Honest To Blog -- Home Sweet Home

So this week's Honest To Blog isn't so much a frustration or gripe, but more of a self-realization and kind of a "Where do I go from here?" post. I grew up in a small town, and I lived there for the entire first 18 years of my life. It had all of your typical "small town" drama and features... a tiny Wal-Mart, a local grocery store, lots of camouflage, and everyone knew everyone's business. My mom was born and raised there, she still lives there today. She does the whole small town thing better than I do. I'm not sure what brought it on or where on Earth the hankerin' to move came from, but it's a fever I can't break. I first moved out less than two months after high school graduation. I moved a whole hour and fifteen minutes north to Franklin, where I'd be starting college shortly thereafter. Here I was, eighteen, not a clue as to what I was doing. I had never moved (I lived in the same house from 2 until 18), I had never lived on my own, and I was an only child. I lived in a little townhouse with two upperclassmen from my college for a year. Immediately following my first year of college I moved into a house owned by my Dad for a few months, but it was too far from school so I promptly made plans to move back to Franklin. This time I moved into a large apartment with my boyfriend and his best friend. During this time I pranced off to Europe for a few weeks and traveled 11 countries, taking everything in. I lived in that apartment for just over a year and then I decided to live with one of my friends and a gal we met on Craigslist (haha yes, really). That was an interesting year... I learned a lot and finally broke things off with my long term boyfriend. I decided to follow my heart and apply for an internship at BUST magazine a year before I was supposed to. To my excitement I was formally offered the spot and for the next couple of months I racked my brain for the courage to move 1,000 miles away from everything I had ever known... to a city I had only stepped foot in once (and that was only Times Square! Seriously). The time came and my mom dropped me off at the airport, bawling like a baby (her, not me :P), and I promised her I'd be home soon. The entire flight was a blur and two hours later I was landing in my new city. New York. I'm this no-name girl from a small-hole-in-the-wall town in Tennessee... but now I'm living and working in New York City. Whoa. The following months were some of the most exhilarating and terrifying of my life. Walking to my dream job, in the dream city, and having all of these experiences that I knew I'd never forget.

I finally returned home to Tennessee only to pack my bags left at the apartment I shared with my friend (and the Craigslist girl). The sad truth is that we were friends no longer (Seriously, don't live with your friends. Just don't.). I found a new home in downtown Franklin via Craigslist (I love CL), and signed the lease right then and there (with my friend Jared, from school). We planned on having a third roommate and he came in the form of a freshman in our major at school. Here I was, living with 2 dudes. Then my best friend Brian came into the picture. KB, a big house, and three guys. I had lived with 2 guys prior (boyfriend and friend), but best friend and 2 classmates, all of way different styles/personalities, was a bit much. First friend moved out, girl classmate moved in. Blah Blah Blah.. live together... friend times... whatever. Mike moves in in December. Then the flood happened in May. It sucked, wasn't fun, okay. We had to pack up the few things that were salvageable and moved into my parents house for the time being. Three weeks later I was in a car moving back to NYC to work at BUST yet again. Dream job x2! Months pass, internship ends, I move back to Tennessee and get a new townhome with Mike. We only signed a 6 month lease because I had one semester of college left. We had every intention of moving away (away meaning out of state) a few months after so we moved back in with my parents to save money. Then we went on a trip to the town we wanted to live in only to be discouraged at our findings. Plan scrapped. After 2 months of living with my parents we decided to move to Nashville. Here we are. In an awesome (albeit sometimes annoying and barren) industrial loft, 6 and a half months in, itching to move somewhere else.

That's a lot of backstory right? For not moving a single time in eighteen years, I've moved more than I can recall in the past 5. But here's the thing... I love it. Maybe not the actual act of moving, but the exciting adventures that come with new places, new people, and just new surroundings. It could be something as small as moving from one apartment complex to another. It doesn't have to be a new city... just changing my surroundings helps me cope with my incessant need to move... to change. That's why whenever I get in a rut, I redecorate the house. Rearranging furniture is my saving grace! 

