There’s nothing like change.

There’s nothing that brings the woes of anxiety or the ecstasy of surprise more than the shifting landscape we call life. Even with Nick’s practicality and my intuition put together, we will never be able to predict where the bend of the road will take us.

Deep thoughts, by LFB.

And now, it is with great pleasure (and relief) that I announce some major changes to your favorite Bostonians.

First, as some of you may have heard, Nick has decided to leave his doctoral program at Boston College. While a marriage is an archway over two souls, it’s really his story to tell as to why he’s leaving and I feel funny trying to explain for him. But, essentially, in a nutshell sold at Kroger, Nick is an individual who thrives in helping people in a relational setting; a ministerial purpose drives his personality, faith, and career. Academia can be an extremely isolating and elitist experience. You spend sometimes over 10 hours a day reading and researching topics that only a handful of people will fully understand. With meeting students who have progressed into the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years in the same program he was in, we observed that not only did the stress never let up, it only intensified with job hunting, more researching, tenure, and the pressure to publish. And just like in any other facet of life, it’s not so much about right and wrong, it was about the question of fit. Nick recognized in the past few months that the fit just wasn’t there. It’s as complicated as that. It’s as simple as that.

Shortly after we began discussing our options, Nick, on a whim, sent his resume to a parish in Cleveland, St. Dominic, who was hiring for a multifaceted position as Pastoral Minister. We were on our way home to Ohio for Easter when this opportunity rose. Within a few weeks, Nick had interviewed, received a wonderful offer, and accepted.

I truly believe that as we get older, it becomes more difficult to communicate in original phrases. The cliches of “follow your heart,” and “you just know,” and “only time will tell,” are so overused, I cringe at the thought of further exploiting their usage. But, it’s true. These stupid cliches are completely true. What has transpired in our lives in the past few months has been painful, wonderful, difficult, and unpredictable. (Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it’s hard on the emotions.)

We had begun to build our home here in Boston, but found ourselves growing silent to more urgent questions of sustainability, fit, and future. What we thought we wanted has, quite simply, changed. We are also crazily blessed that we are able to shift our lives and dreams in accordance to our desires and find support in every avenue we seek. In times where many are without jobs, the market is bleak for so many, and the economy continues to plummet, Nick and I feel are so grateful for our blessings and opportunities.

Then began the House hunting.

I have been wanting to buy my own house since I was, like, seven years old. Finding the right home for Nick and I has been an incredibly exciting journey, but a strenuous conversation in terms of all the countless considerations when buying your first home. Nick and I will be the first to admit proud and loud: WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BUYING A HOME. Very similarly when we planned a wedding, we started from scratch. We build a layout of what we want and slowly go from there. Very similarly in how we planned our wedding, Nick thinks mechanically: paperwork, mortgages, and equity. I think details: window replacements, roof, foundation, and air conditioning. Now more than ever in my time of knowing Nick, I have thanked God a hundred times this month that he and I are so often on the same page.

This past weekend, we went to Cleveland and between this weekend and Easter, we’ve probably seen about 25 houses. To put it lightly, we are exhausted. This out of state shopping is so hard! But, we have possibilities and we’re keeping the stress level in check. Nick has had more success with that lately.

Onto other big news…as if a new job, house hunting, and moving isn’t enough – I am going on a massively large trip…a trip of a lifetime.

In January, I applied to study in a program that would allow me to study and live in the Philippines for six weeks while I attended crash courses in economics, history, literature, and language classes. The program, built specifically for Filipino Americans who have never been to the Philippines, was a golden find. I was accepted last week and will be conducting my own research at the University of the Philippines, their premier university and one of the oldest in the world. The scholars I will study under are some of the best philosophers, historians, and professors in the country and I am more than excited to go. I will leave sometime at the end of June and return sometime in August (dates are uncertain). This has been an opportunity that I have been looking for my whole life and there are no words to express how perfect this is for me at this time in my life.

And so, I have resigned from my job at Emerson College and have begun peeking around Cleveland for possibilities. But I’m in no rush. My focus is on the trip and preparing for it as best as I can. Nick will begin his new job in July and we’re prepping each other for not seeing each other for six weeks. My heart hurts already just thinking about that.

And, so, our dear family and friends, forgive us for not spilling the beans earlier, but we wanted to wait until we were certain of our plans. And now they are certain. We continue to be grateful for your support, wherever we may be. (Hence the change in the blog title!)