We have truly been amazed and blessed with the experiences (including 1 massive earthquake) we have had and the lifelong friends we have made in Japan. We will be forever thankful for the opportunity to have lived here! We will never be the same. (tear in my eye)
We are now preparing to move into our next phase as a family. We will be moving! “Moving where?” you might ask… well after lots of thought, prayer, debate and whatever else you can imagine, we’ve decided that in the beginning of May, we are moving back to Holland, Michigan. As many of you know, we lived there for 9 years from May 1998 to Sept. 2008. So it’s like home to us and we’re happy to be going back to familiar territory. After being away from Holland for almost 4 years, we expect the area and people to have changed… and so have we. We are returning as completely different people. More mature kids, stronger marriage, great experiences and fresh perspective. Check out Our Story for some history and if you’re curious about where we’re heading, see Our Plans.
For now, our immediate goals are to find a house to rent/buy downtown Holland with a little yard for a garden and buy a vehicle. We want to be close to the farmer’s market, library and other local conveniences. We cannot wait! We hope to use our bicycles as our main source of transport until the weather tells us otherwise.
If you’re in the Holland area, we would love to connect or re-connect 
with you!
Cheers,
Ian and Jess
Hello, I just found your sustainable living blog and commend you on this journey of healthy sustainable living. I’m just south of Holland in the Fennville/Saugatuck area putting together a small sustainable farm. Please check out my fb website and let me know if it comes up as a public web site. I’m a single celibate senior man looking to share my place as a retreat and/or residence with other like minded sustainable living souls. How are things going in Holland for the green sage tribe/family? I’m going to start linking other common interest web sites to my fb page to build more interest in my place. May I please link with your blog? You are very welcome to stop down for a visit, it would be nice to meet you and tribe in person!
Looking forward to hanging out in Holland again! Good times!!
How exciting Jess! Enjoy the journey…xxoo
Jess, I am so thrilled for you and your family! I’ll bet your families are happy that you have chosen Michigan as your home.
I read your life plan….it sounds fascinating and very grounded. I truly believe you will find what you are looking for. There are many folks who are trading their corporate lives for a more meaningful, self-sustainable lifestyle. I have read about city folks who have traded their high profile 6 figure jobs to purchase and work on farms. I will be interested to know how it unfolds for you!
Yay!! So excited to have the Sage crew back!!
I’m excited! Who’d have ever thunk we’d end up in the same area!
This is exactly why Noah and I are looking forward to moving back to Holland when I graduate this summer. In fact, he’s already moved back, and I’m staying here in Chicago until graduation. But I can’t wait to be able to get our own place (hopefully renting a house downtown) just before the wedding! I truly miss Holland, it has just always felt like home.
That’s so great Franny! Can’t wait to hang out soon