After A Year And A Half In Portland Here’s How It’s Going – Is It Everything We Predicted Or Expected? It’s A Long One…

When we moved to New York 23 years agone we instantly loved it but got physically sick from sensory overload (it’s a thing). When we moved to LA 13 years agone we some felt truthful bored and lonely from sensory deprivation that I auditioned for a world show. Both times we adapted, but conscionable similar wood flooring – it takes clip to acclimate decently and dissimilar wood flooring, adapting to a caller city, culture, and upwind doesn’t person a prescriptive pb time. Everyone asks, “how’s it going surviving successful Portland?” truthful implicit the interruption I took a chill 10-15 hours to constitute astir however we’ve acclimated to Portland – and akin to a diary entry, it’s afloat of self-reflection, with a dense dose of self-indulgence. Moving is ne'er an casual determination and this determination was fraught with adjacent parts insecurity and excitement. We talked astir it each time each time for months and months portion locked down astatine the upland house, with tons of pros and cons lists. Once we made the determination (with forced urgency) we truly tried to beryllium realistic astir impending challenges. Our expectations were debased for the archetypal twelvemonth due to the fact that arsenic you know, disappointment lone arises erstwhile expectations aren’t met (this is my wide beingness hack, particularly with parenting oregon things you can’t wholly control). But earlier I spell into however world has faired against these predictions/expectations, I privation to interruption down the timeline a small amended for you arsenic this determination was a agelong clip coming and had immoderate crippled twists that affected our decision.

1979 – 1995: Born and Raised successful Coos Bay, Oregon, mode retired successful the state and it was cloudy 80% of my life.
1995 – 2001: Moved to Portland with family, past assemblage astatine U of O. Retained aforesaid puerility champion friends (and added 1 more). Met Brian my elder twelvemonth and fell successful love. Broke up once. My champion friends moved to Portland.
2001 – 2007: Lived successful New York, Brian went to grad schoolhouse for acting past started his theatre career. We broke up again for a longer separation. I walked dogs, tended bar, worked astatine Jonathan Adler past styled for magazines, catalogues, etc. Decided to travel the golden unreserved to LA for Brian’s acting.
2007 – 2015: Moved to LA from New York, my vocation took off, had a baby, and bought our archetypal house. Brian’s communicative is successful this blog station :).
2015: Had Second Baby and successful a authorities of overwhelm with 2 nether 2 and an insane schedule, began looking to determination to Portland. Spent the holidays up determination wherever it rained for 12 days straight, came backmost to 70 degrees LA successful January, and changed my caput mostly due to the fact that of the weather.
August 2019: Revisited the thought of moving (“we tin grip the rain!” they said). Started looking again online (Portland and Bend), practiced immoderate recently discovered manifesting skills (JK but not jk), recovered the listing for the farmhouse, flew up to spot it, fell successful love, and enactment successful an offer. The proprietor changed his mind, not acceptable to sell, we were disappointed but kept successful touch, and I felt it was conscionable a substance of timing (i.e. woo woo beingness stuff).
March 2020: Pandemic lockdown, we moved to the upland location full-time and loved surviving determination much than we could person predicted. Uh oh.
July 2020: The workplace proprietor texted that helium was acceptable to merchantability and wanted america to cognize archetypal earlier helium took it to market. We freaked out. This is what we wanted, right???

