it has reached the time to leave san francisco and see what else california has to offer. i say that in a very passive way because we have been given opportunity to stay, but feel like it is time to leave. we have learned to love this city and it may have finally started to love us. but in this sweet year of travel, we have decided we need to move on.
it seems like we have been in san francisco for a long time. and we have. we came in the youth of fall and are leaving in the middle of winter (although this weather has certainly confused us)! so much life and transition and learning has been done here. we met amazing people and developed deep friendships with them. we learned new skills, how to be even more hipster, and what small space looks like. our definition of home changed while we were here.
we showed up on my birthday with the whole city seeming fresh and new. for the first two weeks we went on walks in all of the various neighborhoods just trying to figure out things like how pacific heights blended with the marina. or how to get from the mission to our house without going through the sketchy parts.
chris mastered the commute to san mateo knowing exactly when to leave our place to get to work on time. i mastered the commute down to my class at general assembly in the evenings. we learned the value of quarters for laundry and dollar bills for the bus although i was always one quarter short of a dryer load. golden gate park has the treads of my sneakers in its path from our house to the beach and back on countless runs. and the pie shop probably knows our names. i drool just thinking of that pear caramel pie.
we were able to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and niece a few times. we saw elephant seals (gross), hiked in marin, camped all over the place, and even made it down to joshua tree and san diego. on days where we stayed closer to home we found peace and space at land’s end or the presidio. it was so wonderful to be in the middle of a city but able to escape to these places at a moment’s notice.
it is amazing what a short four months can do. i still can’t believe all that happened in that short time but it also feels like a very long time. i am so very happy to say that it felt good to pack up our apartment, throw it all in the car and move on. southern california will house us for the next few months which is somewhere i never thought we’d live.
so, we transition away from big city life, public transit, wonderful friends, an amazing church, and the hills of san francisco but i know with all my heart that God has something for us here in southern california. he will reveal himself in new and expected ways. and we will be transformed again. this i love.
remember your wellies 
❤