‘Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.’-J.K. Rowling

Life is a funny thing, you make plans and are content but then something happens and everything changes in an instant. In a single moment, you receive word about the perfect opportunity for a fresh start, a new adventure and you simply cannot say no. So I said ‘yes(!)’ to a new job in Spokane, Washington!

As I have discussed in other posts, I moved to Bend and then things sort of fell apart…heartbreak, homesickness, financial instability, a global pandemic…it was a lot! I realized that Bend was going to be a brief stop on my journey. I decided to give it two years and then Covid hit and, it turned out, Bend was the best place to wade out a pandemic. I started to find my feet, I started working at a great restaurant with amazing people, I had a therapist to discuss my feelings, and I was employed at a job I love, something that would not have been the case if I was still in Philadelphia. But the world started to open again and I was starting to feel claustrophobic. But moving is expensive and I had resigned that I was going to be in Bend another year. I spent a lot of time with my therapist on what this would look like and how I could cope with not being able to see non-summer concerts or theatre productions because they were simply too far away. I was okay with it, truly…I was teaching at a school where the students are amazing, a restaurant where I have made friends, and a new gig making cheesecakes that sell out almost immediately (one of the weirdest parts of the last year, lol). Life was good, not great, but good. That was going to be enough for year three in Bend and then I would figure out my next step.

Then I got an email out of the blue asking if I was still interested in a teaching position I honestly didn’t remember applying to-it had been a year or so. I met with faculty in the department and by the end of the week, I accepted the position. It is not something I foresaw, I mean, I was making plans for the summer and beyond that involved my current address. But life has a funny way of giving you what you need. I will have access to the Broadway touring productions (the moment I move, I am buying season tickets) and concerts. I already bought a ticket to see Eric Church next year. I may have cried…

I will be moving the very beginning of August and it is still very surreal. Saying yes was easy, I felt it in my soul that this was the right choice. A shift I felt when I decided to move to and then move away from Philadelphia. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut and trust you’re on the right path.

My brother is visiting very soon and, while excited to show him around Oregon, it now is a bit of a farewell tour to see the bucket list sights before I move a few hours to the North. And because B and I are seeing so much, I finally have more to share. I know it’s been a bit but between winter, work, and more work, I haven’t really gone anywhere! So stay tuned in the coming weeks as I share this upcoming road trip where I am seeing some things I have only dreamed of. And, as always, never be afraid to be brave and live furiously, you just never know where it will lead!