Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The Next Chapter

On October 2, 2015, Z and I arrived in Portland, Oregon. A week before, we had left our home and families to drive cross-country to this city we had already fallen in love with.

Driving cross-country | A Hoppy Medium

When we came out here, we committed to a year, knowing we'd eventually want to return to our house, our loved ones, and our cubicles. (We both work remotely for Boston-based companies).


And here we are: even though we extended our time here a teeny bit, it's almost time for us to pack up the car again and make the trek home. I'm very excited for our cross-country trip - we're taking a different route this time, and double the days to see everything we can - and I am so excited to be home with our families. But I never could have guessed how hard it would be to leave our home here in Oregon.

Tumalo Falls in Bend, Oregon | A Hoppy Medium
Tumalo Falls in Bend.

Yes, the scenery, the food, the beer - it's all amazing here. Hell, even the coffee is incredible! All of these things make leaving hard, but the people - the lifelong friends we've made - make it the hardest.





And as I drench my keyboard in bittersweet tears, I am comforted to know we'll be back here. Many, many times. Portland, Oregon has officially become our second home - even if we're not rich enough [yet] to make that officially true. It's our second home in our souls, as cheesy as that sounds. We made some lasting memories and friendships in our year+ here; we have our favorite restaurants, bars, and bartenders; and our favorite day trips, such as to the Coast and hiking through the Gorge.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon | A Hoppy Medium
Multnomah Falls.

If there's one thing I learned from this crazy thing we did - you know, dropping our lives to do something totally different for a year - is that, if you can do something like this: DO IT. We almost didn't. But we were able to make it work, no matter how crazy it sounded in our minds initially. And if you really want to do something like this, you just have to do it. Life's too short not to. I would have totally regretted not doing this, but the worst part would have been not knowing just how life-changing, in the best way possible, this move actually was going to be.

Portland: Thanks for everything. We're sure going to miss you.

7 comments:

  1. What an exciting year for you! I definitely dream of doing something similar. Boston will be happy to have you back, as much as I know you will miss Portland!

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    1. Aw, thank you Meghan! It's such a bittersweet move: sad to leave, but excited to be back in Boston again!

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  2. Aww such a sweet post! Glad you're coming back to Boston, but I've heard such amazing things about Portland and I can see why it will hard to say goodbye! Your photos are gorgeous :)

    Sues

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    1. Thanks, Sues! It was definitely hard to leave, but so psyched to be back in Boston!

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  3. that last photo of the falls...wow!

    you guys rock for taking on this adventure. having fun following along on your road trip! Welcome back to Boston!!

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  4. Very cool that you were able to do this! Welcome back!

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