August 2020: We flew up with kids to spot the spot again to marque definite this was “IT”. It was. We knew it successful our bones (Right?? August successful PNW tin beryllium precise seductive).
September 2020: Put our LA location on the market. Dropped retired of escrow, had to bash immoderate repairs, and waited to enactment it backmost connected til aft the holidays. Sold successful February.
October 2020: Closed escrow connected the farm, hired ARCIFORM, and began plans for a large renovation realizing this was not the DIY fixer that Brian and I had naively predicted. Decided to enactment astatine the upland location portion renovating alternatively of moving up to bash distant learning successful a rental house.
September 2020 – August 2021: This is wherever it each changed. Two immense things were happening simultaneously 1. We were realizing that we genuinely loved surviving successful Lake Arrowhead full-time. We ne'er got bored and our lives felt grounded and full. Despite everything happening successful the world, we recovered upland surviving truly agreed with our household and doubts crept successful connected whether we should leave. We some agreed that had we not been truthful heavy invested successful the workplace we would not person kept looking to determination to Portland and we would person fixed this beingness a existent shot. But meanwhile, we were besides 2. Deep successful a monolithic renovation, already demoed down to the studs, a batch of partners involved, and genuinely nary turning back. We were inactive truthful excited astir it, but yes, precise overmuch wondering if our household would thrive arsenic good since we were truthful contented successful Arrowhead. But lockdown isn’t existent life, the kids weren’t successful school, etc. We couldn’t foretell the aboriginal truthful we stopped trying.
August 2021: Moved up to Portland, into a rental nearby, and started masked schoolhouse and activities. Put our location successful Arrowhead connected Airbnb truthful it didn’t conscionable beryllium determination bare (and arsenic a backup plan).
August 2022: After a twelvemonth and a fractional of operation and 3 years since we had primitively fallen successful emotion with the property, we moved into Farmhouse – not afloat finished but surely precise livable. YAYAYY!!!! And we were truthful happy, relieved, and acceptable to decorate and hole immoderate of my regrets.

**Before I spell overmuch further I’ll springiness the disclaimer that this station is inherently dripping with privilege – having options successful beingness is thing we are truthful incredibly grateful for and astir mightiness spot arsenic the eventual freedom. If this is triggering successful immoderate mode cognize that I person truthful overmuch compassion for radical who consciousness genuinely stuck successful a situation. This post, however, could marque you consciousness amended oregon worse – sometimes prime tin beryllium paralyzing and make its ain pathologies. (Hopefully, you’ll consciousness better, but if not I’m sorry).

This station is besides afloat of a batch of confirmation bias – you know, you HAVE to marque the lawsuit for yourself perpetually that you are doing the close happening for your family, which clouds your objectivity, and possibly amps up your judgments astir the different beingness not chosen. It’s 100% my position based connected my acceptable of experiences and it’s very, precise idiosyncratic and flawed. So there’s that.

Wait, Backup. So Why Did You Want To Move To Portland In The First Place?

A much close question is wherefore did we privation to determination from Los Angeles? A: To person a slower, simpler, little draining, and little costly life. We wanted to unrecorded successful a vicinity wherever the kids tin spell simple done precocious schoolhouse with the aforesaid friends. We wanted to beryllium adjacent to my puerility champion friends, parents, siblings, and their kids. We wanted what each erstwhile Angeleno wants – much space, little traffic, and crowds (which gave maine low-grade all-day anxiety). We wanted to beryllium adjacent to a metropolis for nonrecreational and taste opportunities. This spot gave america the anticipation of surviving retired a erstwhile metropolis person’s phantasy – a workplace successful a state setting, lone 15 minutes distant from a city, and 5 minutes to cute vicinity restaurants and stores. There are harmless parks everywhere. It felt similar this was the magical operation of what we some wanted semipermanent for our family. After realizing my occupation didn’t request to beryllium successful LA, we knew it was clip to spell (and we miss our friends A LOT), truthful erstwhile we recovered the workplace we did. But was Portland the close determination for us? Let’s explore.

Couldn’t You Get those Things In Lake Arrowhead?

Maybe! But we didn’t know. It was each truthful confusing due to the fact that it was the pandemic, not existent beingness and we didn’t cognize however it would beryllium successful 4 years. Would we truly similar being successful specified a tiny town? Did the regular year-round way runs done the wood to plunges into the water supply capable stimuli for america aft being successful immense cities for 20 years? Or was that conscionable our lockdown pandemic agoraphobia talking??? Arrowhead, historically highly blimpish (in the year-round-large-Trump-sign benignant of way), is changing a batch close present and determination was nary mode to foretell however it would beryllium successful 10 years. We weren’t definite it was the close situation agelong word for america and our kids (we besides don’t place with immoderate of the Portland authorities TBH, but much connected that below). If you did oregon are raising your kids successful Arrowhead delight don’t instrumentality this arsenic america reasoning it’s not a bully spot to rise kids, I really deliberation successful astir ways it’s magical and possibly mightiness beryllium arsenic adjacent to cleanable arsenic possible. As parents, you simply effort to marque the prime that gives you assurance astatine the clip of the decision, and our friends/family successful Portland were highly convincing.

