Inspired again by a post from Holly, I spent my drive home thinking about the five best decisions I’ve made as an adult. And here they are. As of this moment in time. Totally subject to change.

1. Moving to San Francisco

In January 2004 I moved to the Bay Area not knowing one single person. The next 7.5 years were filled with growing amazing friendships, building a career I’m proud of, and memories of so many good times. The City was the best place to spend my twenties and looking back I can’t imagine having done it anywhere else. I laughed, I cried, I paid way too much to live alone in the Marina. I had the time of my life.

2. Moving to Seattle

All good things must come to an end and by 2011 my love affair with SF had gone cold. It was no longer the perfect city where dreams are made; it was cold, windy, expensive, crowded, and a career rat race. The city hadn’t changed, I’d just moved on. I wanted space, to slow down a little, the ability to start thinking about being a mom, a house of my own. Our engagement and my move to Seattle couldn’t have been more perfect timing. Minus the weather, Seattle is everything I love about SF without 90% of what I was tired of.

3. Starting to Save Early

Fresh out of college and into my first ‘big girl’ job, I started saving. It wasn’t a ton at that time, but it was something. And I’ve continued to make saving a priority. I look at it this way: Instead of purchasing a fancy new car or wearing the most expensive shoes in the room, I’ve been buying my financial independence. I’m not saying I don’t spend (please see #1: expensive apartment in Marina), but I stay well below my means and I’m happy there. I can walk away from it all tonight and be fine for a while. Knowing I can do that has been such a freedom in the last few years.

4. Traveling Alone

Through most of my twenties I didn’t have a significant other to travel with. I had lots of boyfriends, but they were never the ‘go do something type’. Which is funny, because I like to do things. I digress. I wanted to see the world, so I did. And I have memories that I will cherish. I learned to be by myself for two weeks, I learned to explore on my own. And I learned that traveling with someone you love is way more awesome. A close second to traveling alone is going to Spain with my family in 2010. Things have changed SO F’N MUCH in the less than two years it’s been since that trip and I love the memories of the last time it was really just the five of us. We have so many awesome memories to make going forward as just the 12+ of us, but Spain I won’t forget.

5. Saying “Yes” to My Engineer

Maybe this is a a odd, non-romantic way of saying I love him to others, but we’re both so. damn. analytical, he’d know what I mean.  We are different; we have different beliefs, we communicate differently, we see things differently like any two humans do. But we just get each other. There are so many things he loves about me that former loves have merely tolerated. And probably likewise for him. When I say “I do” in 109 days, I will have made the 6th best decision of my adult life.