Well...............here we go, we are really doing it!

So this first post will be a long one, I need to set the stage for what we are about to do...............

I cant believe its actually happening, we are moving to Bali, Indonesia. Eric and I have be taking about it pretty much since we met. We always talked about it like it was some type of unattainable dream. There were too many obstacles in the way............what would we do for work, how could we leave our family and friends, how could we afford to move, what we would do with all of our stuff here, could we just pick up and move to the other side of the world, how would we adjust, the questions in my mind went on and on.

I have lived all over the world, moving abroad should be nothing for me, however, I have now lived in California for 12 years, its the longest I have ever lived in 1 country my whole life. California feels like my home. On the other hand Eric has lived in Southern California his whole life, this is the only home that he has known. From the time Bali became a possible reality Eric has been 100% confident that we can not pass up this opportunity of a life time. It took a little more convincing on my end but now I am 100% ready to do this.

The hardest thing about leaving California for me is leaving my in-laws. Yes, I actually adore my in-laws. They have been there for me and my son from day one. Sheri (my mother in law) and Imo (my grandmother in-law) have helped raise my son since the day he was born. The bond that they have with Merric is like no other. It pains me to no end to think about moving him away from them, not to mention I feel like I am "taking" their son away too. They are both devastated but at the same time supportive. They know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our family. Sheri is flying to Bali with us in Nov and both Sheri and Imo will be back to Bali to visit in Feb/March. I will live for these visits and the time we spend with them will be so precious.

Eric and I have a great set of close friends, for the first time in my life I have a small group of friends that are like family to me. As you grow older you start weed out all of the fake friends in your life, we have a circle of friends that we trust and that we have so much fun with. I am really sad to leave them. Most of them have said that will come visit us and I hope that is a reality.

So what other things will I miss??.................well first and foremost In-N-Out Burger. Yes, I said it. I do love my In-N-Out. I will miss our trips to Vegas, big movie theaters, Ugg boots and my Starbucks downstairs in my complex. What wont I miss???...............the traffic, the IRS, the US medical system, the shitty school systems, the dog eat dog nature of living here, the negativity in the news, the state of the economy, the cost of living, the list could go on.

So why Bali?? What are you going to be doing there? Many people don't know that I was born in Indonesia. My sister Chelsea has been living in Bali for over 10 years and started a luxury surf and yoga retreat for women ( www.surfgoddessretreats.com ). I have been back to Bali many times over the past 10 years. Eric went to Bali for his 16th birthday and then went back with me 2 years ago. Every time I have been there I have always said I would love to live there one day. When we were there together Eric said the same thing. I had asked my sister a few years ago if she would have a job for me and she said yes but then life went by and we didn't jump at the chance. This last time I told her we were serious about moving and I think she was hesitant because we didn't take the opportunity last time. I had some serious discussions with her and she realized we were serious and the rest I guess is history. So as far as a job goes I will be a retreat leader, I will be with all of the guests day to day making sure they are having the holiday of a lifetime. I will also be helping my sister behind the scenes with organization, planning and marketing. We have a couple of other things in the works too but I will save that for a later blog. Eric's DJ career has really taken off here in the states and the Bali nightlife is unbelievably good. He is hoping that he will be able to play in clubs and bars in Bali a few times a month. It would be great for him to have a weekly residency somewhere. Eric will also be doing some filming and editing work and he plans on organizing a monthly music event  bringing in big name DJ's at some point. Merric will start at an international school in Jan 2011. I'm excited that he will be in school with so many kids from different cultures, learning different languages, have a music and sports program and the class room sizes are very small (like 15 kids). Merric will not get caught up in the California lifestyle, he wont even know what a Mercedes is, he will wear a school uniform, he will spend lots of time outdoors enjoying nature, he will appreciate other cultures and will appreciate what he has in life rather than worry about what other kids have.

We have started to sell and donate most of our things. It has been hard for me to part with materialistic things as I have worked very hard for most of the things I have. It has felt good to go through all of our junk and throw it out or donate it. Its like I can feel the load lifted off my shoulders.

We leave in 45 days!! The time is going by so quickly, its still kind of surreal, we are actually do it! I do go through a range of emotions daily......I'm excited, happy, nervous, scared, ecstatic, stressed and overwhelmed all at the same time.  My dream of living in Bali is coming true. We are really doing this!