So that's my issue. I like to move too much. The potential problem with this is that I want a brick and mortar store... I want to go to work at the same place, day in and day out. I want to find a home with a yard for my girls and a small garden (to inevitably kill everything I plant) and I want to live there... get this... for years. That's the dream right? Ridiculous, I know. I know I don't need all of this tomorrow, but I want to work toward it and start building it. I don't want to wait until I'm 30. And I know I'm not the only person with the wanderlust heart. I can be somewhere for 4 months and I'm ready to go. Ready to move. But I think it's because I haven't found home yet. Mike and I considered Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington, and Chicago suburbs. It doesn't help that a large majority of my best friends live in different states. It's a great excuse to visit, but I wish I could see them daily as opposed to once or twice a year (or once every three years in some cases! Love you Jessica!). And the cycle continues... We've visited Chicago twice and we loved the area, but we've never dealt with cold weather, and we've never lived away from our families for extended periods of time. I know we can handle it, but then comes the issue of having kids. We obviously want our parents involved with our children in the future. But we have to make smart decisions based on where our business would flourish. This is obviously the most important to us right now because we plan on pursuing our business for many years prior to starting a family. 

It's almost as if I have a problem with commitment to these certain places. It doesn't scare me in the slightest to pack up and leave. But I'm so eager to really plant our roots somewhere and build our life, family and business. I'm scared to move somewhere, hate it, and feel defeated. Is Chicago good for us? Will it bring up the joy we want? Are we destined to live in middle Tennessee forever? Is that the right fit?

I have this insatiable need to just go. To experience cities, towns, people... things. I want something different, but I'm terrified at the same time. I realize this is a totally normal feeling, but how do you find the equilibrium? People make cross country moves every single day... I've done it myself. But anyone can move... Are we going to be able to pick a place and make it work? Are we going to enjoy our day to day lives and our surroundings? I'm over living in the urban cities. I'm not a fan. NYC was fun because I had no car, no dogs, no other responsibilities than taking myself to work and home. Nashville isn't for me. The city can be great, but it's sketchy and it doesn't give me the rural areas I desire. I love the suburbs (Ridiculous, I know... isn't that the opposite of most early 20 somethings?!) and I daydream of a cute small home, a yard, and a neighborhood I can teach my kids to ride their bikes in. I could write for four days about how I'm 23 going on 45 but I'll save that for another Sunday!

My feelings on this are nothing new. They're not unique and they're probably exaggerated, but I hope you get what I'm saying. I'm ready to move on, leave this chapter in Nashville, and seek adventure somewhere else. But I want to really invest everything I have into our business, and soon. How on earth do you manage to pick a new home and city based on just visiting?! Any and all suggestions are welcome!

As usual, my Honest To Blog posts are 100% free writing. No filter. No editing. No backspacing (except for fix the million typos!). Everything is straight from the brain and that's why it's so long and jumbled. Stick with me!

Have you ever made a major move? How did you decide where to go and when? What draws you to a certain city? What experiences do you have with wanderlust? xo

49 comments:

  1. I love this post. This is something I think about often. Thanks for putting my thoughts in words. xo, rv

    http://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/

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  2. I love how your posts are always so honest and genuine.

    I love this blog.

    Cheers :)
    Salonie
    http://salonie-m.blogspot.com/

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  3. I know exactly how you feel. and I've made those decisions myself, I lived in Illinois(in a very small town) and was seriously depressed, I ended up moving out at 16 across the country to Oregon to live with my friend in another small town(just as depressing)and stayed there for 2 years. Met a great guy, and we recently made a big move to Portland, Oregon. Took us awhile and we had only visited once! but we fell in love with the city and couldn't be happier with the decision to move. I wish you all the luck!

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  4. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I have since my parents moved me here at age 10 from a Dallas suburb. For years after high school I itched to get out of here, but I never had the guts to do it. My parents later divorced and my dad moved back to Texas. But my mom and sister are here so I stayed. Then I met my now husband. I think it was some time in 2009 that something just clicked. I visited San Francisco, Portland, NYC, Chicago, but in the end I realize how awesome Tulsa is. We have all the amenities you'd need so you don't feel cut off from the world (and close by), but we also have wonderful neighborhoods and a rich culture.

    I now love my city and what it has to offer. And we have an awesome crafting community here too!

    So all this is to say, maybe you should put Tulsa on your list of places to visit and check out.

    www.andsosheblogstulsa.com

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  5. What a great post. I know exactly what you mean, feeling the need to keep moving and see new places.