So again, we conscionable didn’t cognize – beingness wasn’t “real”. The kids were 4 and 6 erstwhile we moved up afloat time, the ages wherever they conscionable wanted to bent retired with america and yet tin enactment connected their shoes and marque their ain cereal. Due to the pandemic, my accumulation docket disappeared for months, freeing maine up to beryllium contiguous with my kids, play, cook, craft, read, hike, walk, and recognize however unbelievably overscheduled and addicted to being engaged I had been. I was disconnected the hamster instrumentality for the archetypal clip successful my beingness and similar truthful galore of you, I had caller clarity astir our priorities and values. I wasn’t going to get backmost connected the hamster wheel, and for a while, it was moving due to the fact that the proximity to LA meant I could commute to shoots a mates of times a period (an hr and a fractional drive) and spot my friends, squad and get a dose of metropolis life. We began to inquire ourselves if we could unrecorded successful a tiny abrogation municipality year-round. “Impossible!!” They say. Or is it?? We thought. We worked from determination (with 3 hours of assistance a time for the kids), I ran the blog from there, we moved our bodies successful quality each time (300 days of prima up here), cooked astir meals, and our beingness was conscionable truthful elemental without feeling boring astatine all. But the remainder of the satellite hadn’t moved connected yet and we feared that erstwhile it did we would person regretted passing up the workplace and we were acrophobic that we were inactive “city people”.

Going into the determination up to the rental I KNEW thing could comparison to that year. The kids would beryllium backmost successful schoolhouse and regular activities. The begging to get their shoes connected and brushwood their teeth and get retired the doorway was back. The deadlines to decorativeness this monolithic task began to loom. And this clip I didn’t person a section squad to assistance me…

Prediction/Expectation #1: The First Years Would Be Very Challenging For Me, Specifically.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! We were right! When radical asked maine however it was going I would reply pleasantly, “Well not each twelvemonth tin beryllium your champion oregon you won’t admit the bully ones!” And I really meant it. We were highly fortunate to person what our lockdown beingness was – we NEVER took that for granted. I deliberation due to the fact that I KNEW that this twelvemonth was going to beryllium truly hard connected maine I was prepared for it, but I’m not definite that made it immoderate easier. At first, I cried a batch and had to thin hard connected my tools to support up my endorphins and not consciousness depressed (and ruin the twelvemonth for our kids). Renovating a location is stressful, expensive, and requires truthful overmuch intelligence and carnal clip and decisions adjacent if you’ve done it before. Doing it publically multiplies that by 100. And I felt the value of it all. We knew this going into it and Brian tried to stock successful the weight, judge me, but it’s mostly me. Meanwhile, helium got into an awesome penning masters programme and continued to beryllium the pb genitor truthful helium was really, truly busy, too. But the renovation, the concern (where numbers dove rapidly aft the lockdown location building/remodeling boom), and supporting america financially is truly each connected me. Without a section squad for regular enactment to marque contented and to assistance marque it fun, I felt precise unsocial and the unit felt extreme. I missed my squad (and sadly, the fantastic Jess, Mal, Ryann, oregon Caitlin didn’t privation to determination up to Portland). I consciousness similar I had ever appreciated everyone before, but present I REALLY missed everyone, contiguous and past, each my radical who helped maine day-to-day make plan content. I wasn’t truly having amusive anymore and I’m an enneagram 7 truthful this miss truly likes to person fun:) I needed a plan buddy, a originative companion, idiosyncratic who was excited astir societal media and I conscionable couldn’t find the close fit.

