We’ve Moved (One Last Time!)

Hi there! How was your summer? If you’ve noticed the radio silence over here, you haven’t imagined it. 

We’ve moved again! This time for good. If you’ve been following along for any length of time, you know that last summer we packed up our things in Chicago and moved across the country to Salt Lake City, Utah for my husband’s final year of surgical training.

After five years of downtown living, life changed a lot. Weekend walks in the city and along the lakeshore were replaced with long hikes, downhill skiing, and everything else the mountain west has to offer. 

It was a welcome change in a period of immense uncertainty, but was hard all the same and came with a lot of adjustments. 

Within just weeks of moving, we started the process of traveling and interviewing for job openings all over the country. At this point, we were considering just about everything: heading back to Chicago, moving back to the East Coast, heading further West, tiny towns, big cities, the works.

It is an exciting, yet daunting position to find yourself in after years of not having much say in the matter. It was a lot to consider at once, but we quickly realized that a slower pace, smaller town or city, and access to outdoor recreation were our top priorities. What can I say? We caught the mountain bug. 

Fast-forward many, many months and decisions later and I’m excited to share that we have settled and moved to Bend, Oregon. It has been quite a journey to get here, but we feel very lucky to call this vibrant mountain town our new home. As you can imagine, it feels a bit surreal. In less than ten years, we’ve lived in four states, four different cities, and moved seven times. 

If you’ve stuck around here since the beginning, bless you!

I cannot describe the enormous relief we both feel to finally put down roots, particularly after the tumultuousness of the past year or two. What’s been happening? Well, we’ve been busy settling into our first home (no more unpacking!), enjoying much-needed time off together and with family, and taking care of the many tasks that accompany a big move. 

It has been a distracting year (to put it mildly), but it feels wonderful to settle and have the opportunity to be back in a kitchen (it’s a good one, sneak peek below!) that inspires me once again. 

Our new home has several fruit trees, an unexpected dream come true, and I’ve gotten back into sourdough baking and have even dipped my feet into canning homemade pear butter and plum jam. Life comes at you fast! 

Thank you for your support and endless patience over the rollercoaster of this past year, especially since I’ve taken long and unexplained breaks from this space. There has been a lot going on behind-the-scenes.

We’ve done a lot of soul searching along the way, but are grateful to start this new chapter and land in such a wonderful place. More to come! 

Thanks, as always, for being here! xx