Where's Michaldo? My Fantastic Journey!

I've been MIA in the great blog-o-sphere for a while now and will probably continue to be MIA for some time to come. The update in a nutshell is that I made a trip to upstate New York earlier this month to visit, spend time with family, scope out the area, do some professional and personal networking and make a Big Important Decision. Could I see myself living here again, now as an adult and not the 14-year-old girl whose family moved away in July of 1999?
The results of said visit and Big Important Decision are that I am, in fact, moving back to the area early in August. I found a great apartment, visited with some great friends, made some new friends, and overall feel completely ecstatic for the opportunities and new beginnings to come. I am, of course, sad to leave so many great friends here in the beautiful pacific inland northwest, but thank G-d for efficient travel methods, internet, cell phones and other fabulous ways to connect with folks both far and near. It will be wonderful to be closer to my family at last, even though no one actually lives in upstate New York anymore...yet!

It's not that there's NO PLACE like home, it's that there are SO MANY places like home!

In less than two weeks, I'll travel to my mother's house for a bit before moving to my new apartment in the middle of August. I am fortunate and grateful to have a great deal of help and support here and on the other end with this move. My apartment is in a state of complete upheaval and it actually feels alright to me. I don't find myself totally overwhelmed or paralyzed by fear of what I ought to do next. The first of my more special belongings have been shipped as of today. My bicycle is being disassembled and packed (by professionals so I have hopes of reassembly on the other end!) and will be shipped with the rest of the stuff I am taking next week. When I moved across the country in 2003, I packed three suitcases and said if I liked it, I'd stay for nine months. Now, almost nine years later, I am probably still going back with three suitcases. Two of them are the same ones I arrived with! I've acquired a LOT more stuff since 2003, and am happily passing a lot of it along to friends and local organizations that help out families and individuals in need here. As hard as I thought it might be to get rid of stuff, this is really quite refreshing. For much of the earlier part of my nine years here, I accumulated stuff because I thought stuff made you feel at home. It's not the stuff, though, that made me at home here--or anywhere else for that matter. It is the people I met and came to love and it is the peace and serenity I established in my soul. I am whole and content no matter where home is--and I don't need any fancy shmancy shoes for that! What I acquired living out here for the past nine years wouldn't fit in any box or suitcase, anyway. I acquired health and wellness, I established true and lasting friendships, I built a deep and close connection with G-d and with my Judaism and, of course, I finally finished that college degree! This blog itself has evolved and changed as I have in just the last few years. So, Spokane, Washington-- ta ta for now. You're one of the places I fondly call home and I won't be a stranger!

Home Sweet One-of-Many Homes!

I'll catch you all on the other side once I finish a couple weeks of chasing after my canine and feline brothers and frolicking in the heat and humidity of August in New England. Once I'm settled and set up in New York, I'll look forward to keeping my blog-gazers up to date on this next chapter of My Fantastic Journey!