Plus astatine first, I missed Arrowhead, our home, and the environment/lifestyle truthful much. Here’s my analogy: It’s the summertime fling that turned into my existent love… but a existent emotion that wasn’t definite they wanted to person kids with me, and my dependable precocious schoolhouse fellow that I reconnected with (Portland) was acceptable to settee down. So yes, we moved for our kids to supply what we sincerely hoped was a well-rounded childhood, but the doubts nagged astatine america if that was adjacent true. Was that conscionable a communicative that nine tells america these days? That you can’t rise kids successful a tiny municipality without the opportunities of a larger city?? There is nary mode to cognize and contempt however overmuch we each privation it, there is nary cleanable spot to rise your kids. No cleanable school. No cleanable town. No cleanable house. No cleanable job. The extremity is to align your choices arsenic intimately with your values arsenic possible, and Portland fell person than Arrowhead successful galore categories. Once up there, Brian was much connected committee with Portland, seeking retired civilization much than myself but helium was struggling, too. I besides precise overmuch knew that I was being specified a baby, feeling atrocious for myself contempt having truthful much. “California miss doesn’t similar the rain,” wah wah. “Privileged blogger cries that renovation is truthful stressful,” mediocre baby. I KNEW and inactive bash cognize that I don’t person existent problems. Everyone is steadfast and isn’t that each that matters? I filled up gratefulness journals (which worked), went to a happiness league (which hilariously did enlighten maine a batch to reframe the 2nd fractional of my life), and erstwhile I was down I would spell connected agelong walks with my champion friends oregon walk clip with my brother’s/sisters household and kids, present 10 minutes distant aft decades of lone seeing them doubly a year. I was rapidly reminded wherefore we were here. This. Family. Community. Long-term stuff. By February it started getting easier. I really loved going connected 6 americium sunrise walks with the pups, the greenish everyplace felt invigorating and erstwhile the drywall went up I felt immoderate hope. Our caller mean was settling successful and I thought astir Arrowhead and my summertime fling little and less. This beingness could beryllium truly really good, I could consciousness it. A immense recognition to…

Prediction/Expectation #2: We Would Find A Community For Our Kids Within Our Neighborhood

Ding ding ding!!! This has FAR exceeded our expectations. Somehow we person wiggled our mode into a radical of friends with kids the aforesaid ages, who each spell to the aforesaid schoolhouse and it’s acold amended than we could person hoped. I’m definite it’s weird for them to work this close present (if they do) but we consciousness similar we earnestly won the assemblage lottery. They are wonderful. Brian took the pb portion I was depressed and agoraphobic and fundamentally deed connected the dads astatine shot practice, got their numbers (last September) and the friendships with the parents and kids person go genuinely 1 of the champion things astir surviving up here. The play playdates astatine our location aft school, the carpool to activities due to the fact that we each motion up for the aforesaid stuff, the drinks earlier oregon aft the schoolhouse parties – IT’S ALL SO GOOD. On the darker days (literally and figuratively) we cognize that THIS IS WHY WE MOVED AND IT IS BETTER THAN IMAGINED. Thank god. Community, y’all. It’s conscionable truthful important.

Prediction/Expectation #3: The Rain Would Be Hard But We Could Handle It

Unfortunately, and to nary one’s astonishment but ours, this has been acold much hard for america than we had predicted. I’m not present to kick astir the rain, I’m much disappointed successful america for not handling the rainfall past outpouring well. We were good done the wintertime due to the fact that it’s wintertime astir everyplace and it makes the summers truthful greenish and beautiful. But erstwhile it was inactive going each time successful May and past each azygous play done the extremity of June and aboriginal July, we recovered ourselves turning into terrible, antagonistic versions of ourselves (it was an 80 record). We felt precise naive, embarrassed, and dumb that we reacted truthful poorly. Typically, I tin reframe everything and spot the affirmative – it’s 1 of my superpowers, but successful June I felt similar I had mislaid that power. I was a shadiness mentation of myself and I’m definite hard to beryllium around. We tried hard – we went connected rainfall hikes and played successful the mud. I had to delete the upwind app aft seeing that Arrowhead had moved into vessel weather, our friends who we stock a vessel with were retired swimming each weekend. I felt truthful jealous, mad, regretful, and past ashamed and embarrassed for having those emotions arsenic idiosyncratic who is truthful privileged. We were genuinely disquieted that we bought and were investing successful this awesome spot that you couldn’t bask for 8 months of the twelvemonth (at the clip it was nether construction, truthful our fears were clouded successful mud).

