Goodbye, Seattle!

Last week we decided that it's about time we moved back to the SF Bay Area.  We should be gone by the end of Spring. 

*Big Sigh*

We've been living in Seattle for almost four years now and despite all of the amazing things this city has to offer, it just hasn't been a good fit for several reasons, like:

- Six-month long winters dominated by gray skies (Dec. to June or July, seriously)
- The Seattle Freeze
- Lack of diversity
- Little or no sarcasm to be found

But I will miss many things about this town, like the awesome Children's Museum, the Woodland Park Zoo, the wading pools in the summer, the wonderful libraries, the clean air, the view of the Cascades and Olympics, the laid back attitude, the coffee, Greenlake, the Spring bloom, easy access to hiking, skiing, and kayaking, the friendliness, Paseo, my neighborhood, the slower pace, the mellow drivers, and all of the restaurants we never had time to try.  I have to admit, despite all the things that bother me about this town, Seattle trumps the bay area on quality of life.  If only we had family here, we might just have stayed a little longer.

We're headin' south to where our people are.  To the land of traffic jams, outrageous housing costs, and long waiting lists for preschools.  But it's home.  It's our community. It's where the majority of our family lives (my family, anyway), and it's where most of our friends are.   

I'm sad to say goodbye to the good friends we've made since moving here, some who've become almost like family to us.  And it breaks my heart to uproot Kiku from everything she's ever known.  But happier parents make for happier kids, right?

Well, it seems like a good time to start a new blog, because we'll soon be starting a new life. 

Goodbye, Seattle.  Hello California!