Life and all the twist and turns. Selling and starting over...again: Living In The Pacific Northwest

In December of 2022 I'd made the decision to sell my house and make the move to...well I wasn't really sure where to yet but I was selling and starting something new details be damned! I'd called a relator the week of Christmas just to put some feelers out and get the ball rolling, thinking the whole process of listing, showing, packing and making some sort of life plan would take a few months. You can imagine my surprise when I got a call the evening of January 3 from my realtor that we had an offer. It was a good offer too, full price, no contingencies and they wanted a quick closing. So quick in fact I hesitated to accept the offer. January 31st was the requested close date. My mind immediately went into overdrive wondering if it was even possible to pack up a 3 bedroom house by myself while working a full-time job and completing all of the other task required to sell a home.

I told my realtor I was going to take the night to sleep on it but by 2am I'd made up my mind...I was accepting. To say the next few weeks were a mad house is an understatement but with the help of some friends and neighbors the morning of January 31st came and the house was ready. With the exception of a few personal items and a camping mattress my dog and I had spent the last few nights on, we'd done it. I'd sold or packed all of my belongings, finished my last day of work and said goodbye to friends and neighbors.

I don't know about you but I'm a sentimental person when it comes to my home, my garden and places I've lived. I am one of those people that talks to their house and their plants on a daily basis. I knew when it came time to leave I would be a little nostalgic but as I gathered my last few items to put in the car I was way past nostalgic...I was down right sad and holding back tears the best I could. When I'd moved to this little house in Washington state back in 2019 my brother and his family were living a few hours north but they'd since moved oversees for work, so I'd spent the majority of my time there without any family or friends near by. I jumped right in to meeting the neighbors, making friends at work and getting to know my community. I'd done a lot of work to the house and the garden....the garden, I loved the garden I'd been able to create. Coming from a place like south Texas to be able to grow a garden in a place like the moody, lush and rainy PNW was a dream. And the mountains. My goodness are they beautiful. And they were right there in my backyard! I could hike everyday if I wanted to.

There had also been some really difficult days in my time there. I worked and lived through the Pandemic. I'd seen gas prices soar to almost $6 a gallon and was really learning just how expensive it was going to be to live in that part of the country. The hardest part though was the loss of a loved family member and my dog Ranger within just a couple of months of each other. So much had happened in my years in that house and even though I knew deep down it was never going to be my forever home, it still felt like I'd really grown some roots there. I walked around the house that last morning saying my goodbyes soaking in all the sounds and memories. I moved to the backyard and absorbed every detail to memory that I could. I knew I would miss this the most.

Being outside is always my favorite place to be. It's a place of comfort and adventure. It's a place to dream and wonder but also to reflect and learn. And so here I am, almost a year later, still no idea where I will live next, but still just as in love with the outdoors ready to try something new. That's my intention with this blog. To share everything I love about being outside, new and old. From hiking and camping to gardening and wine tasting. I just want to share what makes me feel joy and if that helps someone else feel joy to...well that's icing on the cake!

Here are some of the photos I took of my time in the PNW.