Hello Dear Friends,

I hope you all are well and are enjoying the last lovely sunshine filled moments that summer offers. We miss you all. It has now been 5 weeks since Justin and I left our home in the Bay Area for a new one in Galway, Ireland. It has been a crazy ride, one with many ups and downs. Everything feels very new and there are more unknowns than I have ever experienced in my life. But I know that Justin and I are both thankful for each one of you who are supporting us from afar and are joining in on this crazy ride with us.

We know that life will get much busier with the start of school, but we hope to keep up this blog as much as we can. Each of us want to write a post at least once a month. But before we really dive into what we have been experiencing the past several weeks, I wished to share something I wrote before we left California. The anticipation of the coming move was a lot for me to handle, but I want to hold onto the perspective I had before the trip because I often find that I can lose sight of my original mindset when I am in the midst of the adventure.

“If it had come down to me I would have chosen Hawaii. It is a familiar place. It feels safe. My grandparents grew up in Honolulu and through them I have come to know and love their childhood hometown. And the weather… If it were down to me I would choose a place that is warm and sunny. Always.

But, alas, the choice was not left to me. The only school I got into was in a place very unfamiliar, very cold and very NOT sunny. Instead of flying to my prefered island, I am flying off to another less ideal one. To Ireland. And I am scared to death- which I think is a good thing. This Silicon Valley, California bred girl will have to adapt to a very alien place, extremely different than the Bay area she knows and loves. Oh, how it will hurt. But oh how I will grow, too. If it had been my choice, I would have chosen an easier path, one that probably wouldn’t have been the right choice for my personal growth and development. Inevitably, this next year or so of my life will be filled with challenges. But I know it will also be filled with a rich, overflowing joy I am yet unable to see. Having faith and taking a somewhat risky leap will make those unforeseen joy-filled moments all the sweeter. I will look back, thankful for the experience which will grow and mold me into the person I am meant to be.

I wrote this in my art journal a few weeks ago, “Dear one, do not fear the unknown, for comfort is the oppressor of all important growth”, because I realize my tendency is to shy away from the unknown. Comfort is something I strive to find, as do we all. Yet, I don’t think I will be able to grow and mature unless I step out of my comfort zone and into the unknown.”

This year Justin and I both have goals as a couple and as separate individuals. As a couple, we really hope that this trip brings us together more and helps us become a better team, who trust in God when things really get tough in life. And as for myself, I hope to grow into an individual who is not so afraid of the unknowns. I want to become a better dreamer and desire to see where my dreams can take me when I choose to take the scary jump into the “what if”. I hope that through the ups and downs, I can become more globally minded, and can have more empathy and insight into others. I hope to learn more about who I am and who I am meant to become. And I hope, more than ever, to learn to see the beauty and magic in this life I have been given.

Thank you very much for joining us on this wild ride.

Let’s take a leap into the unknown together.