The Italian South

A year ago today we lived in Portland. Oregon, It was raining. Brian was recovering from a severed Achilles tendon and I was working more than 50 hours a week in a soul-sapping job. I had been recruited for the position; it held a great deal of promise that proved to be utterly unfulfilled. We loved Portland, but the weather was starting to wear on us. We felt stuck, seeing little potential for change on the horizon. Then, six months later, we changed everything.