the nearby islands. After a false start with a small farm that ultimately fell through, Chris and I found a huge, crazy home that was nothing like we were thinking. (Definitely never thought we would buy a house with 5,500 square feet!) However, we fell in love and as of last week, that big house is ours. We’ll be packing up our new Ford Transit van, Van Wilder, and heading north across the Golden Gate Bridge on July 31st. 

Chris and I will post more about the home and the process in the coming weeks. Right now we are concentrating on packing and finding ways to safely say goodbye to our friends and the city we have loved.  

Moment of Gratitude: As part of the blog and just in general in documenting our experience, Chris and I wanted to make sure we are set aside time to be grateful. Today, we just want to say how thankful we are to our San Francisco friends. The City has allowed us to meet and grow friendships with the most interesting, fun, and loving people. We are already missing so many of you due to this shelter-in-place and it’s hard to imagine being away from you all. However, with all our new space, we do really hope you come visit and stay in one of our 5 extra bedrooms!