I'm Shawn. Chances are, if you're reading this, you already know me or someone in the family. Chances are you know us all. My wife Carrie, our youngest son Cody, and my mom Sharon are about to make a massive change in our lives. We are leaving South Dakota. We will travel 1,500 miles to the Northwest to become homesteaders in Washington state. My two oldest children are, unfortunately, not coming with us. Ryan is in college and doing his own thing. Eryka is out of high school and into a career training program and is doing her own thing. Hopefully we will get them out for visits, we also plan to come back for visits.
The first question we get from friends and family is "why move away?" There are actually a number of reasons. The first, and most important, is Carrie's health. The fiercely cold South Dakota winters cause her extreme pain in her knees due a permanent chronic condition. On the flip side, the summers are too hot for Sharon's health. I don't handle the heat well anymore either.
The next reason is opportunity. As an artist whose goal is to pursue a career as a working artist, South Dakota is a difficult place to be. I need a place with opportunities for artists. Indeed, even trying to find work at all in South Dakota has been a collection of road blocks for me. I've worked in advertising and marketing for around 27 years. Yet, because of a combination of upper management experience, owning my business, and not have a University degree, I have not been able to find work here. Believe me, I've tried.
The timing is finally right for us as well. Ryan and Eryka are doing their own thing now and don't need us around really. Carrie is on disability. Sharon is retired. Cody is home schooled. I just completed my Bachelors Degree in Studio Art. Everything is falling in place.
The next big question we get is "where are you going" and "why there?"
We are moving to southern Whidbey Island in Washington. Whidbey is straight west of Everett and Mukilteo, a bit north of Seattle. The Island is around 45 miles long from north to south, 10 miles wide at the most, 3 miles at the thinner points. The south part of the island is an artists colony area. It is populated with artists, authors, actors, musicians, and crafts people. It is home to frequent festivals, fairs, and weekly markets. There are also a good number of art galleries, wonderful restaurants, and unique shops in towns like Langley, Clinton, and Freeland. The people are kind, open minded, and welcoming of new people. Oh, and no, it doesn't rain all the time. Whidbey is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and gets less rain annually than Sioux Falls.
After a few years of research, a visit, and lots of planning, we are taking the leap and moving to an island in Puget Sound. Carrie, Cody and I will be going out to find and purchase land and then put up a house. Once we have proper shelter, I will fly back, finish packing up the house, arrange for our things to be shipped, put the house up for sale, and then drive back to Whidbey with Sharon.
We invite you to follow our adventures, and maybe mis-adventures, here on our blog and on our Facebook page. There's a badge to our Facebook page in the column to the right. (Just click on it to visit our page.) We'll be posting stories and pictures as we go. You can also subscribe to our blog by email. Just put your email address into the little box to the right and hit submit. Follow the instructions that pop up, then check your inbox for a confirmation email. Then you'll get automatic notifications whenever we post!
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