Since mid-February, our life has been all about getting used to a new house and a new dog, adjusting to living among boxes and undergoing a major home renovation, and running around picking out furniture, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, paint, etc. (We’re completely re-doing our kitchen and two bathrooms, and we’re doing work in other areas of the house as well.) But aside from all that, we’ve also explored the area, gone on hikes, hung out with friends, celebrated Passover and just chilled. Below, a taste of our life here.

-M

If I thought packing was tedious, unpacking is a whole different story. Months later we’re still living in a sea of boxes (we can’t completely unpack until our renovations are done), but luckily the girls’ rooms are mostly put together. And perhaps unsurprisingly, Zoe’s room was organized after just a few days of our being here – while Avery needed a bit of coaxing and help to get everything done. (Oldest child, youngest child.)

-M

Because we had a pretty long time between the time our bid was accepted on our new house (early November) and our move-in date (mid-February), we also had plenty of time to emotionally – and actually – prepare for the move.

We chose to move on a long weekend (Presidents Day), and when the date arrived we opted to spend our last night in a very West Portal way – by getting ice cream at the neighborhood institution, Shaws. The next morning Avery and I took one last WP Starbucks run, chronicling our trip on video (because that’s what Gen Zers do), and then posing for pics. There were fewer tears than I expected, and it wasn’t even as hard as I thought it would be when we went back a few days later for our last good-byes. Time for the next chapter!

-M

So I didn’t intend to go this long – three whole months! – without writing. But there was the new job, and the new puppy and then the new house and the renovation. (All during the pandemic, which lingered…) There was so much going on that before I knew what was happening, days and weeks and months had slipped by.

The move?? Though I hinted at it below, I never shared the news here – but after a lot of thought, and 14+ years in our house on Wawona St., we decided to leave San Francisco and move to the Peninsula. I loved living in the city, and especially in West Portal, but we were ready for better weather, more space (and greenery!) and easier commutes (for when we ever go back to work). It was also a natural time to make a change, with Zoe heading to high school next year. We began looking for homes in Burlingame in the early fall, bought a place in November and moved in February.

More on all this soon. But below: a taste of what things looked like around here after the start of the year.

-M