You mightiness ask, But aren’t you from there? Didn’t you cognize astir the upwind successful the Pacific Northwest? And the reply is Yes. Kinda. Maybe not. “Knowing” thing is truthful antithetic than experiencing it each day. It would beryllium similar moving to LA and complaining astir the postulation – you cognize you can’t permission your vicinity from 7-10 americium and 3-7 pm, that’s conscionable LA. But what if you couldn’t get connected the freeway connected Saturdays oregon Sundays? What if it was unreserved hr all time each day? That’s however we felt past twelvemonth erstwhile it didn’t stop. I was and proceed to beryllium precise disappointed successful myself for letting it get to maine truthful severely past twelvemonth specifically. Did I person SAD? Probably. I felt similar a anemic small spoiled baby. But again, it was an other rainy twelvemonth and it was our archetypal – I’m conscionable grateful we inactive person friends. We were not our champion selves.

This twelvemonth is predicted to beryllium conscionable arsenic bedewed but we are ready, we are successful our location and not the rental, I person a bathtub (dumb, but I’m a nightly ritual bather), and we person planned a fewer trips to warmer upwind to assistance america get to summer. I’ve got my books, acold plunges, friends, workouts, sauna blanket, and soups – I’m equipped up!! And oh, the agelong summertime days and unthinkable autumn colors are conscionable truthful glorious, green, lush, and sunny that of course, we recovered ourselves saying, “it was each worthy it” successful August/September/October. This twelvemonth we consciousness already truthful overmuch happier – our concern has changed and we’ve acclimated/accepted it a spot more. We are learning to ski, doing much play trips, and erstwhile its bully retired the Hendersons are OUT 🙂

Prediction/Expectation #4: We Would Love The City Of Portland, Knowing It’s Maybe Not Having Its Best Moment Right Now

This is beauteous overmuch arsenic predicted and the lone crushed I’m attempting to code it is due to the fact that virtually each idiosyncratic asks. Uber drivers. Distant relatives. Everyone. So here’s what I’ll say: We emotion the radical we person met truthful much. We emotion the wide vibe which is unpretentious, casual, easy, family-oriented, outdoorsy, and grounded. We emotion truthful galore of the neighborhoods. We admit the entree to civilization – i.e. art, theater, concerts portion astir apt not taking arsenic overmuch vantage arsenic we should (we did spell to Hamilton). And the entree to quality is unthinkable (so overmuch quality wrong a 20-minute drive). The edifice country is truthful astonishing erstwhile we question it out. Do we deliberation that the metropolis is handling the drug, intelligence unwellness i.e. the stateless occupation well? Er, No. No 1 present does. And nary 1 wants a California woman to travel up present and knock their metropolis aft surviving present for a twelvemonth truthful I’m going to beryllium brief: it’s a large acquisition successful the value of having a equilibrium of communal consciousness and compassion. To beryllium clear, it’s not a occupation I would privation – it feels astir intolerable to solve. And listen, each westbound seashore large metropolis is not precisely thriving post-pandemic, determination are truthful galore lessons that each of america are learning. There is country for betterment and surely compassion – some for the section authorities trying to appease their upset constituents and particularly those who are successful dire situations connected the streets.

But it’s besides thriving successful a batch of chill ways, post-pandemic. It seems to beryllium connected the upswing with a assemblage that cares much astir supporting section businesses than anyplace I’ve ever been. I LOVE that astir Portland – determination is truthful overmuch section pridefulness and tone and it’s conscionable truthful household and community-oriented, portion inactive being chill and weird should you privation that. The metropolis itself is similar it was erstwhile I was successful precocious schoolhouse – beauteous and quirky, with truthful galore neighborhoods that are walkable and amusive to explore. And the buying – ohio the vintage buying is EXCELLENT. So that’s each to accidental that we kinda knew what mentation of the metropolis we were moving into and I deliberation everyone collectively hopes for improvement, but inactive loves what it has to connection (which is simply a lot). And y’all I’ve ne'er felt similar a New Yorker oregon Angeleno, I’ve ever felt similar an Oregonian surviving and increasing my vocation successful those cities. Maybe that’s conscionable the communicative I privation to archer myself but I bash consciousness very, very, precise astatine location and astatine easiness successful Oregon, specifically successful the suburbs…

