Why change one thing when you can change everything?

The Willamette

My bride and I have been pondering a change of scenery for years. We have dear friends east of Portland, Oregon. Every time we’ve visited over the years, we’ve grown to love that city more and more. We have always loved the Pacific Northwest and figured we’d relocate there a few years after our kids had grown up and left our home.

A few months back for various reasons, our timeframe accelerated. A lot.

In late July, we made the decision to prepare for the move. In August I put together a resume and sent it out to prospective employers. By September I had found some promising prospects. In early October I traveled to Portland for interviews and received an offer from a great company in a role that suits me very well.

Of course, the bittersweet nature of such a change looms large. For 21 years we built a life for ourselves and our family in Kingsburg. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career in the Fresno area. We planted a church together in Kingsburg. The family home where our kids grew up is in Kingsburg. Most of our close friends are in Kingsburg and Fresno.

So why change a good thing?

I think a better question is: Why not?

Honestly, there are good reasons to stay, and good reasons to go. For my part, the opportunity to live in the woods and work in the city thrills me. I’ve never enjoyed hot Central California summers. The air wreaks havoc on my son who has asthma. But more than anything, after 21 years, I just sense it’s time for a new adventure.

I’ve enjoyed this past year working at Aplos and they have been incredibly gracious to me during this time of transition. My last day there will be November 1, 2019.

On November 4, I’ll begin a new role as a Software Architect at Trimble Viewpoint, a company that specializes in construction software. My role involves influencing and creating architectural designs for highly scalable and distributed cloud systems.

Our Kingsburg home is in escrow, and the current plan is to move into our new home in Oregon on November 21. Of course, as with any change, not everything will go exactly according to plan. But I can hardly wait to begin this new adventure.

Clackamas River