We are officially moved out of the state of Washington. As I think about our experience over the past five years, there is much we will come to miss. Some really obvious, like Mt. Rainier (well I suppose only obvious when the clouds are gone), and some that I didn't really think about. We will miss familiar faces at the Starbucks at the Commons, Chipotle, Terreros, and Panera our favorite spots. We will miss passing kids on the streets and taking a double take to make sure we don't know them. And I'm sure there are 1,000 other things we're going to miss that we don't even know yet.
Although there is some bitterness about moving, I find myself being incredibly grateful for this experience. I'm grateful for the last several years that have led up to this point. Graduating college, moving to Washington, joining AmeriCorps, getting married, working with youth, people of poverty, and a Spanish speaking community, Clint and I growing together and individually through our service experience, meeting lots of people who guided us and supported us along the way, and lastly, our year as youth mentors.
I feel grateful that we have such a supportive family because without them we wouldn't be able to take this trip. Some are watching our dogs, some are helping us financially, some are taking care of our most treasured valuables, and some are just cheering us on. All of which are important.
We are really grateful for the time off. To discover what it's like to live in a different culture. To experience being students again. And most of all to slow down, take it all in, and fill ourselves up again after giving 100% to others for the past 4 years. And to do all of this TOGETHER! This couldn't have come at a more perfect time.
