Moving to New Mexico!

It’s true! For several years Jesse and I have been sticking our toes in the job market in an attempt to land somewhere more affordable than Santa Barbara. Somewhere where owning our own home is actually an option! And living in a space larger than a one bedroom with our nine bikes and no garage! The median house price in Santa Barbara is currently 2.5 million. Yeah.

These photos are from the annual Santa Barbara I Madonnari street painting festival. These are just a few that caught my eye.

Jesse got a job in the purchasing department at San Juan Community College in Farmington, New Mexico. The work is similar to what he does now at Santa Barbara City College, but is definitely a career advancement, as well. He is super excited about the new position and the people he will work with at SJC. I’ll be teaching online for Santa Barbara City College this Fall. I new-to-me class, Nutrition. My learning curve has been steep and I’ve been working on the course for several weeks now and will continue throughout the summer to be prepared for when it starts in late August. I hope to continue to teach the class into the future. Once we get settled in New Mexico I will probably look into working at one of the local bike shops, as well.

Farmington is high desert (5,743ft) and located in northwest NM (Four Corners area) and only one hour from Durango, CO, which is home to the San Juan Mountains, some of the most beautiful in all of Colorado! Farmington is bordered by tons of public lands (BLM) and trails to the north and by the Navajo Nation to the south and west. I have so much to learn about the Dine’ who live there and am excited to educate myself and, when appropriate, participate in cultural events. Farmington definitely has the four seasons, with winter cold and some snow that generally does not stick and during this latest heat wave it has been sustaining temps close to 100 daily (ugh!).

Super important is the fact that Jesse’s parents live in the area! They are in a small town only 20 miles to the east of Farmington. We are going to stay with them when we first arrive and this will allow us some time to get settled and get to know the area better (I’ve only been there once for a brief visit) before we decide on our next steps in regards to housing. We are grateful for this opportunity to spend more time with them and the bidirectional support that we will be able to provide each other. Leaving our Santa Barbara garden behind is tough, but fortunately Jesse’s folks are established and talented gardeners. We look forward to helping out and eating their yummy produce — including bounty from their many fruit trees!

Dear Santa Barbara friends, this flower is for you. This has been our home and community for 15 years!! Thank you to all our loved ones for such beautiful community and friendship. Once we get settled and have a guest room we hope for visitors.

We are currently packing up and will be moving at the very end of June. Wish us luck! Catch you on the other side. <3