06/07/2023
We've 👏 finally 👏 arrived after 4 straight weeks of rush packing, decluttering and disposing everything we owned in Manila, having the last few days of school for the boys, spending time with family and meeting friends before our flight...we are finally in our new home in the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia! 🧡🌊🌤
Leaving our house on the night of the 3rd of July, I remember it feeling so unreal. That as we drove closer and closer to the airport to catch our flight, we were driving further and further away from our Manila home; that we would never come back to live in that house again; that everything we cherished in our life in Manila, our routine, our belongings, our experiences would simply become memories never to be lived through again. It was all very bittersweet.
Life was comfortable in Manila. I built the next stage of my career while I was birthing kids, Chris started his own company, we created a family, we settled right in and saw the kids grow surrounded and nurtuted by my side of the family, living through the pandemic and eventually starting school - in some ways it was tough, but in many, many ways it was also easy. We felt so loved in Manila by our closest family and friends. We had a city lifestyle which centered on pace, schedule, routines and busy-ness.
We had a good run in Manila but we also started recognizing that we were ready for a different lifestyle, a new pace, a fresh start. We want the outdoors. We want nature. We want vast spaces. We want the children to grow up knowing their Australian roots and living the Australian way. We want them to experience living by the ocean and be anchored on the ways of nature. We wanted more for them - more involvement, more play, more adventures.
So the decision was made quickly and abruptly. It was all green lights from there. It just felt right and easy....and here we are!
This page is all about the story of transition, change and growth from our family's perspective - from big city living to a slower & simpler coastal life.
We're thankful to be here. ❤
