Before I begin, I want to thank all of my readers for your patience and understanding these last many months. My time away from social media, and from Blossom & Root, was much-needed and so effective. When I made the announcement that I was taking the last three months of 2016 off, I never expected the support and understanding that you all showed. For that, I appreciate you so much.
As the last days of September passed, my little family was suddenly faced with half a dozen options for the next phase of our adventurous journey. In three weeks, we contemplated job possibilities in seven vastly different locations – from Kauai to Louisiana to Idaho and more. I knew we had big decisions ahead, with an even bigger transition immediately following it as our lease was about to expire at our sweet little cabin in the jungles of Haiku. Combined with the inundation of negativity pouring over social media from a less-than-civil election season, the need to focus in on our family and the next big move inspired me to take a little vacation from all things internet for a few months.
I am happy to report that we’ve relocated to Colorado. We have a little place nestled at the foot of Green Mountain, a stone’s throw from Red Rocks Amphitheater, and a moment’s drive from the Rocky Mountains, the never-ending playground I grew up exploring. We haven’t been settled long. In fact, we just finished assembling the last of our IKEA furniture last week. My mind is already filled with visions of hiking and camping, rock-climbing and rafting, the sudden richness of nature study when seasons are reintroduced after a 16-month summer. Oh, yes, I will miss Maui, her oceans, her flowers and birds. But it’s gonna be a long time before I ever get bored or uninspired here.
We arrived in Colorado just as the last gold was leaving the aspens. So naturally, we made a point of spending our first two weeks almost completely outdoors. I started a 2017 bucket-list, surrounded by my grandma’s hiking books and all the nature study resources I’d been hoarding that featured seasonal activities. We kept up a relaxed homeschool schedule, mostly to help my girls ease into the transition with familiar activities.
Our homeschooling life is a little different now. In Maui, I worked largely from home. Here, I have a full-time job at a women’s magazine in Denver. My girls spend most of their weekdays with my mom, who runs a child-care center. So homeschool happens in the evenings and on the weekends. It works for us right now, and I am so excited about the possibilities our new home has opened up for us. Those of you who have been regular readers know that nature is our number-one homeschool resource and focus. What a place to build your home-education around nature!
I am so excited to share our next chapter with you all! I hope the new year brings you great health, great joy, and many great adventures – wherever you are!
~ Kristina
P.S. I’m still working on our new website, retrieving some of our archives, and so on. Please bear with me and feel free to ask me questions in the meantime. (Just go to “Contact” – you can get ahold of me there.)
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