Dear Friends & Family,
It’s been an eventful year. Although it’s the first time in a decade that we haven’t stepped foot outside the country, we did decide to leave California. So we sold our house in Santa Clarita and moved to Eugene, Oregon. In addition to facing quality of life issues in Los Angeles (traffic being #1), we ultimately decided that we wanted to live closer to family. Eugene is Eric’s hometown and the place where we were married in 1996. Time flies. And twenty years in Southern California was enough.
When we came to Eugene in late February for Dad’s open-heart surgery, our first stop after landing at the airport was to put in an order for a new house at the Royal Creek development in west Eugene. They told us the house would be ready in September. Dad came through his surgery with flying colors and is doing very well.
A very dry winter in Oregon helped the contractor get ahead of schedule on our new house and eventually we were told it would be ready in August instead of September. Eager to get a head-start on our new life, Deb came up to Eugene in the Spring for a couple of job interviews and was soon hired at Willamette Valley Cancer Center.
Our house in California sold in a matter of days and escrow flew by quickly, so we sent most of our stuff into storage and Eric rented an apartment in Hollywood, which cut his commute from an hour each way, to just 3 minutes! Deb’s new job in Eugene started in June, so she came to Eugene early and rented an apartment of her own. Eric finished his work in Hollywood and came to Eugene at the end of July.
Our new house was ready on August 19th, so we closed escrow and immediately started painting and getting ready for our stuff to arrive from California. Everything was in the house by Labor Day weekend. Four months later, we’re still unpacking boxes – and we still don’t have a back yard, but we love our new house and we love being “home” for all the birthdays, anniversaries and holidays we’ve missed so often for so many years. Deb’s parents even came for a nice long visit in October and November, and it was great to have them here.
Eric’s friend and former boss, Michael Piller, lost his long battle with cancer and passed away on November 1st. It was a day we long anticipated, but never looked forward to. Eric made a pilgrimage back to Los Angeles to be a speaker at Michael’s memorial service.
The holidays spent with friends and family are cathartic. Now is a time for renewal and new beginnings. (And time for Eric to get off his ass and find a job!) From our house to yours, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Peace and Love,
Eric & Debra
