These feet were made for wandering.
In the past two years, I've spent a lot of time writing about simplification. I've written about simplifying my life, over and over again, as new changes and developments changed the way I organized my time and lived my life. It's been a process, and one that is nowhere near over, but one which has reached a very real, very tangible turning point. One thing I've realized over the four years that I've lived in Chicago is that true change doesn't happen on its own. You make choices, choices that change the course of your world, and it is only with those decisions that new paths can be forged. Inaction only fosters inaction.
Joe and I climbing mountains in Colorado last year.
So. I've taken the reins, bit the bullet, and endless other cliches, and have made a few decisions regarding my life. I've also made a few decisions regarding my summer vacation, however, so maybe we can ease into it by discussing those first. Next week I'll be heading out to Colorado (much as I did last July) to spend a week with my family in the mountains that I know best. I can't wait to be in familiar territory, with my favorite people in the world. The midwest may have my life, for now, but the Rocky Mountains will always have my heart (and my increased lung capacity from living in high altitudes for so long!).
After Colorado, I will only have two more weeks of living in Chicago. After a year of weekend commuting, dual rents and dueling homes, I've decided to move, officially and completely, to Joe's little corner of the midwest. We're moving to a new house in mid-August, and I'll arrive a few days before the move. I'm excited, terrified, and incredibly ready for this next wonderful step in our lives. One thing I've realized this year is that living in two places, and driving as much as I've been driving, is not the best path to a simpler life.
La Paz, Bolivia, in 2006
But first! Between my family vacation in Colorado and my move to small-town life, I'll be spending ten days in Ecuador with Joe. It's something we had talked about when he first decided to go, but we put it aside because it seemed so impractical considering all the other changes about to take place. But the more I thought about it (and the more my mom encouraged me to think about it, thank you again), the more I realized that this opportunity will not come up an unlimited number of times, and if I'm taking the bull by the horns this summer, I may as well ride the damn thing all the way to South America. I haven't been to the region for years, and it's an area very near and dear to my heart, so I'm incredibly excited to be there, and to see Joe after over a month of being apart.
In the meantime, things will be increasingly slow around here. My workdays are consumed with finishing projects and checking off items on my many to-do lists. And my weekends and vacations will be filled with relaxation, exploration, and adventure. So I won't have much time, or energy, or, honestly, desire, to hop online and update the ol' blog. I've been reading all of my subscribed blogs through my Google Reader, and I plan to continue that when I can, but for a month, at least, I can't imagine doing much more than that. I'll probably pop in here and there to post an outfit or update, but, as I said, don't set your watches to me.
Happy summer!
Title song: Sam Cooke, "A Change Is Gonna Come"
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