About a year ago, Kyle and I decided to get married because we loved each other and couldn't live without each other....but also we wanted to move across the country, and have a new adventure. I wanted to be married before we left and while that sounds way more practical than romantic, I'm incredibly happy with the way our timeline fell into place. I knew I wanted to marry him, and I didn't need the big fancy wedding to make it work. So there we were, newly married (still are but whateves) and saving all extra income. We saved our wedding funds, our tax returns, and any overtime, or cashed out vacation from work. I was babysitting every once in a while, and saving that as well. As we were planning, I really felt like we would be pinching pennies, and giving up so much. But in reality, we were able to splurge on some things, and after selling some extra household stuff, we made our savings goal fairly easily.
Before we even knew where we wanted to move, we set a deadline for June 20. We did this for two reasons. 1.) Because it would hold us accountable to save. We really wanted to get a cushy savings account before we took off away from our families and any security. And 2.) For job applications. I knew that while job hunting, very few companies would even take a second glance at my resume coming from Washington, when they are hiring in, Raleigh NC for example. Having the date, as my research told me, would give employers a better sense of security about my intentions when moving. it wasn't just some pipe dream.
Well, the months FLEW by and May rolled around with June just out of reach, and there we were with no job prospects, no landlord to rent to us, and palpable disappointment. We'd moved out of our apartment, and were living with the in-laws, which as great as they were, was feeling like a step backwards, when all we really wanted was progress.
On the morning of May 24th, I was in the car driving with Kyle to work. and I expressed just how frustrated I was about not having ANY prospects. We'd set our sights on Raleigh, NC and things we not panning out. We had no more than a rejection from one job who'd given me a chance, and a stack of applications for hundreds of positions. This is about how the conversation went. (It was raining)
H "I hate this rain. I'm sick of everything here and I just want to GO."
K "Yeah, me too."
H "I'm just so tired of trying, and I feel like NC isn't working."
K "Yeah, me too."
H "Can we just go somewhere? Drop everything and go?"
K "Ummmmm."
H "We have our savings....if we have a place to stay, that will last us a while."
K "If you can find a job or a place to live by next week, I will move."
H "Really??"
K "Yes."
H "How do you feel about Missouri? I have an aunt there who's been begging me to move there for YEARS."
K "uhhhhh, Why not?"
That very day, I got a hold of Sara and we worked out a place for us to live (The Sherrick Shack as we call it now) and she had a few job leads for me. I applied for a few jobs, Kyle did some research and applied for some jobs and the next day we both had voicemail's about interview possibilities.
Since then, it's been practically smooth sailing. We put in notice at our respective jobs, reserved the Uhaul, packed it up, and loaded our car on a trailer. We pulled out on June 20, our original move date, and found ourselves in Missouri four days later. We had no problems with the truck, or trailer, or the move at all. The last few hours through Iowa were tough, but we pulled through. We moved into our house, and have had plenty of time and money to last us. Within a month of being here, we've both secured employment and found little things about this place that simply work for us.
Had you asked me two years ago, where I saw myself today, Missouri would not have even made the list. (Ok, maybe a visit to Sara....) And living in the Midwest, selling group tickets in a train station/museum would have NEVER crossed my mind. But, this job is everything I've needed, and then some. I feel at home, and I (not to brag or anything) feel I do a good job. And while I never thought working in a cubicle would be good enough for my creative spirit, I'm LOVING it. I feel more inspired to get home and write, and dream in my free time about all my other projects. The structure I'm given here, is just enough to help my freak flag fly when I'm not clocked in.
Feeling at home in a place, is important to me, and I feel more at home in our little Sherrick Shack, out in the Midwest, than I ever have before. While we are sad to be so far from family, I can feel us building a network of people who I can tell will be important to us for a long, long time. We're testing new boundaries in our relationship, and while a month of unemployment and constant companionship may be tough for a new marriage, it's helped us develop in ways I didn't think were possible.
In short, moving to Missouri, with out any sort of security blanket to help us along the way, has been the best decision we've made together as a couple...except maybe when we have pizza for dinner.....
I was telling a new friend the other day that I've only ever felt this feeling of "home" one or two other times in my life. The most significant, was while I was dating Kyle, and I knew, despite my worries and anxieties, that everything would be fine. It would all work out, and I just needed to trust. So I did...and here we are.
Life is crazy, friends, and my recommendation is to trust your gut, and go with the way life pulls you. Missouri wasn't my first choice, but it was the right choice, and I wouldn't trade this feeling for the world.
