Movin' on out...

We have some big news.

In late September/early October of this year, the boy and I will be paring down our stuff, packing up the rest of it, and moving out west. To Vancouver.

This decision has been a couple of years in the making. Actually, the trip we took a year and a halfish ago was supposed to sell me on the idea. There are so many great things about Vancouver - environment-wise, climate-wise, culture-wise - but for me, this move is less about the destination and more about the move itself.

I love Toronto. I love all my friends in Toronto. My family is here. But I was reminded recently about why I studied German, of all things, in high school. It wasn't because I planned to specifically live in Germany, but it was definitely because I had never planned to live my life in one place. After my sister was born - just before I started college - I'd put those thoughts aside because I did not want to leave her. She is now 16, soon going to be starting college or university herself, and I finally feel ready to stretch my wings.

There is so much scariness that comes along with making this type of move in your mid-30s. Thankfully, we are not in a position to have to sell a house (we rent) or to uproot a child (we're DINKs!), and we look forward to changing things up in our careers. I plan to look for a designer position with a company that aligns with my own ethical views (they are out there!) and the boy plans to do freelance web development. We also plan to take in a lot of nature in the way of hiking, camping and biking. And Seattle is only a couple of hours away!

It is with much sadness that I leave all my loved ones - but what better time is there in our history to make this sort of jump? With the online presence of blogs, flickr, Facebook, we'll be able to stay in frequent contact with everyone "back home".