The Gig

Our first six months in the Gig Harbor house are officially in the books. I'm pleasantly surprised by how little I miss the city. We love it here. Having space for our boys to roam is amazing. They love playing in the yard, picking blackberries at the Stonebridge, riding bikes down the street and seeing their grandparents every week. I love working out at the YMCA, being a five minute drive from Costco and Target and having my lifelong best friend within reach. I'm not sure how long it will last but since we've recently moved we've had a ton of visitors. It's amazing actually being able to put a guest up in a bedroom (with a bathroom at that!) and have a kitchen space that seats more than 4. Since I still work at Children's my connection with my Seattle life still exists and I don't feel nearly as isolated as I feared I would.

I am extrovert at heart and my relationships are what give me life. The move has been both wonderful and difficult in that regard. One of the most important friendship I've developed over the past few years is Danielle. I was worried about how the move would effect our relationship, and still am. I know it was hard for her that I moved away and she felt a little betrayed. I would have felt the same way if the roles were reversed. Though things are certainly a little different, we're still close and with a little effort I'm hopeful we will continue to be. In my book there is always a way to make it work when a real and meaningful friendship is at stake. Even if we don't see each other as often, when we do things pick up where they left off. When I think about the friendships I'm no longer able to maintain I feel thankful for the time I spent with those girls, the ideas they shared with me and the way they supported me during a period in my life. 

At the same time, I am able to invest more time into some really special relationships down here, Rachel, Katie, Steve and Paula. Being close to Rachel after living an hour apart for the last eight years is amazing. The two of us have been through so much together that I always feel more complete when we're closely connected. Having Katie just down the road and a text message away when I need to get out of the house saves my sanity. I've met a few new people and just joined a MOPS group to help build more community.  Being close to Steve and Paula is another wonderful gift. They are such kind and loving people, I enjoy the time we're able to spend with them and the way they're able to be involved in our boys lives.

Commuting to work is actually not that bad at all. I vanpool with a group of people from work which breaks up the drive. We meet in Federal Way, which is about half way for me. So I get some time in the car by myself, which I generally enjoy, and some time in the van to sleep, chat or relax. To be at work by 7 am I have to get up around 4:30, which is definitely the hardest part. It's doable since it's only a few days a week but adding the commute to a 12 hour shift certainly makes for a long, exhausting day. I am committed to the work we do at Seattle Children's and love working there so I don't see myself making a career move anytime soon.

I will say that living in a larger house comes with it's share of first world problems. The cleaning and yard work are difficult to maintain and my boys are hard at work destroying the walls and carpet. My iroomba vacuum cleaner scratched the shit out of the hardwood floors in every room of the house. It's infuriating but I know that it's not something worth getting upset over when I think about the bigger picture. Living in a gated community without a ton of diversity is something I'll need to be continually conscious of as we raise the boys. I want them to know that this isn't exactly normal and to instill in them a deep respect for all people.

I think my favorite thing about Gig Harbor is that it has the small town feel. You run into people you know at the grocery store and people talk to each other when they're waiting in line. When people are walking in our neighborhood they wave at the people driving by. It's nice feeling open and connected to the people around me. And I love that nowhere you go is crowded. I took the boys to the farmers Market one day and it really hit me how much I like being away from mass amounts of people. We parked right across from where we wanted to go and could take our time looking around the market. The Ballard farmers market was so chaotic that I stopped going. Tons of people and no room for a stroller, it was too much. The Gig Harbor one is right on the water and a lovely way to spend an afternoon wether you need produce or not. Turns out I'm kind of a small town girl at heart.

I loved living in Seattle and there are certainly things I miss, notably Greenlake, my girlfriends and being 20 minutes from work but Gig Harbor is pretty great. I love our new home and the community we are apart of. It's a wonderful place for our boys to grow up and I'm looking forward to the many memories our family will create here.