Thoughts from the Editor: Bend, Sweet Bend

Word of the Week: No.3 This & That: No. 157

Thoughts from the Editor: Bend, Sweet Bend

“Living with fear stops us taking risks, and if you don’t go out on the branch, you’re never going to get the best fruit.” –Sarah Parish

As the well-known saying goes, while we can make plans, it doesn’t mean life will fall in lock-step. In fact, you may remember last year, I had put my house on the market and announced I was moving to Walla Walla, Washington. And as you may also know, that hasn’t happened yet.

However, I refused to give up. I refused. Something, a very big something, continued to tickle me and urge me to keep trying as I knew my life needed a change, but this time I reached a little higher, took an even bigger risk and well, now, I am pinching myself.

If you’ve never heard of Bend, Oregon, the most central town in Oregon, let me briefly explain why I fell in love with it as a child, and even when my attention waned as a young woman, never quite forgot how comfortable and splendid it was. Situated at the foothills of Mt. Bachelor and surrounded by endless outdoor activities, it has grown tremendously in the past decade. With a bustling downtown, all-types of restaurants and artisanal bakeries galore, Bend offers the small town feel in a town of 108,000 and growing. From breweries to bookstores, kayaking runs to walking trails for you, your dogs, a bike and who knows what else, it blends what I love most about my two most traveled to towns/cities in Oregon (Wallowa County and Portland) into one location.

~Mirror Pond at Drake Park in Bend, Oregon~

But why am I sharing this with you?

Well, I am thrilled to share that I have been given the opportunity to teach English at one of Bend’s high schools starting this coming fall. Yep, you heard me right. That means, TSLL will be rooted in Bend, Oregon, as soon as this summer.

One of the reasons I am ecstatic about this new life adventure is that I am always trying to exemplify what I share on the blog – how to live simply luxuriously – chase your dreams, be willing to practice patience, and refuse to stop believing. With the beginning of this adventure, in one way I am at the end of the culmination of creating a simply luxurious life because a career goal of mine has finally come true with regards to teaching, but on the other end of the spectrum I’m just beginning to create a simply luxurious life – from scratch. And I cannot wait to take you along with me as I travel along on my journey. In other words, I will be demonstrating how to live a simply luxurious life – how to navigate, how to establish yourself in a new locale and much, much more.

While I know a little about living in Bend, I have much more to learn, and I am under no misconceptions that I will make mistakes and have struggles along the way. But you better believe, I am excited to get started. Hey, if Julia and Paul Child ventured through it on their cross-country road trip to determine if they would be suitable to be married (granted it was a lot smaller in the 1950s), I think there might just be a bit of magic in its air. And I’m going to find out. Here we go!

~Drake Park in Bend, Oregon~

Alongside me as I go will be my boys as you might imagine – Norman and Oscar – and with Bend being a doggie heaven-on-earth, I am confident this is an ideal move for them as well.

Of course this means my house is back on the market, but not without a few luxurious upgrades. Have a look at the changes below and click here to see the entire tour of TSLL house.

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