Going. The beginning.

"It's simply a very romantic place. Just one look at any of those streets, and you couldn't be anywhere else -- it's so beautiful, and there's that location, and the sense of the free spirit. Who couldn't become ravenous in such a place?"

~Julia Child about San Francisco

I am going to keep telling this story,
so if you'd care to listen,
I hope you'll come back again.

Let me tell you how this all started.
I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
I was raised 25 minutes outside the city.
I went to college 4 miles from the hospital I was born in.
and when I graduated, I had every intention of moving away.

But somehow, I landed this really fantastic job.
And the company was headquartered 2 miles from my house.
A half a billion dollar a year company, with 55 worldwide offices,
and I go to work in my backyard.

7 months into the role, they sent me to San Francisco.
I was expecting the same sort of vibe and buzz I had seen in other large cities.
Public transportation, an endless landscape of skyscrapers and coffee shops,
taxis, homeless people, moving moving moving.

But when I stepped foot on the sidewalk,
I learned I already knew the city.
I knew the faces that passed me on the street.
I knew which sandwich place would be my favorite.
Without knowing why or how, I knew the smell, the energy, the taste of the city.
It was like meeting the love of your life and knowing it immediately.

And so my love affair with San Francisco began.
I spent every hour that I wasn't working, just walking.
Wearing the soles off my shoes up and down the streets.
I'd wake every morning early, grab a cup of coffee and my scarf,
and find a tall building to lean up against.
I'd sit quietly for 20 minutes watching people pass on their way.
Meditating on the life of the place.

As the years passed, I found myself going back more often.
Thankful that a vast number of technology expos and conventions are held
at the Moscone on third street.
Airplanes across the sky, taking me back to the arms of my city.

Brent couldn't take my mad ramblings any longer.
It was time he understood.
The next time I had business in San Francisco, we bought a ticket for him to go along.
Just wait... I said. I wanted him to just know it. Feel it too. more than anything.

As I spent my days under the florescent lights of a convention center,
he was out walking the streets. Just as I had done before.
He was breathing in the life. Falling in love. Understanding.

How can we do it? We kept whispering at night before closing our eyes.
How can we make it happen?
I spent months researching jobs but didn't see anything that really felt right to me.
And so we began to band-aid ourselves against the realization that maybe we'd never make it.
We love Raleigh.
Love the charm of our small city, the joy of friendships, the closeness of family.
We had nothing left to discover here. But it was comfortable and happy.

We starting looking to buy a house.
Ready to admit our defeat and settle into a place with a nice backyard for the dogs.
Deep down inside, both of us knew the truth.
and we just kept on saying prayers

We kept looking at houses.
Nothing seemed perfect. Nothing screamed “I'm your house! Buy me!”
and then, like a speeding train...
news.
There is a marketing position opening in our West office.
And just as quickly. “It's yours. Pack your bags.”
I came home that evening and said... we're moving, I said. we're going.

It's a dream realized. And we're constantly pinching ourselves.
Currently, we're research what downtown neighborhood best fits us
and how much can we afford for an apartment.
There is so much to do here.
So much material stuff we need to shed before starting our new adventure.

Currently, I move between overwhelming excitement and the fear of leaving all I've ever known behind.
My friends are everything to me.
Who will I laugh with over a cheese plate and a bottle of Rioja?
Where will I go when I just want to listen to music and eat candy and feel warm?
My husband is my heart, but I need the love and support of my friends almost as much.
The light of my parents and grandparents, how long will it be between our visits?
I need to find a new pet sitter. A new hair stylist. A doctor.

So much newness ahead of us.
So many undefined things.
And yet, I find comfort in what is defined.
I have my husband, and my animals, and my bicycle – all together in San Francisco
And I'll still chase dust bunnies around our hardwood floors,
and complain about how long Gibson takes on potty breaks
and ask Brent to sing to me before we fall asleep.
We'll be in love. In the city we love.

We have so much to do before the end of June.

M