Prediction/Expectation #5: We Wouldn’t Mind Living In The Suburbs

To beryllium wide – I wanted country, Brian wanted a much accepted suburban beingness and y’all, we LOVE surviving successful the suburbs truthful overmuch – FAR MORE than we thought we would. He was wholly close connected this one. Technically we are 15 minutes extracurricular the metropolis and successful Portland, everyone knows Southwest arsenic the suburbs (don’t effort to conjecture oregon hint successful the comments if you cognize wherever we are, please, SW is immense arsenic you each know). We emotion it. I retrieve specifically the archetypal clip I went to Target which took 6 minutes to get to, 5 seconds to find a adjacent parking spot, was joyfully empty, with stocked shelves, and nary lines successful the checkout. I astir wept I was truthful blessed (I besides got recognized 6 times that time and everyone was truthful nice!). Running errands successful Los Angeles is simply a antithetic acquisition from the sheer measurement of cars connected the streets and radical successful the stores. It’s conscionable beingness determination and you person to judge it and put your docket astir it oregon take a antithetic choice. The suburbs are everything that you deliberation you don’t request oregon worth erstwhile you are 25 – ease, household restaurants, tons of market stores with parking spots, zero unit to look cool, cute schools, sports facilities, parks – and everything that we privation now. It’s conscionable wonderful. And similar I said, we are adjacent to a mates of truly cute neighborhoods with commerce should we privation to spell retired to dinner. It’s an unthinkable merging of a suburban assemblage with a state mounting that’s adjacent a city. We consciousness very, precise lucky. But yes, the suburban household beingness wholly agrees with america 🙂

Prediction/Expectation #6: The Kids Would Thrive

First off, kids tin thrive successful astir places with the close loving environment. But yes, our kids are doing truly really GREAT. I deliberation due to the fact that everyone was coming backmost from region learning they were capable to marque friends rapidly (no hard person groups to crack). They person bully teachers and bask schoolhouse arsenic overmuch arsenic immoderate 1st and 3rd grader does. There is entree to a batch of sports with their friends, tons of downtime connected the weekends with us, and they get to bent with cousins which is truthful amusive (Birdie and my niece are champion friends which brings maine truthful overmuch joy). I’m truthful grateful I get to enactment from location and that they are the ages wherever they tin mostly instrumentality attraction of themselves aft school. I mean, it’s not cleanable each day, and I effort not to docket league calls aft 3 p.m. (probably should person enactment successful an enclosed location office, TBH) but each successful each I deliberation they are happy, steadfast and emotion surviving up here. Do I inactive interest that my occupation and our concern volition marque them spoiled and entitled? Yep. It’s my daily/lifetime conflict to combat it and let’s conscionable accidental the crushed we are getting alpacas and chickens isn’t for amusive oregon nutrient – these kids request immoderate poop to prime up and eggs to gather, afloat halt 🙂 But they emotion surviving connected the workplace and Brian is fulfilling his dreams of seeing them thrust bikes safely successful the vicinity with their friends. I didn’t turn up with neighbors truthful this wasn’t thing important to maine (thus my wanting to unrecorded successful the country) but Brian did and we tin some spot however awesome it is for our kids to person a beardown assemblage truthful young.

Prediction/Expectation #7: Working Remotely In Two States Will Be Great!

Y’all I person bully quality and worldly I request to enactment on. Everything is bully and I’m truthful so truthful grateful that my squad has stayed with me, but I’m learning a batch astir however to tally a concern that is 100% remote, successful 2 antithetic states. They are moving truthful hard but without an bureau abstraction everyone is unsocial and I deliberation that is hard. I deliberation post-pandemic we request much connection, much squad bent clip truthful this twelvemonth I’m going to effort much retreats and much get-togethers to guarantee that everyone feels happy, connected, and moving guardant successful their careers.

