It's a Gavination

We stopped full-time traveling 14-months ago and have been living in the Northern San Juan Mountains of Colorado. We came here, after our plans, to winter in Zermatt and summer in Florida, fell apart. They fell apart, at the end of 2017, when our Zermatt employer was not able to secure work visas for us. So at the beginning of 2018, we came to Telluride hoping we could establish ourselves here first, and eventually be able to split our time, between Colorado and Destin, Florida. Both locations have booming tourist economies with rental income opportunities, so we planned to buy something here, which would provide rental income, while we were in Florida, and vice versa.

When we first arrived, we lived in a wonderful above-garage apartment, in Ski Ranches, just above Mountain Village. Over the course of the summer, we spent hours looking at places to buy, but we didn’t find anything financially viable. So when our Ski Ranches non-renewable short-term lease ran out, we moved 45-minutes away to a lovely rental in the Solar Ranch neighborhood of Ridgway. After another fruitless housing search, our non-renewable short-term lease in Ridgway is up, so once again we’re on the move. Since ending our travels, we’ve struggled to find a workable combination of jobs, which allow us to save money–not just get by each month, and housing that doesn’t cost an arm and leg. Of course, that conundrum is rampant all around the country, as folks are struggling to find housing in mountain ski towns. So our options to stay in the area include some kind of alternative situation, like the ones described here, but quite frankly, we feel too old for the ski bum lifestyle.

Now we’re left agonizing over the difficult decision, to stay or go? The thing I’ve learned about difficult decisions is that the options are usually equal, meaning there is no clear path forward. Making a difficult decision requires creating the rational to support the decision. No amount of weighing the pro vs. cons will make your decision obvious, you simply have to create ideas and rationale that support your chosen path.

So, we have decided to move to Destin Florida. I believe the universe has been leading us to this decision, for at least 2-years, and now is the time. We had hoped to start our “6-months in Florida and 6-months in Colorado” lifestyle here, as we are mountain people, but alas jobs are more abundant and housing is much more reasonably priced in Florida. So we’re making the 1,600-mile journey across the country and will be working to establish ourselves in Destin!

Since making this decision, I have been emotionally restless. Sean and I both absolutely love Ridgway, the friends we’ve made, and the land itself. This might be the friendliest mountain town, on the planet, but we simply can’t afford to stay right now. It’s been difficult to pinpoint, but what I’m feeling is grief, which didn’t seem obvious but I’m not sleeping, I’m sad, I can’t concentrate, my stomach is a wreck, I’m experiencing anxiety, etc. After a couple of weeks of this, I started to think we made the wrong decision but with some soul-searching, I realized its sadness and grief, not regret. (Ezmerelda, my BFF office colleague pictured below)

 

So while I am deeply grieved and saddened to leave this beautiful place and all the amazing people and four-legged friends we’ve connected with, I am also excited to move to Destin, Florida. We have amazing friends and family there, it’s beautiful, and I l💚ve, l💜ve, l❤️ve the beach!