Anne Van: Change is Good!

I’ve been MIA from the blog for far too long but I have a good reason. I’m making a huge life change in 2014. I’m moving to Southern Oregon! In the spring my husband and I are packing up our antique filled Victorian home in the big city and moving to the country.

We’ve lived in Pasadena California for over 15 years and we’ve been itching for a change. We went up to Southern Oregon on vacation in September and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. We fell in love with the friendly people and the beautiful countryside. We went up again in November to look at houses and flipped over a beautiful lodge home high in the hills of Grants Pass. We put in a low offer not expecting the seller to accept it but she did!

I’m a country girl at heart so the move is something I’ve been dreaming about but never thought would actually become a reality. The last couple of months have been filled with a few “OMG we did it” moments, and several major to-do lists. During the holidays I’ve been squeezing in time to say good-bye to some wonderful friends. It’s tough to leave a place I’ve enjoyed for so long but I knew it was time to do something big. From the moment we drove around the countryside of Southern Oregon it felt like home. Parts of it reminded me of Colorado, where I lived for seven years, and the other of upstate New York where my family is from. It also has a little bit of California thrown in so there isn't a ton of rain like in the northern part of Oregon and the winters are mild. Southern Oregon seemed like the perfect place to start a new chapter in my life.

I have a lot of work ahead of me purging years of stuff tucked up in the attic. I also have a house full of collections and antiques I need to pack. But I wanted to let my faithful blog readers know I’m alive and well. I’m crazy busy but I’m looking forward to my new life in the country. My office has a view of a small stream with a waterfall. It’s going to be a wonderful place to write.