Return to Humanity!

Writer's block would be an understatement. I've been completely devoid of words for the last 9 months as we have settled into Bellingham.. which is a magical place but more to come in that regard.

Summarizing the past 9 months would be a challenge, surmise to say the following occurred since November, my last full entry:

1. We moved in with some really cool ladies near the center of town (city is a stretch) and spent an amazing 8 month period hanging out, drinking amazing local brews and chilling in the back yard.
2. We lived in a room that was roughly 300 square feet, shared a kitchen and a shower. No more words needed on that, the house mates did surprisingly well with 4 different eating habits and schedules! (Although a smaller "beer fridge" was acquired once we realized we didn't have enough room for food for all of us in the main fridge.
3. We realized quickly that moving in October/November was not necessarily the greatest idea, as we slowly withered into a pool of season affective disorder with the lack of sun, overabundance of rain and nights where the sun set at 5pm.
4. We met amazing individuals, which led us to some friend making and knowledge of a house being sold, so naturally,
5. We bought a house, and adopted a cat from our wonderful previous house owner/roommate, which now Gus has become the king of our little home.
6. We found out that there is a secret shared neighbor alley, shared between 4 other households, so we fell into a community.
7. We built a deck!
8. We both settled into our new jobs and positions at higher education institutions, settling into the bureaucratic pace of a public system.

So while there was a gap, I feel appropriately settled now, in my own house to begin to divulge the joys of our "city" dwelling we happened to fall into.

Now what is Bellingham?

Beer.

Culture.

Art.

You run into people you know.

Slow moving.

Outdoors..

So much more. So welcome to the next guide- the guide to Bellingham!

I'm Sorry Portland, but It's Over

To say it's been a long journey is an understatement, but I finally have landed in an area that feels like home. For those who last left me, I was living in Portland working in Advancement work for a University. I loved my city but there were so many factors that led to our exodus to the North.

After my fifth conversation with someone who had recently moved from Los Angeles and was sleeping in their car, just to be in the city, and an exponential increase of transit time due to the lack on infrastructure for the 150+ people moving to Portland every day, we threw up our arms and said, enough is enough!

In fact, here is a wonderful slew of articles that are quite befitting to our reasons for looking elsewhere to settle down:

1. As with the year before, more than two-thirds of the region's growth came from people moving here. More than half the region's new residents – about 21,000 people – moved here from other parts of the country. - Oregon Metro, March 2016

Even better was when we discussed the opportunities of buying a house, as we began to look at the market we decided that living past the I-205 corridor was NOT ideal, nor was the salary averages that we saw with our friends, family and our own personal careers.

2. According to economists who spoke at the 2017 Home Builders Association (HBA) Housing Forecast, Portland is seeing continued population and job growth, but the housing supply still isn’t keeping up. - Koin 6, November 2016

Houses were being bought with cash down, with large trust funds and over market value. People were sleeping in their cars. Homeless individuals were forcibly removed from areas they had set encampments due to the complaints from the wealthy. The city that we once loved, and truly enjoyed, has become something we don't recognize.

Thus began my search. I began looking through HigherEdJobs and immediately found that I had a niche- development work.

What is Development?
It's not computer programming. It's also not real estate. My job is to get to know individuals and companies, brain storm ways to help them be philanthropic. I facilitate their funds into specific programs and then ensure they receive the appropriate thanks and recognition. It is rewarding and kind of makes me feel like Robin Hood!

The Hunt Comes to a Close
We discussed our options and decided, as long as I was able to afford it, we would move and transition into a new area. The exodus of 2016. We looked through the Midwest, we identified several cities. I flew to different areas and interviewed for a myriad of amazing opportunities. Finally, an opportunity presented itself in Bellingham at Western Washington University. From their support of innovative education, the possibility of growth within the organization and being able to get my partner into History... we pulled the trigger, packed the Prius and zoomed 4.5 hours north into a small bay-side haven called Bellingham.

Bellingham?
Yup. Bellingham. Population 82,000 (compared to 2.5 million in Portland), 13 breweries (which calculates to 1 brewery her 6,000 people), surrounded by local farms (down the Chuckanut and near Bow) and slow. It is a slow, very basic bare bones city with everything we need. Suddenly I feel as though the brakes have been put on my life and I feel so relaxed. It's like... running at full speed, not sleeping and being exhausted and suddenly your mother tucks you into a feather bed and says "take a nap, and here's some tea." Amazing. It's a transition, things are different, but growing.

My intent is to identify some of the difficulties in the transition, what I do for a career and tips/hints for loving life in Bellingham. It's back to basics in the Bay.

Resources
1. http://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/portland-region-nears-24-million-residents-growing-41000-last-year
2. http://koin.com/2016/11/04/portland-housing-forecast-supply-still-not-keeping-up/