Remember when we thought the biggest adventure ever would be moving to a remote island in the Bering Sea? And then when the adventure got even more exciting when we threw a baby into the mix?
Fast forward a year. We've been living in Salem, MA doing the grown up thing. Parenting, working, coexisting, and having a conversation occasionally between night shifts and diaper changes. We've got the first time parent zombie act down pat. We've adjusted to new jobs and new students, and have found tremendous happiness in having our families and friends within driving distance.
We've always prepared ourselves for the culture shock of new places, but we were totally blindsided by how difficult it was to grow accustomed to our old lives . While we easily fell right back into enjoying pizza that doesn't have to be delivered by a plane, having a Starbucks within a five minute walking radius, and brews whenever we please...we've found it nearly impossible to become acclimated to the "real world" again.
For the past year, we've continually found ourselves missing the simplicity of our daily lives in Alaska. We miss the culture, the absence of traffic, and most of all, our time together. For the past several months, we've been trying to figure out a way to simplify our lives, minimize our stress levels, and maximize family time. We looked at things objectively, made a gazillion lists, and explored a whole bunch of options in an attempt to get back to our core family values.
If you had asked me a year ago if I'd ever go back to Alaska I probably would have said, "Maybe someday." If you had asked me if I'd ever go back to a rural, dry village, I would have said, "Not a chance."
Never say never! We're headed back to BSSD. Come August, we'll be calling Elim home.
This was probably the longest, most drawn out decision we've ever made. Of course we don't want to leave our families and friends again. Of course we'll have to readjust to living without modern conveniences. Of course we'll have to face a whole new set of challenges that come with raising a child in a rural village. Despite the challenges and tearful goodbyes that we know are coming, we're so excited.
Signing my new BSSD contract brought peace, excitement, and refreshing relief to the Ellis household. When we got married, we vowed to never stop adventuring. Pretty soon, on our second anniversary, we'll be preparing for yet another cross country move--this time with Asher in tow. We've got boxes to pack, furniture to sell, and a whole lot of baby stuff to ship...and we're starting to feel like us again.
Stay tuned!
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