Be careful what you wish for, they say 🙂

Little did I know, when I was typing my last post a little over a year ago, that the day I composed it would be the day that I would become pregnant with my son, who is now snoring into my chest in a baby carrier as I write this.

Amazing how things work out sometimes, huh?

Obviously, with a baby, there is little time to write or even just reflect on things much, between playtime and naptime and diaper changes and walks (bundling up a baby for temperatures that are in the teens or even single digits takes forever!) and laundry and breastfeeding sessions that sometimes feel like they are nonstop. I do manage to make some simple food every day, even if it’s just oatmeal or a sheet pan of roasted veggies, do the dishes once in 24 hours, and shower almost every morning. I’d call that a success.

The pregnancy and the baby’s birth and the first three months of his life have of course been the biggest changes in our lives over the past year. However, there may be other changes coming down the pike. We will try to travel more (with my job, I could easily become a digital nomad), maybe even move. The latter would definitely make the name of this blog obsolete, wouldn’t it?

To be honest, I am not the one initiating these prospective changes; P. is. While I would love to travel, I have very mixed feelings about the possibility of leaving the valley behind for good. We’ve only been here 6 years, and it took us another 3-4 years or so to plan our move here. This was a dream come true, for both of us. I remember our first New Year’s here, when we were still in the process of moving. We could not believe our good fortune; could not believe that we were really saying goodbye to 2015 and greeting 2016 in a cabin off a rural road outside of Twisp, with snow drifts up to our windows – a cabin that we could call home for at least the next year, that was going to serve as our foothold in the Methow.

So, I try not to think about leaving forever. Instead, I’m focusing on new adventures that may await us, travel within the States and abroad. The Methow feels like a second home to me. I’ve met some really special people here. And, the natural environment in this little valley nestled up against the North Cascades continues to amaze with its beauty. There are so many trails here I haven’t hiked, so many mountains I haven’t climbed, meadows I haven’t walked through. And, it is a great place for a kid to grow up. I hope that the Methow remains a sort of a home base for us, always, or at least for many years. But, the reality is that we may end up leaving – and possibly coming back after some time away. Stay tuned!