Life has been passing by so quickly these past few weeks and it's hard to believe we'll be moving back less than a month. The reality of it is hitting!
A lot of people have been wondering what we'll be doing, why we are moving home, and so forth. In a short answer, it's simply to give Colin a year off from teaching to see if he can start a new career in the field of writing. While teaching has been a good career these past nine years, writing is his passion and love. He also loves the outdoors and being in nature, so he's yearned for a job that would allow him more time to get out there and enjoy it. With a full time job and two kids, he has been unable to write like he would hope he can. Removing the full time job allows him this time and the opportunity to really evaluate what he would like to pursue for the next 5+ years.
Who knows, as Colin has said, he might go back to teaching some day. But for now, he needs this break. This sabbatical. A mini retirement. A change.
Another reason we are moving is that we miss home. While living in Oman has been AMAZING in so many, many ways, we are Pacific Northwest people. We like gray skies and drizzly days. We want to put on sweaters, pants, and boots. The stormy ocean and misty forests call to us. We miss green. Lots of it. We miss the mountains, the snow, the seasons. We mostly miss Fall.
We also want to garden and grow some vegetables. Colin is ready to brew beer again. We want to take care of our own home again. To go to Farmers Markets, to get outside and hike/camp/paddle. While we have savored the ability to travel to other countries while living overseas, we want to explore more of the US. There is a lot to see there.
Back home is also wonderful friends and family who we miss seeing. With Aberly and Emalyn still young and fun, we want them to be around their grandparents, uncles, and aunt (just one right now), and eventual cousins. It's been hard to miss big events back home, like my best friend having both her kids.
So what will we do when we get back? Well, that's a bit of an unknown, but that is exciting. There are lots of opportunities and options during this year of transition.
We'll settle back in this summer and do lots of the fun things Oregon has to offer. We'll be grateful when August rolls around and we don't have to pack up again. Aberly will start kindergarten. Colin will figure out what his writing schedule will look like. He'll do some odd jobs, like subbing and being a waiter, to keep income coming in (we have saved a lot but will still work a bit). I'll be home part of the day with Emalyn and then see if I can pick up some part time work myself to earn some money. We'll use our flexible schedule to visit more relatives we haven't seen for a long time. Take a few road trips. We'll live.
And we'll be excited to see all of you back home that are reading this, and we'll miss all of you here that are reading this. It's bittersweet leaving. While there are so many things we are excited about in moving home, we are sad to leave such a great school community here, we are sad to leave the friends we've made outside of the school.
But that is life. People come and go. Especially in the international system. But technology will keep us connected and we don't believe, truly, that leaving people here will be the end of our friendships. We hope, and will work, to stay connected and visit people when the opportunities arise. And we really hope they will.
So there it is. There's the story. At least some of it. But I hope that helps answer some questions, gives reasons, and shares were we are in life and were we hope to go.
