Four years ago today we moved to the Bay Area. We were ready for a change and excited to leave Corvallis. We set our expectations low and said, "it will only be for two years." We quickly discovered that our new home was not scary at all and we met some great people through a church that we found. The weather was gorgeous, there was a lot to do, and we were enjoying our little adventure as newlyweds.

The years flew by. Our group of friends became a revolving door for Stanford grad students and young professionals. We started saying goodbye to great people and welcoming new ones. There were many shared meals, holidays, milestones, trials, and celebrations.

Now there are eleven days left before we leave it all behind and move to Portland. As I am packing up our apartment while Jonathan is at work, I'm getting very sentimental. I'm realizing that we will be having our last Posh Bagel Saturday soon. Our last neighborhood walk with the dog, our last Sunday morning at church, our last home group night, our last dinner with the Littaus. All these babies we have known since birth will grow up and we won't see them again. We knew this time would come, but I hope we don't forget our time here. I know it will soon feel like a distant memory. I'm glad we have our little Quinnie as a souvenir of sorts of our time here. Our little California girl. I also hope that we return for visits frequently.

When I went on a ten-day backpacking trip in Canada in high school, there was a quote that our guide shared with us that I like to recall when an important season in life comes to a close. Here it is:

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
― René Daumal

We will miss you Bay Area. The people and the place.