Why We’re Moving Home

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.

I’ve cried so many times…but don’t worry, these are happy tears, y’all.

So today I’m going to share some news that we’ve been keeping under wraps for a little while now and I have been dying to talk about. But first, to properly explain how big of a deal this news is, I’m going to take you back and share a little story with you.

A Promise Made

This was early in the year of 2012. My graduation from college was fast approaching in only a few short months, which naturally meant my family and I discussed the event a lot.

During a trip home, I ended up making a run to Wal-Mart with my baby brother, Joseph (He was 10 at the time and still loved to spend time with his sissy…these days, he’s too busy hanging out with his buddies and his girlfriend).

While we were wandering the aisles, Joseph started talking about my graduation. And then he dropped this bomb on me, “And then you get to move back to Mama’s house with us!”

My sweet baby brother thought after college, things would go back to the way they were before I moved away. I explained to him that I wouldn’t be moving back to Mama’s because now I’d have to find a job and be an adult.

Oh, man, did that little boy get mad at me.

We walked around that store for 30 minutes with him absolutely refusing to speak to me. And let me tell you, 30 minutes of him not speaking was a serious deal (actually, it still is).

At the time, I promised him that even though I wouldn’t be moving back to Henderson (our hometown), I would be moving closer than Asheville and he’d get to see me more often.

A Promise Broken

Turns out, I lied to him. I spent two years after graduation hunting for jobs that would bring me closer to my family with no luck (Also, I’m still annoyed that so-called “entry-level” jobs required 3 to 5 years of experience). I was still living in Asheville, still working in restaurants, and still hoping I’d find my way home.

And then I met Scott (or, re-met Scott…you can read about how our love story started here). Scott had also been living in Asheville for several years and working in the service industry. Not long after we started dating, we both decided we were ready for a change of scene.

Naturally, I suggested moving to Raleigh. He suggested Charlotte (For those of you unfamiliar with North Carolina geography, Charlotte is a major city located near the South Carolina state line…Raleigh is closer to Virginia). Moving to Charlotte was a lot more expedient because we had a place to stay while we searched for a home (his mom owned a house there) and Scott had a ready job offer. It wasn’t quite what I wanted, but it was a little closer to home.

So, we packed up, moved to Charlotte, eventually bought a house, and got engaged.

Heading in a New Direction

And then, in August of 2016, our train jumped tracks again. The company we both worked for offered Scott a promotion that would take us to Charleston, SC. And since they were opening a new restaurant just outside of Charleston, I would be able to transfer. It meant moving further away from the family, but it was a new adventure and a great opportunity for both of us. So, we took it.

Only a few months into living in our new city and we realized something…we hated living in Charleston (No offense to those who live there and love it, it just wasn’t for us).

We decided that we’d stick it out for a year and then move back to North Carolina.

At the same time, our wedding was fast approaching. The closer it got, the more time we spent discussing our future…specifically, starting a family of our own. The more we talked about it, the more I felt homesick.

See, I grew up in a big, close-knit, Southern family. My mama has seven brothers and sisters. That means a lot of aunts and uncles, cousins, second-cousins, third-cousins…you get the idea. Most of that family lived in my hometown. As a kid, my best friends were my sister and all those cousins. We used any excuse to have family gatherings and family dinners. Since I moved away for college, I’d missed out on so many of those moments.

The more I thought about having my own children, the more I wanted to give them the kind of life I had as a child, one surrounded by a big, loving, crazy family.

So, we made up our minds, after a year in Charleston, we’d move to Raleigh where we’d only be an hour from the family.

Another Wrench in the Plan

You know that phrase, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”?

Well, our plans went awry.

In the process of preparing for the move, Scott called a former boss of his to ask him if he could list him as a job reference.

Instead, his former boss offered him a job…in Asheville.

I’m not going to lie, we fought like hell about this move. I cried…a lot. But the job he offered Scott was too good to pass up. And it came with a bonus. This particular restaurant group owned stores in several cities…including Raleigh. His former boss made him a deal; if he took the offer in Asheville, he would help Scott get transferred to Raleigh eventually.

Making that decision hurt like hell, but we did it. We packed up and moved back to the city where our story first began.

Now, I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been completely awful. With the connections I still had in this city, getting a job was easy (it literally took one phone call). We still had friends in the area and we’ve been able to enjoy a lot of our favorite restaurants and breweries again.

But I still anxiously awaited the day we’d get the green light and I would finally get to go home.

At Last

As it turns out, that day was last Monday.

Scott’s boss approached him about the option of moving a little sooner a couple of weeks ago. On Monday, we took a day trip to Raleigh so he could meet with the management team and make it official. We also took advantage of the trip to scout out potential housing.

And just this morning we received notice that the house we applied for came through.

It’s official.

After seven years of detours, I’m finally going home.

For the first time in seven years, I’ll live close enough to my family to pop in almost anytime I want (Mama, you’ve been warned). I’ll have the chance to witness my niece growing up in a way I didn’t with my baby brother and my nephew. And, when Scott and I have kids, my family will get to do the same.

We haven’t set an official moving date quite yet (we’ve still got to get things squared away with our current jobs). But we know it’ll be within the next month.

All the waiting, the tears I cried every time my plans got de-railed, the heartbreak I felt when I missed yet another family event…it will all be worth it.

Because I’m finally going home.