Moment

Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

For this prompt, I'm choosing our moments/span of days where we made the decision to quit our jobs and move to the coast. At the time, moving to support my husband's dream of working in a brewery and turning a page in our relationship, seemed like the best next step for us. Although the dream may have changed, the feelings around moving have not. I'm really glad we had the means to take this opportunity and see what unfolded. I remember driving north on Highway 101 toward Lincoln City, the sun close to setting and the tide rolling in, I couldn't believe that we were about to move here; the views spectacular, the air warm and calm, and the atmosphere light and fun. We stopped at Shucker's Oyster Bar thinking we'd grab a quick bite to eat when we realized A) we were in a bar and not a restaurant, and B) summoned by the locals to "stay here and eat the best oysters in town!" The food wasn't the greatest, but the locals provided great fodder for dinner conversation.

The next few weeks were stressful. We both quit our jobs (I shed a few tears; Andy most likely pumped his fists in the air after his last shift). We had to quickly find a new apartment and pack up our old house. We knew money would be tight for a while, but relied on the little savings and a small credit card we had to give us a boost. After almost 4 1/2 months, we're trying to make our way back to where we call home. Even though coastal living hasn't turned out in our favor, I know that whatever changes we encounter in the future will be met with just as much gusto, and a little more planning than before.