This is us in our big SUV, packed to the brim, leaving the ‘burbs and heading to to southern CA on July 29, 2019.
Who We Are
We’re an aspiring functional family of four: “The Momma” (Carolyn), “The Daddy” (Dave), the eldest (Tanner), and the youngest (Cole). Our permanent home is in a suburban community outside San Francisco, CA.
Originally from CA, Dave is a national sales manager for a large bank. His flexibility in location of work makes this year possible.
Originally from NY, Carolyn has worked in education in a variety of roles for over two decades, seriously hoping that might help us in our journey!
Why This Journey This Year
This year long journey of ours was born out of my warm wishes for my husband Dave who has provided us with everything we could ever want to achieve our dreams – finances, a great suburban lifestyle, encouragement, support, and companionship. Living in a suburban planned community wasn’t exactly his own dream. He dreamed of raising his kids in a surf town, a ski town, or a city. So, here we are, taking a year to provide him with just a glimpse of those realities, while the boys are still young and impressionable, and we are still able to continue to make our memories.
Our Family Story
Dave and I (Carolyn) met the night before Thanksgiving 2003 at “The Rex” bar in San Francisco, CA. A year later, we went on our first date and set forth on a fast and furious long distance relationship between SF and Houston, where I was living at the time. By February 2005, we were engaged, in the spring of 2005 we moved in together in Phoenix, AZ for Dave’s job promotion, and on Christmas Eve 2005 we eloped, By January 2006, we were homeowners in Scottsdale, AZ, and by Valentine’s Day, I was pregnant with our eldest, working part time from home and traveling for academic leadership and teacher development. In 2009, along came our youngest, and another promotion for Dave brought us from Scottsdale back to San Francisco for two years. Our small-ish condo for our family of four sent us looking to the suburbs for more peace and space which we found in May of 2012.
Along the way, we learned through lots of ups and downs that love is a decision, and life, love, and the gift of great people in your lives are not to be taken for granted. As a result, we try to seize each moment of every day (or week?!), living to it’s fullest potential in any way possible – even in the tough moments. When things are down, we strategize for a better way or get help. When things are up, we love to share the joy with others. Most of all, we’re always making memories with lots of family and friends in the hopes that one day we can look back and smile on the full life that was lived with no regets.