    I lived in the same house for 18 years also, and for college flew out to Wisconsin and visited my husband who was stationed in Alaska. Spent 3 months in Moscow while my husband was in Iraq, and after college we moved back to Maine. I can feel the "4 year itch" now and I'm excited to see where we go.

    Rob and I aren't city people in the least, so I understand your hesitance to live the urban life. I'd be happy if I just had a big house in the middle of nowhere with my husband, my dog, and maybe some more dogs. Good luck in determining what your next step is, you have all my best wishes.

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  7. I love the tiny blurb about me! Haha. I can't believe it has been 3 years and I love you back lady! And its crazy talk that someone is up-talking Tulsa! Hahah. I freakin hate it here and can't wait to get the hell out. But it seems like people who are from here, love it here.

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  8. I always feel this way. When I left Tennessee for Baltimore, it was so, so exciting and terrifying and exhilarating. Even though I didn't enjoy it, I'm glad I worked through a year there. The suburbs of Maryland have been a nice change for a few months, but I'm feeling excited about my move to DC in a few weeks.
    I will always feel wanderlust as well. But I think it's mostly the urge to travel. I haven't figured out where I want to set my roots down yet, but I suppose that's also a good thing.

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  9. Kaelah! We are basically twins when it comes to this stuff. Josh and I deal with the exact same thing! The wanderlust hearts, but still wanting to find that awesome place to officially call home. It can be so tough! We come from a fairly small town in SE Missouri. We both always knew we would NEVER stay there forever.
    After getting married, we were thiiiis close to moving to Vegas. But then I was too scared to be SO far from everything I knew. And I wasn't the biggest fan of LV. So we moved to Springfield, MO. Our lease was up in March of this year. We were without a doubt moving to Vegas and then a few months after that...moving to Costa Rica for 3 months just for the heck of it.
    Come to find out--we're having a baby! So, we nixed those plans. Now where are we? Back in Springfield, because we knew it wouldn't be right for us to move super far away from our families right away with a baby.
    But now, we're planning a big move at the end of next summer. We know it's what is best for US. For our family. I know it will be hard on our families to see us go farther away (probably about 18 hours!) but it's something we know will be good for us. In so, so many ways! And we can't put our lives or dreams on hold because of other people.
    To some that may sound selfish, but to them I say...Oh well...(I know that sounds harsh!)
    I guess what I'm saying in this novel of a post, is that I 100% understand where you're coming from and I encourage you guys to follow your hearts, dreams, and all that good stuff. Your happiness is so, so important! : )

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  10. I've moved so often, I 've stopped counting. I love to move, I love the potential of the new. The change. I can't wait to move into a new apartment that has an art room and gives me more space to create. It's easy to adapt to change for me. That's a good thing and you have that ability too.


    XOXO,

    Natalie

    http://blog.vanillerygarden.com

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  11. Hey, love! GREAT post.

    As you know, Will and I just moved to Nashville at the end of June. We live in an apartment we hate and work jobs that we aren't excited about. It has been hard to say the least. There are days I want so badly to say I regret moving; HOWEVER, I just can't. When we visited Nashville, we *felt* like it was home. We *thought* it was the best decision. We spent a good bit of time considering our options before making the move. I am so happy we took the risk and just moved. It was one of the first huge decisions we made together and one of the most exhilarating times we have had so far. Yes, our situation is not ideal. But it WILL get better. Since we moved, Will has been getting so much more photography work and we are finally headed in the direction we need to be to start working our dream jobs! But it is because we are working so so hard to get to where we want to be.

    Why do I write all of this? Because I want you to know I think it is great that you are acknowledging this desire within yourself! You should move as many times as you want. Find your home! You'll honestly never find it if you unhappily sit here in Nashville. I am not saying you should pack up your car right now and head out. But you should definitely try to plan extended stays in potential "homes" for you. Or maybe plan for having a realllllllllllllly long (like year or so) trip where you just move around from town to town until you find "the one." haha As I have seen, you are also working your tail off to attain your goals/dreams. I don't know you extremely well, but I am proud of you! Keeping at it and you will be rewarded.

