Our journey to Nashville...
Be sure to eat
I haven’t written in awhile because, for one, I have been swamped! I am currently getting my M.S. in integrating technology in the classroom. I also just finished coaching 6th grade girls’ basketball so with that over things are finally slowing down. Throughout the last few weeks, we found out that Andrew will not be called back to work, which makes sense. They know we are moving and wanted to have someone they knew would be staying in the area. We are praying we can make ends meet until we can move. Again, we are acting on pure faith here. Which quite honestly, Andrew just told me yesterday that he likes that everyone thinks we are crazy. I definitely understand why people assume that jobs are moving us down there. The looks we get when we tell them we don’t have anything lined up at all or a place to live are, well…both awkward and hilarious! To most we seem really stupid and I totally understand that.
Things have slowed down with our house as well. We have had five showings, but none in the past two weeks. The weather is finally letting up so we can get out into are yard again and beautify things. I pray every day someone will drive by it and fall in love with it like I did when we drove by three years ago.
Last week we had our first true test of whether or not we could really do this. We took a trip down to Franklin, TN during my spring break. Beautiful weather greeted us as soon as we passed the Indiana border. We decided that this trip would not be one of tourists, but of locals. We went to Target, Kroger’s and Starbucks, you know, all of the normal things you do! The first night was nothing short of horrible. I warned Andrew that I would either be overjoyed or extremely overwhelmed and that those moods could change every half hour. The first thing we did was plug in an address of a rental home in our GPS. I instantly fell in love with the area. The beautiful sunshine and 82 degrees didn’t hurt either! This house was a little out of our price range, but gave us hope that we will find something that we could love.
That first night I was feeling pretty good. I could see us living there. Then as I had warned Andrew, my mood shifted and I was completely beside myself. Much to my embarrassment and to Andrew’s, I started bawling…I wouldn’t have been embarrassed had we been in the car or in our hotel room. Oh no, we were in a packed café during open mic night. Luckily it was dark in there! We didn’t stay for every act, because I really couldn’t control my crying. People were singing songs of going home and of their parents. Not good timing. When we got to the car, I told Andrew I could not do this. Small side note about me, I’m hypoglycemic and if I don’t eat regularly, my emotions change drastically and very quickly. So maybe I should have eaten lunch that day and had more than a tiny salad for dinner. Andrew took me through the Wendy’s drive through and got me some comfort food. Have I mentioned how amazing my husband is? Because he is incredible. I got a good night’s rest and felt much better about everything the next day and my fear has turned into excitement!
Since we have come back, I am quite at peace about everything. It is beautiful down there, not to mention the people there are crazy sweet with their southern accents. I am really looking forward to starting this new adventure with my best friend and my favorite dogs. Now to find jobs, sell our house and find a new place to live….
The adventure continues…
Rocking Chairs
Whenever anyone talks to me about moving to Nashville, their first question is always, “How are your parents taking this?” I thought I would take the time to address this question. My parents mean the world to me. My favorite nights are when Andrew and I go to my parents and watch HGTV and eat pizza and brownies. My mom and I always go out for random shopping trips and my dad and I spend our Saturdays in the summer at junk yards. To say we are close would be an understatement. They are not the kind of people that would stand in the way of our dreams, but they are definitely sad. They have had their moments of “Holy crap, you are actually leaving…” and “You better have rocking chairs on your porch since you will be in the south!”
I can’t tell you enough about my mom. She is one of the coolest women you could ever meet. She is always helping everyone around her and is a huge part of the community. I admire her strength, courage and her love for others. If you drive through Walkerton, you would know her house by the beautiful landscaping that she has worked so hard on through the years. She is who I get my creativity from and my love for decorating shows! I went into teaching because I have watched her work with children all of my life and been in awe of her compassion and patience. She made my childhood incredible. God matched us perfectly. I am who I am because of her. The biggest compliment someone can give me is that I remind them of my mom.
Knowing my mom, she would not appreciate a picture of her on here. But maybe I will try and sneak one someday!
When asked in my interview for my current teaching job, who is your hero, I got choked up when I answered, my dad. (I couldn’t believe I still got hired after crying in my interview!) He has been through a lot and is even stronger because of it. Our family has had our ups and downs like most families, but our love for each other has sustained us. My dad puts 150% into everything he does and takes meticulous care of everything he owns. He can fix anything. I mean it. He can completely re-wire a Jeep, build a motorcycle from parts or fix a washing machine, just don’t give him a computer…haha! He knows everything about cars and has instilled in me his love for anything with a motor. The best summer of my life was working on a 1972 Jeep CJ-5 with my dad. We would spend hours in the driveway working on that thing even after the air filter caught on fire and when it continued running after we pulled the key out of the ignition. He believed in me and knew I could do whatever I put my mind to. He believed in me even after I almost ran him over…Don’t ask. Words can’t describe the love I have for my father.
Leaving them makes me sick to my stomach and at times makes me think I cannot do this. Despite the excitement of this new adventure, I have had some pretty rough days. We are leaving everything behind. We don’t have jobs lined up, we don’t have a home to live in, and we won’t know anyone down there… People think we are crazy, I know. Andrew and I are two of those people. The fact that we are so incredibly happy here with fantastic friends and wonderfully close family members, tells us even more that this is a God thing and we need to move to Nashville. Last year when we first entertained the idea, we wanted to get away from everything and start fresh. It just feels right now and if you have read my other posts, you know that God has been encouraging us the entire way. This is scary and sad, but adventures would be boring if there weren’t bumps in the road.
