16 Comments

This was such a great, inspiring read! I love how you turned something that can be such a stressful "task" or "chore" and turned it into an enjoyable adventure, ride, chapter, journey, etc, through this life. I agree, it is amazing to look back on your lives both together and individually and see how far you've come. Congratulations to you and your family! Wishing all of you the best!

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Thank you so much, Danielle!

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Congrats to you and Jason for making the very tough decision to sell. I went through it 3 years ago after 40 years in the same place - not easy, definitely felt all of the emotions you mention, finally making it to the feelings of cleansing and catharsis. So much fun to reread all the letters and find the ancient IDs! Best of luck with the sale - hope it goes for way over asking :)

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Thanks so much, Chris. 40 year -- I'm impressed! It was 15 for us and phewwww. A lot of emotions :)

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Love this !! Thanks for sharing !! Miss you both !!

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this post made me smile ;) thanks for sharing your journey!

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This is beautiful Andrea, thanks for sharing. It resonated so much for me after making a huge move away from the country where my kids grew up two years ago. Emotional rollercoaster!

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Ahhhhhhh! I left SF after 15 life-changing years there and I miss it SO much... and it feels like a lifetime ago that I was there. A different person. A different time. So many friends that mean so much to me, that I'm still in touch with. Going through our old stuff brings up so many memories. Glad to hear you were able to let go and look at some with fresh eyes. (I also need to let go of some children's books, but it's so hard!) I hope that, even though SF is a magical place, that SoCal was the right move for so many reasons! Enjoy! ♥️♥️♥️

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What a beautiful post! (And so brave to put your heart out there). Thanks always for your sincere words. 💕

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Really lovely.

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Ahhhh, thank you for sharing this. So touching and helpful for one who is looking to move closer to grandboys possibly in the Monterey area. It is a scary and interesting prospect for me who has lived on 8 acres, since 1983, to consider moving to a place where it would be possible to roller skate on the sidewalks.

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Wow! I felt such a deep sense of sadness/grief/letting go/wonder/awe when I read about the sale of your SF home. The beauty is that you're close enough to visit! Thank you for the raw emotions you shared with us,

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This is really gorgeous. I love the two photos and the distance and yet consistency between. I love that you feel and share your pride in the life you have navigated together. Tax returns, baby books, old love letters- you went on quite a journey in a short amount of time! Thanks for bringing us along. 🙏😁

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Thanks for sharing this, Andrea. I remember (and loved) that crawling cameo well ;-). I’m spending the next few weekends helping my brother move out of his long-time home and it’s easy for me to prepare focusing solely on the logistics involved. So, I’m really appreciating the reminder of how fraught / complicated / emo it can be to unearth and sort through one’s past along the way to moving boxes. Hoping there’s pride along the way for all of us too as we take next steps. Congratulations on this phase of your new home and wonderful fam. Big fan over here !

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Dear Andrea, so beautifully written and I feel your words in every cell of my body! Thank you for sharing your story! An incredible journey and you can be so proud!!

Also, this is how I feel about London. Ssssooo many memories, so much has happened there and each time I visit it’s like an emotional rollercoaster. It’s like I open the tap the minute I step off the plane and the emotions are flowing and there is no stopping them.

Then I wonder, why on earth did we leave?? Why why why..... but I know why.....it all makes sense and it was the right decision. I still wish we could have kept our flat in London, but then we wouldn’t have been able to afford a home here. It’s all good! :) Have a wonderful day.

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Hi Andrea. Such a beautiful read as I start my morning here and happen to stumble by it in my inbox. Thanks for sharing this and making me feel that all of us in this world somehow go through the same experience and feelings, and that I am not alone. You guys should totally be proud of everything you have accomplished. Sometimes my German husband makes fun of me for announcing when I am proud every once in awhile, but I try to remember to celebrate these accomplishments and celebrate these steps bc all of our experiences and life can be f#45! hard. Hope to meet you again one day. All the best to you and the family!

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