    Whatever you do, don't do nothing. Go seek out what you are looking for. Most likely, it won't seek out you. ;-)

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  12. I definitely know the feeling. I moved from my hometown when I went to university, then lived in the States for a year as a study abroad year, and now I live in a different town again ... but I still don't feel like I've found that place where I want to live forever. I want to live in the States again, but I'd also love to live in Canada and/or Australia for a time. And just do more travelling in general - I would love to be able to say I've been to every continent (or at least 5 of them!).
    I'm just held back by money :/

    missish.blogspot.com

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  13. I have been in the same house for 25 years! EEK! My family moved in when I was 2, and I still live there with my husband, father, and room mate. I help care for my Dad as he is on disability, as well as the house is paid off, so we are able to save money for when my husband and I buy our 1st home.

    I am like you, I WANT change! I WANT the suburb life. I wanna have a cute little home that I can make MY home, to boot with a tiny garden (that I'd kill as well) and a fenced yard for the doggies! as well as live on a culdesac with less traffic for when I am out there teaching the kids to ride bikes. It's hard because you WANT to be near your parents so they can be part of grand kids lives, etc, but at the same time, sometimes you just wanna move around....

    Ugh! sorry I don't have good advice for it. My best advice is, if you can wing it financially, travel all you can now, looking for a place you love, sign maybe 6 month leases somewhere, see if you like it, if not, move on, and if you don't find somewhere you absolutely adore, move back near family and set up shop :)

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  14. i know how you feel. right now i'm in a situation where i feel like i'm wasting my 20's stuck in a state that i can't really grow in. Career wise, daily lifestyle, and the environment here just doesn't scream me. I'm now in the process of convincing my fiance to move out of the country......see other cultures and actually live them in a resident way as oppose to a tourist way....

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  15. I haven't really moved a lot. I've lived in Iowa basically my whole life, and I remember how much I hated it in high school and how much I just wanted to move away. When it came time to move away, I decided to stay and finish school and save some money. They during a year off of school after community college (which was a total bummer), my brother moved away to North Carolina and I missed him and I had visited him for a couple weeks at a time and thought that I really liked it there and could see myself living there, then I met my current boyfriend 4 months before the move and we decided to try to make it work with the distance. Anyways, I made the 1,000 mile drive with my best friend and brother (who came home to help me move) and the first few days were great when I had my best friend with me, we explored and did a lot together. Then... she left. I got lonely (my brother was having troubles of his own) and 2 weeks in, I decided that Durham, NC was not the right place for me. I totally understand your need of wanting to be somewhere new. For me, though, after that horrible experience of moving. I'm really content here in a suburbian town. Of course, the boyfriend and I live in my parents house to save money until I'm done with college and such, but I could probably live here my whole life and be happy. As much as I would love to move and experience other places, I don't really feel need to anymore. I mean, I'm young and I might change my mind, but I think that no matter how many visits you make to a place you think you want to live, you actually have to move there to see if you like it, it sucks, but that's how I feel. Whenever you find a place that feels like home, and you can see yourself forever, that's the place you should stay. :)

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  16. Oh girl I know how you feel. I have moved more than most people have in their 50's. (i was a navy brat) so I get the itch to move often. The longest I have stayed anywhere was 7 years and 3 of those years I stayed for a boy (who i married). The best advice i can give, as i just moved away from all i knew to nothing I knew at all, is to just jump. It is going to be hard and around the 3 month mark you will cry for a week straight and want to go home, but stay strong (unless you want to move back for real). The bride and mortar store will come when the timing is right. Just look at how things went with the bean.... Great right?! And family building also takes time. I know the feeling of wanting to have that secure place to grow and develop, but want to take off when you please. You and Mike are smart talented people, you will know when it is the timing is right.(even if it take a few more years)
    Hope this helped...
    xxxo

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  17. I always thought I would love the city because like you I grew up in a small town, with a little walmart, camo and gossip. I was more of the "rocker" (though I didn't label myself I tended to hang out with the punk kids) but I never saw myself living in the little ol' town for long. Well I ended up going to school in the city (our campus is right in downtown Charlotte) but I just never got the feel I was expecting. Charlotte has a great art scene I was just far from it and stuck in the business part of the city.

    Now that I'm on my senior year I'm really wanting to know where I want to live. I know I won't have my bags packed by graduation I do know I don't want to be stuck on the other side of where I grew up just because it was cheaper than renting in the city. I want to open a cafe/coffee shop that is part of the community and I'd really like to live in that community. So knowing where I want to start my business AND live for years is important to me and really nerve racking too.

    xo Amber P.

