But I've been writing this post in my head for a while now and thought it was finally time I shared it in a more public space. Tales of Europe can wait.
It's hard to know how to feel, really. Home can mean so many different things. It can represent a place, people, a story, a collection of memories and even a feeling.
Whatever your definition, we've definitely made Vancouver home these last 7+ years. A more beautiful place to call your own, there could never be. We count ourselves lucky to have had the life we've had here and the friends we've made over the years. Vancouver has forever changed us, and that's something we'll gladly take with us wherever we go.
And the all-too-glamorous 'wherever' has turned out to be Toronto. Yes, that's right. We're moving back, and likely no later than late January/early February. I'd say I'm as shocked as many of you, but then again, I think I always knew that's where my heart had remained all these years and where I would eventually return.
That city gave me my first concert, my first design job, my first apartment, my first cat Charlie and my first REAL love, Kevin. Those kinds of milestones are pretty tough to beat and when you have that kind of romanticized connection to a place whether it be a faded memory (real or imagined)...the pining tends to be difficult to shake. Over the years, the thought of moving home to Toronto had come up a lot, but then we'd sit by the ocean and look up at the mountains and all distant memories of a former life would fade. Life in Vancouver was too great to give up. Why even consider walking away?
The truth of the matter is, we could give you hundreds of reasons for 'why', but the one that speaks stronger than the rest...
We're ready! What excites us more than anything else – we get to come home to a place that feels familiar yet feels completely brand new as well. A chance to rediscover Toronto with new and curious eyes feels like a real gift!
We will of course forever look at our years in Vancouver with absolute pride and smiles. Not seeing the mountains or breathing in that fresh air everyday, yeah, we'll miss that. We'll miss our friends and we'll miss this city that has truly been home for the past 7+ years...but it's time to redefine what home means to us, with family nearby.
