Moving Across the Country & How It All Began

We finally did it. We moved. And let me tell you, the preparation and anticipation of it all sucked. My husband Andy would disagree. In fact, he couldn't get out of Illinois fast enough. While I was dragging my feet through the entire process, he was full speed ahead. Having grown up in Colorado, he had no real attachment to the place I have always called home. Believe it or not, our (his) initial thoughts of moving began 23 years ago.

Just after getting married in 2001, we (he) tossed around the idea of moving to Las Vegas. Yup, LAS VEGAS! We got as far as looking at houses and areas to live but ultimately we (I) decided against it. Thank goodness for that decision because Vegas and the surrounding areas became a dead zone/ ghost town after the real estate bubble burst in 2008. Smart thinking on our (my) part!

Fast forward 18 years of raising 2 girls and running a business, he got antsy again. During spring break of 2019, our family vacationed in Nashville. We stayed at a house outside the city on a small farm and absolutely loved the entire area. Andy loved Nashville so much that after returning home, he was ready to pack up the family roadster, stick a For Sale sign in the front yard and move to Nashville like the Beverly Hillbillies (minus the black gold and movie stars, of course). I was like, hold on there Jed Clampett, let's get our kids through high school and THEN consider moving. Well, let me tell you, this man cannot remember what he had for dinner the night before, but he sure remembered me saying that. The countdown was on and every year I was reminded of how much closer we were to leaving the midwest. Once our youngest started high school, things started to move at lightning speed.

Here s the timeline:

2019 - We visit Nashville, TN and want to move there... eventually. This becomes a "no go" when the entire country seems to be moving there, thus becoming crazy expensive.

2020 - We visit the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and love the town and area so much it becomes # 1 on our list of places to live.

2022 - We buy a house in Knoxville in June of 2022 and rent it out until it is time for us to move there. Or so we thought...

2023 - In September, we sell our fully renovated home and move into a rental house in the same town. Then things get REAL!

2023 - In mid September, we crazily consider moving to Florida since we both love it so much and think, why not live there instead of Tennessee? Well, after looking at real estate and areas to live in the Clearwater area, I can tell you why we did NOT choose Florida. If you want to live near the water (gulf or ocean side) you need to have hella money to afford it. Without hella money, you live waaaaayyyy inland and frankly, what's the point of that? Might as well live in Tennessee.

2023 - End of September, we start looking for another house in Knoxville to live, keeping the one we already own as a rental.

2023 - The end of November, we travel as a family to Kernersville, North Carolina for Thanksgiving with Andy's family who all live there. Our kids say, "Why don't you guys just move here to be near family?" Well, hmmm. With that in mind, I stop by a house my brother-in-law is building and absolutely love it. The wheels start turning.

2023 - The beginning of December we FINALLY make the decision to move to North Carolina and just before Christmas, we close on a piece of property.

2024 - The process of getting a construction loan to build our house begins in early January. This brings on a slew of crazy all its own but we close in March.

2024 - Construction begins in March and is completed in early August.

2024 - We finally move into our new house on Friday, August 30th

Needless to say 2023 and 2024 have been beyond exhausting. 2024 was especially tough because not only were we building a house and moving, we were also preparing to bring our youngest daughter to Delaware for school, closing the business we ran for almost 20 years and re-opening that business in NC. Sprinkle in some health issues, 2 car accidents (one involving a deer and a totaled car!) and all the other things that can make life challenging and I am very ready for some normalcy, whatever that might look like.

Four weeks ago I said goodbye to everything I know: friends, family and familiarity. What I can say is this... anticipation and the unknown have been the hardest part of the process. I never even fathomed living in a different state, but here I am. Was it hard? Yes. Do I love change? Definitely not. Do I want to move again anytime soon? Absolutely NOT! As long as Jed Clampett doesn't get the itch again, we are here to stay for a while.