Chapel Hylton

It’s really starting to sink in: we’re moving. House rented. Truck reserved. In one month Sarah and I will be living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

North Carolina has long been our radar as a place we’d like be. It’s much, much closer to both of our families and we can easily take weekend trips to Kentucky. My dad is from North Carolina and I have a lot of great memories of visiting the state when I was younger. Much like Austin, the Research Triangle area is consistently ranked as a top place to live for entrepreneurs, schools, quality-of-life, etc. Anway, Sarah was offered a post-doc at the University of North Carolina so we decided to go sooner rather than later. She’ll work in a lab for about a year-and-a-half to two years before considering whether to stay in academia as a professor or going into the private sector (”industry” as academic types seem to call it).

As for me, my boss and I are discussing a scenario where I would continue to work remotely. I think it will work out nicely. Needless to say, it will be bittersweet leaving Austin. I hung out with someone recently who moved to the SF Bay area and returned for a short time. His message: don’t know what you got till it’s gone. Barton Springs and Smitty’s BBQ just aren’t replaceable. But clearly we will miss the great friends we have made most of all.

June 15th, 2005