So, Why Oregon?

After people get over the initial shock when we tell them we're moving across the country with no jobs, to a place we've never been, the first question is: "So, why Oregon?" Well, there is no simple one-sentence answer.

A few of our/my top reasons are:
- The weather is desirable (I'd prefer a little more sun but it's still great weather and less allergies).
- The arts and culture in Portland/Salem are great.
- The people are more in line with our personalities, passions, and political views.
- They love dogs too!
- We love the natural parts of the state like the forests and coast. Plus there are numerous state parks.
- I buy local whenever possible.
- I prefer organic foods.
- I am obsessed with recycling and recycle everything. Somehow, I've gotten Brandt to recycle a lot too!
- I'm liberal (insert gasp here).

To get to the core of my reasoning, I'm moving to Oregon because it's not Kansas (see most of the reasons above). I lived in the same small Kansas town for the almost 19 years of my life. I've only lived in Kansas but have traveled to the surrounding states as well as Washington D.C., Maryland, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and even Mexico. I didn't really do any traveling until early high school when my youth group went to D.C. and Maryland. I was obsessed with the ocean at the time. Seeing the unending water and being able to throw off my shoes and dig my toes in the lapping waves gave me an indescribable uplifting feeling.

We arrived in Ocean City, MD at night and we convinced our youth group leader to let us go to the beach. I couldn't see anything other than immense blackness but the sound of the ocean filled my body. I could feel the waves in my bones before we'd even made it to the beach. Standing in the surf in complete darkness was life changing. I was but a speck of dust (credit Carl Sagan), or in this case like a grain of sand on one small beach, on one coast, on one continent, on a tiny planet. I wanted to do something with my life. I wanted my life to matter.

I even dressed as Avril Lavigne for Halloween my senior year.

In high school I was obsessed with moving to California. Those who knew me then, saw me in my
punk/skater phase. I wanted to skateboard but was horribly uncoordinated (still am). I wanted to surf but couldn't do that in Kansas. I wanted to get out. I didn't belong. I wanted to find out who I was and what I could be. As I've grown, I realized California isn't for me. It's expensive, I'm not a fan of the crazy hot summers in Kansas (so Cali wouldn't be so great either), and I've matured out of that phase. However, I still knew I belonged somewhere else.

Now, I describe myself as a "new-age hippie." I made this up because I don't really qualify has a hippie. I enjoy my showers and deodorant. I'm not a hipster. I don't want to take down the government. I do want to do something meaningful with my life. I do want to save the world. I believe everyone is equal and deserves equal rights, treatment, pay, etc.

I hate politics but I must add a little about the politics here in Kansas. All I will say is that I disagree strongly with Gov. Brownback. More specifically - my jaw dropped when I heard he wanted to cut state funding for the arts. This also meant that matching federal funding would also be lost. Then he did it! I was horrified. Cultural institutions are already underfunded and not appreciated in this state, now the governor was saying they weren't even worth supporting. He claimed that a committee could totally do all of that and nothing would change. We all know how that went.

Art is an important part the human experience. The arts provide jobs and culture. They provide revenue for a community and have been proven to help children learn. Life is about more than math and science. Please don't misunderstand, I love science and I'm fascinated by all that scientist do. However, not all of us are inclined toward those disciplines either (math is my mortal enemy). The arts are at the core of who I am and what I want to do with my life. To be told that they are worthless (and by extension what I love and who I am are worthless as well) by the man leading my state was just too much.

Think you don't like the arts? Then stop listening to music (yes, even rap), stop watching movies (not just those artsy-fartsy ones either), don't let your kids finger paint or express themselves in any other way, and definitely don't let your child participate in dance or play a musical instrument because all of that is art. All of that enhances our lives. All of that is important. Oops, it appears I've stepped up on my soapbox. Let me step down and wrap up this post.

So there you go, that's why I chose Oregon, the abbreviated version (yes, this is a shortened version). I loved most things about living in Kansas and I know I'll miss living here but this is the right choice for me. We both realize that Oregon may not be all that we hope it will. We know it will fall short of our expectations in some areas. But now is the time in our lives to do this. It's crazy to pick up and move across the country without jobs. But it's more crazy for me to stay in a place that doesn't suit my needs or life ambitions. So we're making this journey together in hopes of more fulfilling lives.