A (big) life update from The Krause House

Sunday, March 9th, 2025.

It’s a warm, spring Sunday as I’m sitting at the kitchen table watching Austin putzing around outside through the window. Larsen is downstairs giggling with two friends, and I’m just starting to smell the banana bread baking in the oven. It’s a seemingly perfect Sunday – the kind where you can sense Spring has nearly arrived, the dread of Winter almost over. And while I normally find myself energized by these surprisingly warm winter days, today I feel heavy, anxious and sad as I reconcile with our current reality.

Almost a month ago now, Austin and I sat down and had a much-needed conversation about our future in South Dakota. Since the 2024 election, we’d had many small (and big) conversations about what the future might hold for our family. Most of our concerns centered around what our state might do during the 2025 legislative session. What kinds of bills would be introduced that would make life here more difficult? What laws might pass that discriminate against our family? How will the political climate change, and will it create a hostile environment for us in our cozy, cultured corner of South Dakota? 

But on January 20, 2025, as Trump took office for the second time, we watched as the onslaught of Executive Orders provided a preview of what was likely to come. For the days (and weeks) following Inauguration Day, the anxiety and pain in my chest grew stronger, as anti-trans, anti-immigrant, anti-women and anti-humanity sentiment grew at both a local and national level. The maelstrom of hateful intentions grew, and the writing on the wall became clearer with each passing day. This new administration had the power to say and do whatever it wanted without repercussion – including dismantling democracy and the rights of those who criticized Trump’s plan.

We’d spent some time talking about the potential inevitability of moving out of South Dakota to a more progressive state, where gender affirming care and human rights were more respected. But, we never truly imagined we’d ever be faced with moving out of the United States. It always seemed incredibly drastic and unrealistic. Unfortunately, following a few weeks of researching, networking, and connecting with resources for guidance – we concluded that for the safety and wellbeing of our family, it was time to make a bold choice and leave our home country for the hope of a brighter and safer life.

And though today I feel angry, bitter and sad that this is where our country has led us, I am deeply grounded in the notion that we are on the right path. Deep in my heart and center, there’s a degree of comfort I feel in having finally made this decision – in knowing we’ve set in motion a plan to reshape the narrative of our life and take on a new adventure. While at times it all seems terrifyingly harrowing, feelings of excitement, joy and anticipation are equally present. A new adventure awaits – an opportunity to write a new chapter we never envisioned could exist. And though trials and hardship are surely ahead, I’m starting this blog in hopes to to document our journey and stay connected across the globe with those we love and must leave behind.

So, if you find yourself still here, caring enough to read until the end, we invite you to join us as we pack our belongings, fly across the globe, and begin our next chapter in New Zealand.