Right where I belong.

Five years ago I left Hawaii and relocated with my now husband to Washington.  He was in the Navy at the time and was stationed at Bangor.  We spent a little over 3 years on the Kitsap Peninsula until circumstances forced us to move to Wes' home state of Illinois.  It was a move that I was not looking forward to and one that I faced with great trepidation.

We lived in the Chicagoland area for about a year and a half before we decided to move back to Bremerton.  We have been here since February and honestly, I haven't been happier.  Bremerton is a sleepy little town, an hour ferry ride away from Seattle.  It is in every sense of the word a small town.  People honk at me when they see me driving, just to say hello and I run into more than a handful of people I know every single day.

It's funny that I grew up in a town much like this and spent my whole life trying to "get out" so to speak and now here I am in the Hilo of Washington.  While we were in Chicago we kept our original tattoo shop (here in Bremerton) open.  We were lucky enough to come back and be able to literally pick up where we left off.  After much contemplation we closed the shop in Chicago and are now fully involved in the operations of our only tattoo shop.

When I first moved to Washington, five years ago this  month, I hated it.  I went from living five minutes from Waikiki, with all its people and night life to living in Silverdale, land where everything closes at 9.  I knew no one except Wes and was three months pregnant with my son.  It was a trying, lonely time.  Eventually as the time went on I went back to work and started to make friends.  Washington slowly became what Wes and I like to call "the land of opportunity." I landed my dream job, working for a popular cosmetics company, we were able to flourish financially and open Dermawerx.  

I always thought I would enjoy living in a big city.  I appreciate the time I spent in Chicago.  I miss the city: the food,  the blazing hot summers, the stores, the museums, the restaurants and the crazy drivers.  BUT, I never felt like I belonged there.  It's crazy for me to say this, but here in Bremerton, I know I am right where I belong.