Life Beyond the Yellow Border

For nearly 20 years, I spent my life in Washington, D.C. and its environs as a cog in the wheel of book publishing. Most of that publishing life was lived in the hallowed halls of the National Geographic Society as the Director of Subsidiary Rights in the Book Division. And for most of that time, I could not believe that I lucked into such a fantastic job at such an amazing place in such a famous and beautiful city.

The National Geographic Society

Alexandria, VA was the grounding place for my sometimes-frenetic career, and it also became the place where I would meet and fall in love with my now husband, C. We adopted our amazing lab mix, J, there. We struggled, but managed to make a comfortable life for ourselves in the adorable community of Del Ray in Alexandria, and even broke the unspoken DC rule of not knowing your neighbors by befriending nearly every person who surrounded us on our block.

But as the years rolled into one another, we grew weary of the maddening commutes that could take upwards of 2 hours on the worst days and at least 40 minutes on the best to traverse the only 9 miles from the suburbs into the city. The traffic never got any better (although there were days where it felt like you must have been elected President when the path was clear and driving was easy--did Secret Service clear the way?). The heat and humidity of the summer made May through August nearly unbearable to be outside and left non-pool goers like myself longing for the pleasant coolness of spring and fall. We began to long for a serious change in scenery and lifestyle, even if it meant leaving our beloved Del Ray.

Surrounded by our friendly Del Ray neighbors

Ultimately, the time to make the leap came this year. As C has a consulting job that allows him to live wherever as long as he has an airport to fly out to client sites in the Northeast, we decided it was worth a shot to make the move. I was expecting a move to somewhere in PA where C grew up, but to my surprise, he said he wanted to relocate to Buffalo, NY. He had fallen in love with the city and its people on our many trips north to visit my family here. And so, we began our investigation into relocating just "south of the wall."

In preparation, I made a proposal to my supervisor and his boss in the hopes of porting my job with me. They were surprised, but seemed amenable to continued discussion. As we didn't have a firm date for relocating, I took their questions and concerns in hand and went back to revise my proposal.

Long story short, after 3 times at bat with my supervisor, I realized that my simple proposal would not be accepted, despite each adjustment I made. I'm not sure if my supervisor thought I was all bluster about moving or not, but after my last presentation I tendered my resignation. I knew I had enough contacts that I could continue using my expertise to launch my career fully in the freelance realm.

So two months later, here we are, knocking around in a beautiful old house in historic Elmwood Village in Buffalo, NY. We take long walks around the neighborhood to discover the architectural gems around us and have already enjoyed some of the classic summer festivals that the area has to offer. Of course, we love the cooler summer weather and the close proximity to family.

As for myself, I'm learning the ins and outs of starting a new business in the great state of New York, as well as the joys and challenges that come with living in a house built around 1890.

Our new Home Sweet Home

Life beyond the Yellow Border doesn't seem all that bad.