It’s time to say goodbye. Our beautiful John Street home went under contract 3 days after going live. A bittersweet moment for Steve and I. We have been torn as this incredible beach cottage gave us so much at a time in life that we needed safety and security.

We moved here at the beginning of the pandemic after being ousted by big city crime and ugliness. We were the victims of a horrific home invasion in 2019 and our sense of safety was stolen. When the Sheriff’s department couldn’t catch the thugs that terrorized our family we had to sell our beloved Renton home and we moved to the quiet beach town of Port Orchard. Our 1920 beach cottage showed up on the Redfin feed on Easter morning and we jumped on a ferry to view her. We knew the second we walked in that this was home.

Our John Street beach cottage provided more than just a safety. The old girl was built with strength. Her beautiful original Douglas Fir floors were etched with the history of those that lived here before. The views of the Puget Sound and the salty breeze infused us with a peace and serenity that we had been so desperate for. We watched the bald eagles, nesting in the tree across the way, smelled the briney salty Salish Sea and we healed.

The John Street community renewed our faith in humanity and we lived the most exceptional pandemic life. We knew we had something special. Our small dead end street with 10 homes created lifelong friendships. We celebrated life on a daily basis, with group dinners, paddle boarding and kayaking in the Sound, fishing, gardening, croquet on the lawn, tailgate concerts with Joel Gibson Jr and storytelling and laughter around firepits. We thrived at a time where so many suffered. We were grateful at the end of everyday.

Then, in 2022, we went on a fateful vacation to Arizona. Still too nervous to fly we set off in our little black conversable for 6 weeks in Arizona. Two weeks into our trip we purchased a fantastic home in Surprise. Completely spontaneous but a longing for sunshine in warmth. The Arizona air is an elixir to my post-chemo neuropathy and joint pain. My pool and hot tub are a respite on days where my pain is too much for running and walking. Our initial plan was turn our Coyote Lakes home into a vacation rental and stay at John Street for a few more years. But after staying in Arizona for 6 weeks I just couldn’t leave.

Instead we prepped John Street as a vacation rental and we were blessed with a fantastic run with a short term rental business. We had a 92% occupancy rate during our 10 months on the Evolve platform. (An astonishing metric during a wonky year for short term rentals). In hindsight I would do things much differently but that is for another blog post. We learned so much about the business. It just proved to be very difficult to be long distance owners.

On September 5th we took a huge leap of faith and listed John Street. The For Sale sign went in and we doubted every minute until a lovely couple showed up at the open house and made an offer we simply couldn’t refuse. There’s something very special about being able to sell your own home. We are thrilled that a new family, that loves the South Colby area as much as we do, will be moving in.

So now we move. We will no longer be calling Washington home. That feels weird. As I was packing my most important treasures, I was struck at the irony of the weight of moving. I was out in the yard with my bucket, gathering my special rocks and shells that I had finally meticulously placed around my beautiful She Shed. Treasures that I’ve been collecting my entire life. Sand dollars from my best friend’s beach on the Kitsap Peninsula, wishing rocks from the shores of my beloved Henry Island in the San Juans. Rocks and agates collected by my boys, turned in their hands and shoved into sandy pockets. I’ve carted heavy boxes of rocks through my life and finally committed them to this beautiful spot that I believed was my forever home.

Nope. Into buckets they go. They will be loaded into the moving truck and I will treasure them in our new stomping grounds. We aren’t completely convinced that Surprise is our forever spot. Did you see the Arizona weather from this summer? Holy smokes. It was a bit warm. 115 is a very different beast than grey clouds and rain.

Steve and I are learning that we may just be nomadic by nature. We love spontaneity and exploring new places. We will haul my heavy buckets of rocks until we find another special home where I can lay them back down. What special treasures have you moved from home to home? I’ve come to learn that I”m not the only one that moves boxes of rocks.

Stay tuned for some exciting news on our next steps. We are busy planning some very fun adventures and can’t wait to share with all of you. Saying goodbye to John Street means we can say YES to other things. I can’t wait to see where this journey will take us.

Sending love and hugs.