The things we leave behind...

As Z and I first began planning our escape from the East Coast, it was very easy to talk about how we wouldn't miss a thing. We were above it all. We would leave and never look back. While I would love to say I still feel this way, the truth is there are MANY things I will miss about this part of the country.

When I say things, what I mean to say is people.

In the last five years, we have forged some truly great friendships. I don't know about you, but I find that as an adult it is SO MUCH harder to make friends. Over the course of our time here, we have met some great people. People who love us, quirks and all. These people have meant a great deal to both me and Zach and as we get closer to leaving, I am finding myself feeling awfully sentimental!

I have also had the great pleasure of being in the Brooklyn-based band "Modern Medical Miracle" which was founded by our great friend, Alan Markley. The band helped me get back in touch with my musical roots and got me performing again, for which I am so grateful! Alan's music is fun and catchy and I hope that they will continue to find fans long after I am gone.

Z has also had the pleasure of a great job. He has been working for TK Music, a local lesson studio in Nutly, NJ for the last three years. The owners, Tom and Kyong, made Zach feel welcome from the very beginning. The kids just finished up their annual rock show last night and it was such a success!

It is hard to say goodbye to all of this. I used to not want to admit that I was leaving anything good behind, but that would diminish the great times we've had. Thank you to all our friends for the great memories!

Here We Go!

Hello there. This is my first post of what I hope will be a fun account of the upcoming summer. My husband, Zach and I have been living the New York area for five years. After commuting to New York City everyday to a job I have no love for, we have decided that the urban life is not for us. Being from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, we miss the mountains, water and (gasp) the rain!

Our plan is to put our things in storage and hit the road! We will be traveling from mid-August to a time yet to be determined! I am looking to get out of my current line of work (banking, ugh!) and into something that I can be excited and passionate about. Time will tell how this will end, but I choose to be hopeful.

Right now, my brain is filled to the brim with planning for our move. We must be out of our apartment by the end of July and now that July 1 is a mere four days away, I am looking around at all of our precious belongings and freaking out! It is time to weed out, people! It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in five years. When Zach first came to New York, all of our worldly possessions could fit in the back of our Subaru Outback. Now we have overflowing closets and bookshelves. My task is to do a little everyday, in hopes that when my vacation comes around on July 24, we can pretty much just load the moving truck.

Zach's tasks have more to do with the car. We need new brakes before we hit the road, as well as a stereo that has an Ipod input. He has next week off, so we'll see how he does on his chores!

I hope you enjoy reading about our progress... I'll try to keep it interesting! I feel so excited about the future that I'm sure there will be lots of over sharing! :)Thanks for reading... see you soon!