We were fortunate to sell in Seattle when that market was hot but Whidbey wasn’t, so we were able to afford some acres and a big cozy, quirky house.

Kids have spent the last two days sledding in our pasture and building snow forts. We have a trail around our property that also connects to our neighbors, where my son’s friend lives. My in-laws live nearby. It’s a good life.

I do wonder how they’ll feel about it when they’re teens though. There isn’t much to do on evenings/weekends, at least compared to a city, or college town, or really anywhere else.

Things you need to not mind to live here: everything closing at like 7pm, power outages, expensive groceries, limited amenities, limited services, limited social circles, and political diversity.