Farewell, Vancouver!

Almost 7 years ago, Hubs and I left our life in London behind when we hopped on a plane to Vancouver. We had no friends and no job prospects, only a few suitcases and a bit of optimism.

A month later Hubs was offered a job. He took it, and has kept it until now. He attempted to resign 3 years ago, when we moved back to my native California to have The Boy, but they convinced Hubs to stick with them and work from home. So, with the exception of occasional trips back up to Vancouver, Hubs has worked just a matter of feet from The Boy and I.

It's been awesome! At the first sight pearly buds in The Boy's gums I was able to yell up to Hubs, "I think I see teeth!" and Hubs could come down to see for himself, instead of trudging through a commute then being too tired to care when he got home. Same with The Boy's first tentative steps and words. We've been so incredibly lucky to have Hubs working from home.

But back to Vancouver. I ever totally took to it. I made friends, but not good ones. I worked but never found anything I could see myself making a career out of. I studied and wrote, but didn't manage to produce much or substantially further my education.

Still, it was a gorgeous place. I happily traded the pubs of London for the coffee shops of Vancouver. I loved the weather and looking north to see the mountains. I loved that it was so much smaller and more manageable than London and LA.

So here is a brief photo recap of our time in Vancouver.

We lived there with my beloved Cat before Cat. She came with me to college then lived with Hubs and I in San Francisco then, after spending our London years at my dad's house, she joined Hubs and I in Vancouver.

I took a Russian class at UBC and this was the view on my way home

And speaking of home, here was the view from our little apartment

I went to work in the snow - here's a self portrait of me waiting for the bus

When not working I spent most of my time at my local coffee shop

Vancouver was the place where Hubs proposed, The Boy was conceived and where we first acknowledged adulthood. Sort of. In our mid-30's.

Now we're in our late 30's and beginning a new chapter in our lives as Hubs works his last day for his Canadian company today. Who knew that when, almost exactly 3 years ago, we packed up our little Kitsilano apartment and drove through snowy Vancouver for the last time as we began the long drive down the 5(99 in Canada), that I would get so worked up about leaving? Again.

So I'm kind of teary and eternally grateful for what Vancouver has given our little family, but on to bigger and better things, and farewell, Vancouver!