I have lived in the sunny state of Florida for too long (9 years?) and greatly miss NC. Matthew has lived here for almost 4 years and he misses Ohio. We have this longing in common that has lead us to much prayer and consideration concerning how to go about relocating. My family moved back to NC after my freshman year of college and going home to them is one of the most fulfilling things we do. Visiting family in Ohio also gives us a warm, complete feeling so we have opted to move somewhere North of SC. Before we were married Matthew printed off a map - dotted where my parents live and where his live - then drew circles around areas that were within 3-4 hours of our parents, and 6-8 hours. Family is a priority to us and we want to raise our kids within a reasonable driving distance of them.
We long to experience four seasons once again, own land, live near or in the mountains, and keep it simple. We don't mind living near a large city (that's where it'd be best for Matt to find his type of work anyway), but we would choose to live some miles away where we could come home to the quiet peacefulness of the country. To start out, we'd like to live in an apartment for a little while so we can scope out homes/land while working to save money.
Matthew and I talk about our aspirations and are focusing on being active about them. I stumbled across this website yesterday about a young couple in their late twenties who sold everything they had to move from the West coast of Canada to the East to pursue their dreams. They have a blog on their site that I sat and read for an hour - I just love their house and how they worked so hard for what they have. Their story is crazy, yet inspiring. I shared it with Matt last night and told him I'm not saying I could do what they did, but the overall idea is encouraging. You can check out their site here... www.whimfield.com
There are so many questions to sort through... every time I moved as a child, it was because my dad we being relocated with his job. He knew he was going to have a job when he moved us as a family. In our situation, we're not even sure how to go about finding a location to move. We know we want to be near family, that's the easy part. How does my husband find a job in this economy - especially along the line of work of film and photography? Are teaching jobs for me readily available up there as opposed to Florida? How do we begin looking? What about finances? It's overwhelming for both of us, but we know God will provide a way. Despite the questions running through our heads on a regular basis, we do know that moving is in the near future and God is our guide.
Matthew encouraged me to look up school districts today and local churches. We have a list of cities we are going to be acquiring information about: Charlottesville, VA (my favorite), Roanoke, VA, Raleigh, NC (where my family is), Nashville, TN and surrounding areas... We know we'd like to make a weekend trip home to see my family this summer, then drive to Charlottesville for a day or two and explore there. We really like what we've seen about this area so far, and have looked into various towns outside of the big city. Who knows what could happen? We can't keep talking about wanting to move and not do anything about it. We want to be open to where God sends us - and I'm well aware it could be an entirely different place aside from what we're thinking - and that's ok. We just want to go and be in God's will throughout it all.
Ok, enough of sorting through my thoughts - I must research before I go tutor two of my students. My hawaiian island eruption is almost finished, meaning I should order a sandwich soon in order to feel like it's ok for me to keep sitting here for another hour (although I'm the only one in this place!)
*As an exciting side note, my dad is in town on business and we're meeting him for dinner tonight! He took me to lunch yesterday and came by our place Sunday evening. It's so nice having him here - definitely makes me miss my mom and sisters!
