Thoughts on Moving

Every move is hard. It is never easy to completely start your life over. You know your routes, you have routines.  You know the sales and the shortcuts. You know the parks, stores, and schools. You have friends, a ward, and a neighborhood.  And when you move you have to leave all that behind just to start over. now let me be very clear. We have moved :) I don't feel bad for us in anyway because I know the road ahead is only going to be even better than the road we've already traveled.  I also don't feel bad for us because we have only moved 7 times and some people have moved in the teens, twenties, and thirties. But lets all be honest. Whether its move 1 or move 21, moving is hard

Ethan and I had a great group of friends, were surrounded by most of our family, had great callings in our ward that got us really involved, and lived in Provo which gave us access to cheap entertainment, cheap babysitters, cheap food, and so much more. We literally lived across the street from BYU which is totally perfect for the Wings.

When we entered school we knew that a move was inevitable. We were ready and excited to start our own adventures. Our lives have always revolved around school and all of a sudden that was going to stop.  Our move to Chicago was super fun, but we always knew that we were coming back to our comfort zone.  As we looked at different companies and places to live Ethan asked me if there was any where that I WOULDNT want to live.

At first I said no. I grew up watching my family make friends across the nation and wanted to do the same. I have also found that the older I get the more I want to see. I really want to visit all 50 states some day. Everywhere has something to offer I just would love to get a taste of everywhere.
The more the school year progressed and the more I thought about moving, I realized that there were some places that I would rather visit than live: Arizona and New Mexico.

 

September came along, we turned down a good job in Omaha, said yes to Amazon and were planning on Seattle for 9 months.Then the announcement came that we were going to be moving to Phoenix., Arizona: one of the only places I DIDNT want to move to. To be totally honest I was only really excited for Seattle because of the summer weather and being close to my parents. There were so many things about Seattle that we were just bracing ourselves for like rent, rain, and traffic. We weren't married to Seattle, but Phoenix? You know it gets to 115 there right?!  Telling my parents we weren't coming was also really hard. I felt like I was letting them down in a weird way. My dad was so cute. I know he was sad, but since my mom and I were already crying, he got his Bishop voice on and said, " Lets name all the wonderful things about Phoenix." I sat and cried and he listed about 20 things that I was going to love about Phoenix. My dad is an amazing man.

Eventually the sadness wore off and then reality checked in: we were going to have to move for real and not come back! Saying bye was hard but then I found myself getting callous to goodbyes. why was I not sad anymore? I was leaving everyone and everything that I loved!. I was talking to my mom, an expert mover, and she put my emotions into such elloquant words, "eventually its time to start feeling a new emotion. You can't stay sad forever. Eventually you have to let yourself be excited." So wise and so true.

 So as the move date approached, Ethan and I weren't sad anymore but excited. It was time to go. Obviously there were still some tears and I still miss all our friends, but we were so excited to try new things. We were excited to be done with school and live in a house, and get a couch, and have all of our stuff in one place and everything else that this move brought.

Obviously I am leaving behind great friends and a wonderful family, but its just time. We have now been in Phoenix for two weeks and we are loving it so much. Yes,  I have been lonely at the park while I watch play groups get together.  Yes, I have yearned for someone to know and care that we have just moved. Yes, the 12 hour work days are making for some real lonely afternoon. Yes, the heat is killing me. And yes, I have felt bad every day for Kelsey because she has no friends, but everything considered,  I can honestly say that I am completely happy. I know that this was the right move for us and I am riding that wave for as long as I can. I think I'm ready for growth and a change.

Moving is hard all the time, but its amazing how ready we were this time to move. Moving meant so many good things that its hard to still be sad. We are so excited with where life has taken us. We are already falling in love with Phoenix. I wish we could stay here for a few years. I really think this is going to be an amazing adventure for our family.