Brutal Cold, Old Friends, Travel, and Taiwan

Viejo San Juan, PR

We've been very busy over the last few weeks. Looking back, I can't believe everything we've done since my last post. But, even with this buzz of activity, this winter is just not progressing at all. Honestly, we had thought the brutal cold would be balanced out by the presence of the sun, since the darkness is what bothered us most about Seattle's winters, but we were wrong. Brutal cold is just as bad as darkness and New York's polar vortex is tied with Seattle's dark and dreary winters for most unbearable in our book.

Freedom Trail, Boston

Happily, we were able to escape from New York a couple of times over the last few weeks, to help take our minds off of our misery. Over Presidents' Day weekend we took the bus up to Boston, where it was indeed somewhat colder but, for some reason, so much more bearable. We now have a crush on Boston and continue to love all things Massachusetts.

More recently, however, we got to spend a whole, blissful week in Puerto Rico. Thanks to my friend at Valise Magazine, who clued me in to a glitch on the Delta site (which had a very short window), we were able to score two first-class tickets for only $85/pp.

Playa Azul, Luquillo, PR

This was our first proper holiday since Playa del Carmen in 2008 and it was sorely needed. Plus, not only was it a sun and sand vacation, which by itself would've been sufficient to lift our spirits, but we got to hang with old friends from Utah, which honestly made our holiday exponentially better. These old friends, family really, gave us excellent insights and were very generous with their time. We've been home now for just over a week and I'm still emitting a vacation bliss glow. (Though before looking at the calendar, I thought it'd been at least two weeks since we returned. God damn you, slow moving winter.)

Lunch with Kraig

Other activities which have helped take our mind off of this brutal winter included two visits from Seattle friends. We had one friend in town for the Super Bowl and one in town for business. Both are close friends who we've missed dearly and it was great to spend a couple hours with each of them.

Probably the biggest thing to happen over these last few weeks is that Mike scored himself a job teaching English for Hess in Taiwan. He's signed a one-year contract and we've already booked our tickets. We'll be leaving NYC on May 31, travelling to other parts of the US, El Salvador, and the Philippines, before arriving in Taipei in early July.

Drinks with Jason

This move to Taiwan is shaping up to be our best move yet. Not only do we have savings enough to allow for some much needed travel before Mike begins an intense year of teaching and to help get us on our feet upon arrival, but the fact that Mike will have an income immediately is immensely helpful and eliminates so much stress from the whole process. Additionally, Mike's new employer will also be helping a bit with the relocation details, including visas and apartment searches. Seriously, best move ever.

Though this winter has been moving at a snail's pace, we can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that spring will be here faster than we think and, shortly thereafter, our new adventure will commence. New York has been a bitch but she's soon to be in our rearview mirror and the way our next relocation is currently shaping up makes me think we might be doing something right this time.