Additionally, up until precocious I person been moving connected my ain and person realized that portion I similar unsocial time, I request originative collaboration to thrive. I deliberation that’s wherever a batch of the mistakes/regrets person travel from – from maine feeling creatively dormant and conscionable making decisions to cheque a box. The bully quality is that I person yet recovered a fantastic tiny squad up present – Emily M. and Kaitlin (my photographer) and they person brought my mojo backmost and helped make a equilibrium betwixt enactment and fun. We’ve got a rhythm, it’s helping pump retired reveals, I’ve got my design/styling buddies, and I consciousness excited again. I cognize I tin get truthful engaged that I hide to cheque successful capable with everyone and that is thing I consciousness similar I volition enactment connected for the remainder of my life. I deliberation this volition beryllium different twelvemonth of figuring it retired and trying caller things and that’s ok. I consulted with a precise experienced HR idiosyncratic this year, idiosyncratic who has worked for 20+ years for ample companies and she confirmed what I felt – that determination is nary 1 close mode to bash things and that the champion companies stay flexible, enactment radical first, effort caller things, instrumentality risks and change, fail, determination connected and grow. Of course, I privation that I was learning less lessons this year, but 2 years agone my astrological illustration did accidental that this twelvemonth was going to beryllium remarkably challenging and I’m gladsome that truthful acold it’s not owed to marital oregon household wellness issues.

Prediction/Expectation #8: We Would Love Living At The Farm

WE. LOVE. IT. Every nighttime erstwhile I navigator successful the room oregon bathe successful the beauteous bath I feel, we each feel, SO GRATEFUL. Balancing being grateful and not bragging is hard to bash connected the internet, but spot maine that we consciousness truthful fortunate that this is our location and that I get to walk years decorating, surviving successful and hopefully raising our kids. Let’s drawback you up – we are fundamentally done connected the inside, barring immoderate overgarment changes I’m going to marque and wallpaper going up which you’ll perceive about, and of course, decorating (I haven’t adjacent started immoderate rooms and they lone person leftover furniture). Certain rooms are already truthful fantastic to beryllium in, others are much challenging to fig retired for sure. Right present I’m trying to disagreement my clip betwixt finishing up each country and making large decisions connected the landscaping.

The extracurricular is simply a thing:) What the net doesn’t archer you is that exterior and scenery operation is arsenic costly arsenic the interior. It’s conscionable truthful laborious and requires truthful overmuch machinery. We are truthful grateful to beryllium doing it and precise excited for a batch of it astir the location to beryllium done by spring. But let’s conscionable accidental that we spot disconnected a lot, acold much than predicted truthful I’m backmost to hustling (in a steadfast way??) to beryllium capable to negociate the budget. I punctual myself, daily, that we are intensely fortunate to person this space, but y’all, possibly we didn’t request 3 acres. Like possibly 1 acre is capable space?? Once it’s done, similar giving birth, I anticipation we’ll beryllium settled and tin bask being outside, but the labour tin beryllium achy and that’s ok. It was our prime and I proceed to usage my “to renovate your location is the utmost privilege” mantra. Seeing writer alternatively of mud this outpouring volition beryllium GLORIOUS. When we archetypal recovered the spot 3 years ago, I retrieve telling Brian with sheer excitement successful my eyes – “I’ll person projects for years!!” But that was workaholic pre-pandemic Emily. Some days I inactive consciousness that excitement, others It feels genuinely never-ending and I person to punctual myself to grow the timeline and beryllium good with it taking years (and years).

Obstacles are portion of the journey, y’all. I accidental I’m learning (again) what a batch of you mightiness person already, that having much spot and much location conscionable means much work, much wealth spent, and much maintenance. Of course, our anticipation is that we are investing successful the archetypal plan to look natural, mounting ourselves up for the future, and past successful a mates of years it volition conscionable look similar it’s ever been present and beryllium casual to maintain. And adjacent though those different buildings are perfectly falling down, I cognize I’ll beryllium truly excited to tackle them erstwhile we are done with this location and my brother’s stream location project. We person a creator scheduled to travel and bash a speedy overgarment to marque them look temporarily amended which volition bargain america a fewer years earlier we determine what to bash with them (and of people prevention up for it). Turns retired that location up determination needs to beryllium lifted to enactment successful a full caller foundation, and it ne'er adjacent had electrical oregon plumbing so…

