Monday, May 11, 2015
People have been asking me daily how I'm feeling about moving to Toronto. In the past weeks, I would say that I don't feel too much emotion because it doesn't feel real. If anything, I've been a bit excited at the new adventures that lie ahead. But this is our last week at home in San Diego. We move out of our house on Friday. After that, we will spend about a week with my family in Visalia before we fly to Toronto. I'm finally starting to feel the sadness and the pain of not being surrounded by the amazing friends and family that we have here. It's starting to feel real.
I think moving is easy when you don't have much tying you down. But our lives in San Diego and California are so firmly grounded and surrounded by amazing people and family, we are crazy for leaving. We are leaving because Johan has had a dream for a long time. Of doing something bigger with his career in cancer research. Of learning more, and being part of something bigger, not just clocking in and out of a 9 to 5 job. I am on board with this move because I know that working for a Biotech startup, and particularly this amazing startup, is his dream.
What's yo dream? (Blurb from Pretty Woman), I don't know what my purpose will be in Toronto. I don't have a plan. The easy plan would be to get an engineering job, but I'm not planning anything just yet. Maybe I'll start another Etsy store and sew, or tutor math and physics, maybe I'll be part of some type of church ministry, who knows but God? All I know is that I'm excited for this new opportunity for Johan and our family, yet I'm saddened beyond belief that we will be so far away from my family, and the most amazing group of friends, neighbors, and church family one could ever wish for.
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| Our BFF's, and pastor Aaron, being silly. |
I mean, the people in our lives are just so gracious and loving it's almost unthinkable that it even exists. I, on a regular basis, think to myself "how did I ever get so lucky to find such amazing friends and family?" Before we left, we had a going away prayer night at our house and pretty much our entire church showed up. They brought food, babysitters, drinks, fancy cakes for dessert. I mean, come on, how much more can you say "I love you" than with showering people with amazing food? We cried a lot that night. Our friends cried, we just love everyone so much and they mean so much to us. It was sweet to even see our pastor cry as he prayed over dinner. You don't realize that you mean so much to people until you experience them all in your house at once, and they're there for you.
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| Some of our beautiful friends |
I do have to say, my bread and butter (I totally stole that from you, Carolyn Wooten, but it's so true!) are my girlfriends. I'm like a scarecrow and they're my supports when I need them. They've shown me what unconditional love looks like in friendship. They always prioritize loving one another over everything else. When someone had a crisis the first question is always "how can we love and support you?" Their presence in my life has shaped me into who I am today. I used to despise girls. In high school and early college, to me, they were just people who gossiped, were vain, materialistic, etc, etc. Those were my experiences with not all, but many females and I wanted nothing to do with them. But somehow I won the lottery. I found my girlfriends who took me in, and loved me for who I was (stubborn mule and all), and helped soften my heart. Now I can't imagine a life without them.
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| Supporting Ella read her short story at the Whistle Stop |
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| My surprise birthday dinner |
Johan, my amazing introvert husband, also is blessed to have better guy friends than I could ever hope for him to have. They meet for breakfast every Tuesday morning and talk, pray, and just share life together. They are amazing because they are so wise and loving. They don't push their opinions on him when he's in a crisis, but they help him make the best decision for him, by helping lead him into it, instead of making it for him. I am so thankful for them and how much they invest in my husband's life.
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| Doog and Johan |
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| Surf buddies |
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| The Sweetest Scandinavians |
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| Pappas in Yosemite |
Then there's my family. My crazy, lovely family. I will miss them all. My brothers, Dad, and very much Mom. But we don't have to say goodbye to all of them yet because we'll be spending a week with them in between the move.
We are lucky. We are blessed. And we're crazy for leaving. Goodbye, California, and San Diego. We never imagined that our lives would be so full of love and goodness because of you. We hope for even more of that goodness to be experienced in Toronto. It will be very hard to beat, but we know God has plans for us there, that they are temporary, that we're coming back one day, and his plans are always good.
