one year ago

what can change in a year; a job? a house? the city/state/time zone you live in?

how about all of the above?

yes, a year ago at this time, we were in the middle of executing our plan to move from Washington back to New Hampshire. we finished and sold the house, moved the trucks and cats, our posessions were en route, and i flew back to Washington for a few weeks.

i’d given notice at WaMu, and i was keeping myself busy by finishing up a few small projects. i was in startlingly good shape due to recent extreme amounts of physical labor, but adding stress and sunburn meant i was also nursing shingles.

the next chapter

at the time i described this change as “Mike and Carrie, Act II” or “Mike and Carrie, Return of the Jedi” something like that. do i regret spending 6 years in Washington? why on earth would i. do i regret not doing more with those 6 years? almost every single day.

now i’m realizing, since we’re making this up as we go, that this past year in New Hampshire hasn’t really been the start of Act II. it’s been time spent outlining Act II. we’ve been building (metaphorically), investing in what will be the next stage of our lives.

• a new house that meets our needs, and presents us with challenges, yet provides us opportunities? looking.
• a new tier of career development for carrie? waiting for the CPA test results.
• a new model for how i do my business? freelancing is finally taking off.

any surprises in store for Act II? undoubtedly. here’s a hint: you’ll never guess who luke’s father is.