A Big Positive Shift Has Happened

I wrote the archetypal mentation of the station implicit the holidays. But I didn’t consciousness close publishing it. It was beauteous acheronian and negative, contempt my trying to marque my code airy and playful. A mates of weekends agone I went connected a play retreat with immoderate of my closest friends, immoderate books, a journal, and tons of moving my body. And a immense idiosyncratic displacement happened. I hesitate to archer you excessively much, but it was beauteous life-altering and I’m hoping this displacement sticks (it takes regular work). A existent mind/body/spirit acquisition that was really truthful simple. I was berating myself beauteous terribly past twelvemonth and present I’m not. I released those thoughts, surrendered, asked for help, and consciousness wholly and wildly different. Those of you who tin subordinate are nodding heads, others are scratching them oregon eyes are rolling. IYKYK. I person my regular mantras, journal, and meditate and each I tin accidental is that I consciousness similar a unreality has lifted and adjacent connected the darkest and wettest of days I tin spot the affirmative again. On January 4th I was crying to Brian saying that I’m disquieted I mislaid my superpower forever, and I tin honestly accidental that since that acquisition I’m back. It’s a full happening that I’ll archer you astir someday (I work this publication – disregard the screen – if you are funny for yourself). Still processing what happened to thrust maine into that antagonistic space, and what astonishing happening happened that brought maine out, but yes, the adjacent section of my spiritual travel is underway (read this post astir my acquisition successful the Mormon religion if you haven’t). I consciousness beauteous darn excited and afloat of gratefulness and hope. I’ve stopped comparing myself to others (something that was a regular conflict for the past 2 years) and conscionable consciousness truthful overmuch healthier mentally.

So Was Moving To Portland The Right Decision????

YES. I mean, I’m truthful blessed to study that successful February 2023 I really, truly really deliberation Portland is specified a large acceptable for our family. I tin present admit that portion my beingness successful Arrowhead was afloat of easiness and simplicity, near to my ain devices up determination I don’t deliberation I would person challenged myself, creatively oregon personally. I consciousness similar my biggest situation volition beryllium retaining that consciousness of slowness erstwhile deadlines are looming, and y’all I deliberation it’s going OK. Those who person followed for a agelong clip (thank you) volition hopefully consciousness oregon spot a quality – yes, the reveals are much dispersed out, but determination is truthful overmuch much equilibrium which allows maine to emotion it truthful overmuch much again.

Do You Still Miss Arrowhead?

Sure, successful theory, but not the day-to-day ache similar it was astatine the beginning. Time does truly mellow that longing. Plus going backmost doubly a twelvemonth for a chunk of clip (if not more) and knowing that it volition ever beryllium determination helps tremendously. It’s conscionable not our clip close now:) But the information is I deliberation what I loved truthful overmuch astir it was the casual energy, the household time, nature, maine learning however to unbend for the archetypal clip successful my big life, with nary propulsion from a engaged metropolis – and I tin get each of those things present connected the farm. I volition ever miss the greeting plunges successful the wintertime water aft a run, but y’all, we are figuring retired wherever we tin enactment successful a acold plunge, truthful there’s that! While I deliberation astir my summertime fling, close present I americium truthful blessed we chose this beingness for our family.

Thank you 🙂

I told you it would beryllium self-indulgent. I deliberation I conscionable needed to get it out. For those of you inactive reading, convey you. You are the crushed I’m inactive present and I’m SO grateful, particularly for you regular (or weekly) readers. And always, acknowledgment to my squad for being with me, supporting maine much connected the days that I request it, and being unfastened to sharing each our ups and downs which really makes america each consciousness safer, better, and little alone. The ups don’t consciousness arsenic bully without the downs, and portion I don’t archer you everything that is happening successful my idiosyncratic oregon adjacent nonrecreational life, I cognize that I’m not unsocial and neither are you. Thank you truthful overmuch for being here. xx

The station After A Year And A Half In Portland Here’s How It’s Going – Is It Everything We Predicted Or Expected? It’s A Long One… appeared archetypal connected Emily Henderson.