Today my three sons marched off to the first day of school. So far, 2019 has proven to be a big year for my family: we bought a home after years of renting and house-hopping, we moved more urban, and our children changed schools mid-year—they went from a small, affluent district to a large, predominantly low-income district. It’s been so exciting, so new, so good.

All of the change meant less time for writing. Now that we’re settled in, I’m back with some serious spring in my step; article ideas are overflowing and spilling over.

Our new neighborhood borders downtown San Jose, where Gary Dillabough and Google are buying up properties left and right. It’s an invigorating place to be, you can just smell opportunity and change-for-the-better in the air. I really couldn’t have picked a better place for Simply Silicon Valley to be headquartered.

I launched this website three years ago to help people live well in this expensive, transient, over-worked region. The tagline says it all: The Good Life, on less. I report on places to go, things to do, deals to grab, and practical life wisdom to help you thrive, on less — less stress, less strain, less pressure, and of course, less money.

My beat has been further clarified with the move: I cover all of Silicon Valley, with a focus on downtown and midtown San Jose and the special neighborhoods that surround it, because this is where I live. There are myriad articles just waiting to be written, I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’m preparing to post about:

• A RESTAURANT— a local restaurant on an industrial street that appears to be a diamond in the rough.

• A LOCAL BUSINESS— a mom-and-pop bike shop that you wouldn’t even know is there.

• A FREE EVENT— a free outdoor dancing event.

• HOUSING— how I navigated the housing market and finally bought a house.

• DESIGN— sharing my home, one room at a time.

• TRAVEL— a recent 48-hour getaway with my husband.

Follow along as an email subscriber to receive my articles (use Subscribe button at the bottom of the website), and follow on  Instagram and Facebook for additional content.

You play an important role in this endeavor: as you spread the word about Simply SV, I’m able to connect with more people and encourage them in their Silicon Valley lives. Also, know that every time you engage with my articles and social media posts, you put gas in my tank; it fuels me to know people are benefitting from my work and motivates me to get out there and keep reporting on the treasures of Silicon Valley.

It’s great to be back, good things are ahead! Comment below with article ideas and local businesses to pursue.