After fourteen years in New York, I'm moving back to San Francisco. There was a point not too long ago when I expected I'd live in New York for more or less the rest of my life. I've loved living here and I'm not leaving because I'm tired of the city or feel like it's changed for the worse over the time I've been here.

What has changed is that Jill and I want our children to be closer to their grandparents. Her parents live in Marin and my mom is in Merced (where I grew up), and while Skype calls and the occasional visit are great, they're not a substitute for being able to spend time together regularly (or to for us to just get the occasional weekend off, either). If our parents lived in New Jersey or Long Island we'd probably stay in New York forever. It's easy when you're young and in your twenties to underestimate the value of being close to your family, but as I get older -- and more importantly, as my children get older -- you realize how important that proximity really is. Plus I couldn't argue that I can't do my job in San Francisco.

We're due to move in early July, just in time to miss most of the humid NYC summer (I actually like the winters here, but have never been able to get used to how gross and sticky it gets in July and August). We've already started packing up boxes and figuring out what we want to move to California and what we need to get rid of, and actually the process of reducing the number of things I own has been the one part of this process I've enjoyed.

While there's plenty to do both before and after our move, I am excited about spending more time with old friends and reconnecting with those I've lost touched with over the years. I'm also looking forward to meeting new people, so if you're working on something interesting in the Bay Area and think we should chat, drop me a line.