Medford, Oregon

Medford, Oregon

This post is for my hubby.

This time last year, my life was pretty calm and normal. I had a house and a job and a car I liked, in a town I liked. I had friends and social activities and cultural events to go to. The city was pretty and within an hour or so I could be at a mountain, a river, a lake, or the ocean. A couple more hours and I could be in the desert or at Puget Sound. I was comfortable. Life was good, even in the midst of economic turmoil and hardship for many.

In the end of August last summer my husband was talking with a guy at work. Things with my husband’s company had gotten slower, like many companies, and the company wanted my husband’s coworker to take a job in Southern Oregon. His coworker was not happy about it and really, didn’t want to. The job was different than what he had been doing and would have required uprooting and moving 300 miles away.

During this conversation, Chris remarked that it didn’t seem like such a bad gig.

The next day, as the saying goes, Chris’ phone blew up! The office was calling him to find out if he was *really* interesting in the Southern Oregon job. I received a phone call at work (this was a Thursday) telling me that I should think about it. Huh? I should think about what? “Moving to Southern Oregon” was the reply. What?? Yeah Right. I have a life here!

About an hour or so later, he calls me again! Telling me that he has received more phone calls from the office and that I *REALLY* need to think about it. Uhm, excuse me. I can’t just decide to move to Southern Oregon on 15 minutes notice. I’ve never even been there for crying out loud! Oh, well to resolve that issue we took a road trip that very weekend. Hello Southern Oregon, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Central Point, Medford, East Medford, Phoenix, Talent, and Ashland. Chris had to convince me that there were actual stores, towns and people.

Fast forward a few weeks to find Chris living out of hotels in Southern Oregon, working his new route, and me at home getting the house in Tigard prepped to sell, telling my friends I’m leaving, and telling my boss that I’m leaving. It was a very emotionally trying time and also, very busy, with much work to be done. Chris would drive home on the weekends from Medford (about a 4.5 hour drive) to help me with the house and packing.

By mid-October, Chris was done living in hotels. He was tired of it and of driving back and forth every weekend. The house was prepped and it was time for me to move south. This was a scary time for me. I am not good with change, and I am not good with the unknown. I didn’t have a job, I was selling my car, and I was moving 300 miles away from all my friends. It’s a good thing I have Chris!

We found a house to rent short-term, made a couple of long haul moving trips so we had necessities and started our life here. It took a few months for the Tigard house to sell and another month or so to close on the house we bought here. But, by about the end of January, first of February, we were in our new house, our Tigard house was sold, and we were getting settled in Medford.

At this point, I still wasn’t convinced that this had been the best choice. I mentioned I don’t adapt to change well. I was very lonely. I didn’t know anyone; I didn’t know where anything was; it was not home.

Chris would ask me if I was happy periodically, and I would reply evasively with responses like “there are good things and there are bad things”. He knew I wasn’t 100%. He, on the other hand, LOVED it, almost immediately. We thought we were close to things before, HA! Here we are 10 minutes from a mountain hiking trail, and 45 minutes to the ski slope, we can be at the river in minutes, the ocean in a couple hours. The beaches are better, the weather is better and warmer, there is a dirt biking place close by, along with different car racing and go kart racing tracks, we live right by the airport, so Chris can watch airplanes and helicopters fly in and out all day long (which he loves!). Chris was happy with his job and the move and the house and everything, right away.

It has taken me a while (7 months), but I, too, am really starting to like it here. I love the weather. I love that we can go hiking, biking, and walking all the year around. I was going on walks in December and February because it wasn’t raining every damn second! We have gone on bike rides, a couple of hikes, we have gone fishing, and Chris has gone snowboarding. I have a patch of space behind my house that has a bunch of wild blackberries that I am looking forward to picking this summer. We could plant a huge garden that is going to get lots of sun and good growing weather.



Just in the last week or so, I have really started to realize that I like it here. I am happy here. I am glad we moved. Our lives, in so many ways, are improved and much simpler. We were able to go for a hike after work one night this last week because it’s less than 15 minutes away. We went for a bike ride because there are wonderful trails just a few blocks from our house. Maybe the change in attitude is because of spring time and sunshine. Maybe it is because enough time has passed and I have accepted and adapted to the change. I don’t know.

What I do know is that I am happy we moved. I really like living here, I love my house, and I love how much more relaxing our lifestyle is. Of course, I miss my friends and Sushi Hana, but I am happy here in Medford with Chris. I am glad we decided to move and make the jump.

So there you go, honey. The answer to the question: Yes, I am happy here, with you.