The Adventure Continues

This is my last post as MOA. I have indeed moved back to Long Island for the forseeable future. I'm very grateful to have had the teaching experience I had, but with the future of my position up in the air I chose to finish my Master's at Queens College and keep my teacher certification in New York State.

There are lots of things I missed about LI and NYC, namely the beach, the summer nights, and the delis. But more than anything I missed my family and friends. My family has been through an incredible amount of adversity over the past six months, and I'm glad to be able to be with them now, and yes, share in that adversity. My friends have demonstrated to me time and time again how much I mean to them, and in turn, demonstrate how much they mean to me.

I'm also savoring the opportunity to actually be able to play music again, since I didn't have any of my own instruments out West with me. I've got a fresh set of strings on my bass and she looks great. I'm planning to rejoin North Shore Symphony in the fall. I'm reacquainting myself with my guitar and building up rep so I can eventually go and play some open mics. And I'm looking for bands to join (once I get my chops back on bass guitar). All of these things have reconnected me, and reminded me why I love doing what I do.

I will miss, in no particular order: Dutch Bros. Coffee, my apartment in Keizer, Voodoo Doughnut, the general weirdness of Portland, downtown Salem, my bed, the Oregon Coast, all of the friends I made, local food and drink, and the students, parents, and staff who were so supportive through all of the craziness and uncertainty that was the past six months.

I will NOT miss teaching at 6:30 am on Monday mornings.

So this blog will continue, as a way to document and connect what's going on in my life at any given time. I'm glad for what I've done, and I know that the future is bright.