surfacing again

The Pearsons Four (and our Cat, Ellie) are new residents of Berkeley, CA.  How we got here is a roundabout, crazy story about four creative introverts trying to find where we fit.  A big part of that search included Matthew encountering an opportunity that he felt was too hard to pass up: he is working for Airbnb as a user experience researcher.  This work is what he most enjoyed doing in grad school, and he thought he might never get to do anything so close to his interests again.  So, we took the plunge and arrived in the Bay Area about a week ago.  Leaving good friends and an organization we love and support was by no means easy.  We've all felt the pain of such an ambivalent move.

We think that Northern California has a ton to offer and our family is well suited to lots about this place: we get to be driving distance to G's family, we all LOVE the climate (and the lack of Texas sized mosquitos), and we enjoy living in a college town near a big city.  We have a TON to learn and figure out: this is the first time Matthew has ever had a commute, we have to re-settle into schools in CA, and I (G) will have a lot to discover about on what and how to balance my focus during the next year or so (finish grad school? make more of creative opportunities that have just come my way here in SF? plant an edible garden in our back yard?).  

The kids are handling the move pretty well, but there is a natural cost that comes with uprooting. That part is hard, and these days are filled with highs and lows.  We have two weeks before school starts, which will give us some time to settle in, unpack, and hopefully do some exploring of our new spot in CA.  There's a lot to share about the adventure of getting here. And hopefully when we settle a bit I can  write a bit more about all of that.  For now, just pray for us that we can experience all of this transition and newness well, as a team, and with as much grace and mutual support as possible.  XO, G