What lengths would you go to find happiness?
That’s such a deep question, I know, but stick with me as I share our journey to find the answer to this question.
It began in mid-January when Jason went into the office for a series of meetings to plan the upcoming horse racing meet, and afterward, they told him his position was eliminated effective immediately and was presented him with a meager severance package. His was one of many positions that were cut (or not replaced) as the company decreased expenses in preparation for a multi-Billion-dollar sale. That sale was announced five-weeks later and took everyone by surprise.
While we were saddened in HOW it came about, we weren’t disappointed that he was finished with that company. In fact, not even 6 hours after it happened, he told me precisely that. He’d been unsatisfied for quite some time.
Within a few days, we knew this “shake up” came into our lives for a reason. It gave us a chance to reassess how we truly wanted life to be. I wrote about it on Instagram:
These are hard questions to answer, but we knew if we wanted to be happy, we needed to do a deep dive into answering them.
- While Virginia served its purpose, it was falling short. It wasn’t a place where we were truly happy. We had no family there, and while we had friends, we were still a long way from having a solid sense of “community” – something that is so important as we age. Virginia’s weather was also a challenge. The summers could get downright oppressive, and this hindered us from going outside, which is something that fuels us mentally and spiritually.
- We no longer wanted a job that required Jason to work every summer. He lived that life for 24 years in the military, took classes both summers we were in Tucson getting his degree, and the horse racing industry required him to work long days every summer. After hitting the pause button⏸, we realized how much we didn’t want that to be “normal” in our life anymore.
- After losing three parents in 30 months, we didn’t want to be so far away from family. We wanted a place where we could celebrate birthdays and special occasions and see loved ones during the holiday season.
- We wanted a location where we could do the things we love to do – fish, hike, and going on “photo safaris” with my camera. We wanted a place where an outdoor life is possible, and the weather isn’t oppressively hot and humid all summer long. And while we went bass fishing in Virginia, it wasn’t the type of fishing we truly enjoy (cold water).
The answers to our questions resulted us deciding to take on another cross-country move 😲 to Jason’s home state of Washington.
👍Family. 🥾Outdoor Adventures.
📷 Scenic Inspiration. 🎣Saltwater, Lake and Stream Fishing.
Goodbye Virginia
We started the 2,900-mile journey around 4:00 PM Tuesday, May 17 and pulled into Jason’s dad’s driveway around 7:15 PM Sunday, May 22. Jason drove a 15-foot U-Haul pulling a U-Haul trailer, and I drove the Ford F150 pulling our 17-foot fishing boat. We logged between 10 and 13 hours of windshield time each day (other than the first) and spent over $3,000 for gas. We drove through long stretches of construction in West Virginia, a downpour in Kentucky, 98F heat in Kansas and a dust storm in Colorado. That dust storm turned into a rain/snow event the following the morning, and we escaped Denver early in the morning only to be delayed a day by the snow in Cheyenne, Wyoming because I-80 was closed.
When we got to our hotel room each night, we were exhausted but safe. And we were happy to be one day closer to the start of our new chapter.
Is Happiness Geographical?
During this move, I remembered something I said to a friend years ago as she moved from location to location. I told her, “Happiness isn’t a geographical location.”
I was, at least, partly wrong.
I now understand that location can be a catalysis for a more joyful life. People, scenery, wildlife, climate and even social cadence vary depending on the location, and we knew (in our guts) that we’d be much happier in the Pacific Northwest.
Some highlights from the last three weeks:
- We moved into our little short-term lease apartment in Lacey. While multi-family living isn’t fantastic (we heard a dog barking from 9:30 – 11:15 PM Monday night), it provided us the ability to move here quickly. Over the next few months, Jason will get established in his new job, and we’ll get familiar with the area because while he grew up here, so much has changed since then. Our apartment gives us time to determine where to buy our next house.
- It’s cold here! 🥶 Don’t laugh: Even the locals are calling it JUNEuary!
- Every week, we’ve spent at least one day with family. It’s been so good to reconnect with them IN PERSON!
- PacNW life means you cannot let the gray drizzle stop you from getting outside. Our first Friday here, we explored Tolmie State Park – a short drive from where we currently live. We got rained on, but it was still a lovely afternoon.
- My favorite outing (thus far) happened on Saturday when we met Jason’s aunt and uncle at Chambers Bay – a walking trail adjacent to the Chambers Bay Golf Course. It definitely helped that it was a warm and sunny day!
So OUR answer to the question, “What lengths would you go to find happiness?” was 2,900 miles. We are officially Washingtonians and are excited to be in the PacNW! Feel free to follow our Instagram account, @BeyondTheGrindLife.
