A Little 180º + What’s Next for 2026

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” ―Helen Keller

Yesterday we woke up in our house in Arizona and I laughed. After spending 6 weeks on the road and up at our lake house it highlighted how little I need any of the stuff in this house. I walked around and could count on one hand the belongings I actually wished I’d had with me. But first, let me rewind and bring you up to speed.

We went to the lake house in Oregon with every intention of taking the personal items we had there out and seeing what work needed to be done to get it ready to sell. I know what you’re thinking, “But, Rose, that log cabin is so gorgeous and isn’t that your dream house?” Yes. But we were attempting to be practical. Logical. Rational. Fiscally responsible.

However, we are how we are, and sometimes the best solution isn’t the most direct. In fact, I’d argue that the best decisions I’ve made long term often take standing on your head a few times to see them right. When we met, we put together my house in Portland (with full-time tenants), some rental properties in a lower-cost area of Arizona, the log cabin nestled in a few acres in the forest on a lake that’s boat access only in Oregon, and our house on a Greek island in a little village.

We don’t have our full time visas for Greece so we can’t stay there full-time. Schengen countries require you to leave every 90 days to reset the cycle, so we have to either go to the U.S.A. or Türkiye or a non-Schengen country to fill the requirement. In 2023 we had all of our belongings in storage which is both expensive (they raise the rent any time they want) and meant that we had to do hotels & short-term rentals anytime we traveled or came back to the states to visit (both expensive and didn’t give us a stable home to relax into). While we travel a lot and we learned that the feeling of being home is vital for our stability in every sense - home cooked food, a healthy routine, a proper place for our things. Living out of a backpack and eating out daily is exhausting.

In 2024 we made the sensible decision to move into one of the low-mortgage homes in Arizona when our tenants moved out. While we don’t love the area, it was closer to both of our families and would financially make the most sense. But every time we had to leave Greece to return, it created quite a bit of dread. And when we’re here, it’s a tough transition. Our Greece home gives us a beautiful view, a bustling village community of friends, locally grown produce and eggs and fresh-caught fish, and tons of gorgeous roads and trails to explore.

Here, the homes are constructed to stay cool in the summer so we can’t see much from the windows, it’s either extremely hot in the summer or extremely cold in the winter and always windy. We don’t know a single neighbor and the area lacks readily available locally grown produce or well, anything. There are only two living creatures in the neighborhood - Fat Tabitha the socially awkward tabby and Vinnie the black cat, who has an amazing personality but is completely unreliable 😂. There are stretches of days that I never leave the house at all here - and when I do, it’s a quick trip to get groceries. It’s a productive time work-wise, but it’s not a healthy fit for either of us.

*Backyard deer, morning sunrise view, me in my art studio/sunroom*

Meanwhile, the reality of selling the lake house isn’t easy. It is beautiful, but after having short term renters destroying it for two years and a property manager who completely neglected it - it needs significant work. Plus, boat-access only isn’t for everyone - we will have to wait until the right buyer comes along who wants a log cabin in the woods, property to take care of, and doesn’t mind the lack of roads. The reality of also being completely in love with the place also smacked us in the face (again)!

The lake house is romantic and dreamy on my social media - some of the TikToks I posted went over 60,000 views immediately. But it is hard work. No roads. No quick fixes. No easy access in case of emergencies. No trash pickup. No mail. No deliveries. Just us versus the constant wildness of the forest and the moss and the grass and the lake and the rain and the animals. But we love a hard life. (There’s a second post coming on that). So we flip-flopped our plans as we often do and decided it would make better sense to our overall well-being, happiness, and long term path to sell the house we’re in and move our U.S. based residence to the lake house.

*Backyard baby deer, endless trout fishing off the dock, playing bows and arrows*

We’ll see our families on the way into the country, visit throughout, and then again on the way back out to Greece. It will balance out our property portfolio in a nicer way, and allow us to make some different financial decisions that feel good. It will mean that when we leave Greece mid-summer, we will have somewhere to head back to that we are excited about being in instead of feeling like a punishment. We will get to enjoy the insanely long days of summer in the PNW where sunlight lingers until 10:00 pm at night and days will consist of endless fishing, paddle boarding, kayaking and doing endless cartwheels on our grassy lawn while we wave at neighbors and take naps under the cedars.

So now, we are back in Arizona. Which pretty much consists of my previous Portland home unpacked into it. The lake house is fully furnished so it’s my last chance to sell stuff and shed all excess belongings before the move. The next move we’d make after the lake house would be full time out of the country and there’s no selling stuff from the lake house. It brings interesting thoughts of what makes a person and what makes a home - this collection of stuff, these items tied to memories, a home built on a wooden frame?

*An incredible 10-mile trail through forests, dunes and the beach right from the marina!*

In the past 6 years I have moved from the first home I bought in Southern California to Seattle, to Portland, to a storage unit and Greece, to Arizona, and now, to the lake house. The lake house move is intense. Because we lack a road there’s no moving truck backing up and dropping a lift gate for a simple unload. The truck goes to the marina, the belongings go down a boat ramp, from the boat ramp to a barge or pontoon boat, then up the dock at our place and finally in. It takes the work of moving to a whole new level.

It’s time to really pare down. This time I feel ready to truly shed these well-loved relics of who I once was and feel the warm rush of who I am becoming. I remember once, many years ago, my long-time therapist told me to start giving things away to make room for what was on its way to me. This stuff has served its purpose to me and it is time for it to go make someone else happy and to bring their home beauty and comfort.

If you’re interested in any art - email me - I will not be moving any of it to the lake house and can make you an insane deal!

With love,