Until now I’ve seldom written about my personal life on Matt-Gibson.org. I’m going to try and change that in the future. One of the great things about blogs is that readers get to connect with the person behind the screen.
So, here’s a bit of news: I’m moving to Salt Lake City, Utah!
If you’ve been following my blog or social media accounts then you probably have the impression that I’ve either been living in Taiwan, or have been traveling constantly. The truth is that, with the exception of a few short trips (Taiwan, Mexico, and Canada) I’ve been in the USA since February.
Since February, my girlfriend Emilie and I have been spending most of our time in Santa Clara, California, where Emilie had been helping out her sister who has been struggling with cancer. I can’t really tell you how incredibly strong the family has been through this awful ordeal. Emilie’s sister has a small house with three bedrooms and a garage where she lives with her husband and two children.
When she was diagnosed last September Emilie moved into her garage to help out. Since then Emilie has been the primary caretaker for both her sister and her sister’s children. That’s right. Two children. Once cancer patient. Living in a garage. For almost a year.
I can’t tell you how strong she has been.
I was in Asia when Emilie’s sister was diagnosed and I came back as soon as I could (February) to try and help out. Although I’ve done my best to help out around the house and take a bit of the load off of Emilie, my writing work keeps me very busy. I wish I could have done more. I certainly didn’t do nearly as much as Emilie.
Now, after six very difficult months of living in the garage, Emilie’s sister has gotten strong enough to take over the house again. Her cancer is not gone, and never will be, but, after spending the last year fighting to regain the strength she lost during the early stages of her illness (there were times that it didn’t look like she was going to make it) and is once again a vibrant energetic mother. It’s incredible.
Now, it’s time for us to leave, but Emilie and I don’t really have a plan.
We can’t go too far. The caner is not, and will never be, gone, so Emilie may have to go back to California at some point. So, we’re going to Salt Lake City where Emilie’s parents have a house that they aren’t using.
It’s actually a really nice 4000 square foot three-story house. So, that’s a perk. And, I was recently hired to write About.com’s Snowboarding Guide. So, Utah, which has some of the best ski areas in the world, sounds like an awesome place to spend the winter.
I can’t tell you how excited I am. A big house. Snowboarding. My girlfriend all to myself. Not sleeping in a garage.
Although I don’t have any travel plans yet, those opportunities tend to pop up when I least expect them, so I’m not concerned. All in all, things are looking up!
What are you planning to do this winter?
Lead photo by San Diego Shooter
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Nice to hear the personal stuff. Glad Emilie’s sister is doing as well as she is.
Thanks Rich! I am going to try and keep up the personal posts more in the future.
Glad to know that her health is going better, at least, and it’s so nice of your girlfriend to take of her sister and her children. I hope you don’t mind me asking, where’s her husband during this tragic event? Again, I’m glad that she’s doing well now. You and your girlfriend deserves the best vacation in Utah! oh wait, you’re moving in? much better! I’m thinking of going back to Lucerne this winter, as I wasn’t able to enjoy my last year’s visit.
Be grateful your girlfriend’s sister is better and enjoy every day. Although I’ve never been to Utah, I’ve heard good things and it sounds like an ideal situation. Thanks for the nice site and good luck.
Thank you Scott. We are very grateful that she is doing well right now. Utah is a pretty great place. I’m enjoying it a lot here.
Thanks for the kind words! Cheer!