View from my front porch
It is my last day in my house and I am hiding in bed. It feels like if I actually get up and start the final to do list, it will become real. For those that missed my post on Facebook from a week ago, here it is:
I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to announce this, but we are moving to Spain in 10 days. All 3 of us. NOTHING WILL CHANGE WITH THE WINERY! That has been the first concern, understandably, when I have shared this news with the few people I have so far. I work remotely already, so I will just rely on zoom a little more; that worked during the pandemic so well it changed the way we do a lot of business. Jesse will have to travel back and forth to continue to make wine with his brother, work crush (harvest), bottle, plant vines… you get the idea. He also does things like the taxes and grape order planning that he can do remotely from Spain. Denali is lucky enough to have a flexible University Professor that is putting her film classes online so that she can study from afar. And of course, we are relying on our fabulous family and business partners, Chris and Lili, to manage day to day here at the tasting room and winery. I am looking forward to being able to take advantage of more of the opportunities I previously had to decline, to teach, write, and judge in Europe. The film industry in Spain is robust including a real enthusiasm for horror; as you can imagine Denali is excited about that. And Jess will be able to work with winemakers in so many amazing regions to polish his craft.
I know many of you will have tons of questions. How did this come about? Why Spain? Where will you be? Are you selling your house? And some of the answers are too complicated for this post, but the short answer is we are planning on northern Spain, Baque area and will share more when we get settled somewhere. We will airbnb the house (so please do share info when we post about The Vineyard House once it is ready). If you want to message me for more details, please use WhatsApp or download Signal. Both are easier and more reliable when I am in Europe.
It’s big, it’s scary, and we really value your support!
It doesn't seem real. I look around at the new furniture we had to buy to spruce up our living room for Airbnb and feel out of place. Our family photos have come off the walls and our favorite keepsakes have been lovingly wrapped and tucked away. My closet is empty and my beautiful car has been sold, it is as if I'm being erased. Numbness has now replaced the heavy tears and deep pain of saying goodbye. This has been my dream life, it is very hard to let go of it.
I am hoping to embrace the adventure of this move. My immediate emotions are those of being overwhelmed, sad and scared. I have never been to Spain so the unknown is daunting. We have joked about "Spain me" in reference to what to pack. Does Spain me wear hats? Yes, I think so! Does Spain me wear that dress that has been untouched for years? Absolutely. Now the big questions are worming their way in. Does Spain me know how to navigate renting a place, finding a home, in another language in a country I know little about? Does Spain me know how to live months at a time without my husband? That is a big one. Jesse is staying back to work crush for the winery and my heart hurts thinking of being without him for so long. This move will be an incredible test of my strength and resilience. I hope Spain me is up for the task.
I have promised that I will be on top of sharing our story so stay tuned! Spain me knows it will be a wild ride, wish me luck!
Hi Michelle, please contact John and Taryn over in Germany. I know you already have, but I know they could be somewhat helpful as support ( the new country stuff even though Germany will be different from Spain) and they like new adventures also. They may not be close family but family non the less.
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