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  18. I struggle with this exact same thing every day. I have lived in Columbus my whole life, and I LOVE it, but I just want to start over in a new place.

    I'm here for the next 2 years for grad school, but after that I'm totally free to go wherever I please. I really really want to move to a new city, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified to go completely by myself! I'm hoping that someone i meet in the next 2 years decides that they want the same thing!

    I can't wait to go new places and see new things and meet new people!

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  19. This is a very cute post! And I understand your itch completely.

    I am about to move from the East Coast of Virginia to Portland Oregon. I've lived on the east coast my entire life, so this is pretty big.

    I had a list of things I wanted in a new town when I started researching, and Portland ended up being one of the places that met almost everything on it.

    Picking up and starting over is such a great thing to do!

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  20. Ugh - I love this post and was going to write one very similar last week :) I'm the exact same way. I have a huge desire to experience new places and things, but in the end, I want to maintain a simple life with my family and stay there for years! I always thought I wanted to do the whole city thing, but I realized it's not me at all. Luckily, we've found a little rented condo by the beach and it suits us fine for now. The best part about choosing a great location, is that you can really focus on your home (even if it's a rental, like ours), and make it yours for however long you're going to be there. I'd recommend moving to Southern CA, but that may just be too far! You really can't beat the weather, and you get mountains, desert, beach and wine country all in one. Best of luck in your decision! Just remember, it's all an adventure and God knows what he's doing :)

    Kristina
    Something 2 Write About

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  21. PS - I adore your new blog design!

    Kristina
    Something 2 Write About

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  22. Sometimes you just have to say: Let's do it!

    I've always had the wanderlust-travel-bug. I grew up in a small town feeling trapped, so during college I studied abroad twice. It taught me not to worry about moving, because life goes on wherever you are. My husband and I picked up and moved last August to the island of Dominca so he could follow his dream of going to med-school. A little further than a cross-country move, but it has been nothing but wonderful. There is just something special about discovering a new place, and slowly starting to blend in. Before you know it, it's home.

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  23. I lived in Mexico my entire life, different cities but same country anyways. I made a major move to the US two years and a half ago (I'm 31 now) and I wasn't even sure why I was doing it. I knew I needed a change, I was struggling bad with putting my art out and I was very very lonely, broke and sick. I had a friend in Texas who became my best friend and later asked me to move with him and marry him. I did it knowing it was the right thing to do at the moment, my heart just knew it. Adapting to this country is still a struggle. I feel like an alien all the time but I've felt this way in Mexico before anyways so no big deal. It made me stronger, it keeps doing it. My life has changed a lot, positively, but I still feel sometimes like I don't know where I am going, I can't see my life very clear but I think that's OK. Life is like driving on a misty road and only being able to see the coming 4 feet. Besides, I tend to think I haven't achieved anything and people around me see a different picture. That happens all the time. We can be wildly creative and still feel we don't do enough. I need to be in touch with reality more often.

    Austin is a great, affordable place, not huge city, lots of art and hard working people, stuff happening all the time, music the entire year, film festivals, multicultural. It's really great. The only thing I don't like is the weather but compared to the good things it's nothing.

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  24. Nothing drastic here. I moved out of my mother's small town house so I could live with my boyfriend in another small town 40 minutes away. But when I was around 21 I had this incredible urge to move far, far away. I didn't want to leave my boyfriend though, and he wasn't ready to go.

    That said, he's the only thing I can seem to commit to. This is why I'm 26 with like 120 community college credits living in a crappy apartment. I'm too scared to take the plunge when it comes to things like enrolling to a university, buying a house, etc. For me, it's a fear of going into debt and losing everything, like my parents did. I think I've been panicking about money since I was like, 6.

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  25. i get the itch, too...for travel. although after visiting austria for the first time last year...i kinda wanna live there for a while...

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  26. I love this post mostly because I experience that itch to move every spring. (Spring fever heh.) I never personally made a move that big but I'm from a tiny town in the middle of Southern California. My friend(who was not originally from this town but moved to it at a young age) and I packed up her bags this year and drove across the country where she ended up staying in the middle of upstate New York. She did it because she wanted to be near her oldest sister. I admired how brave she was in making such a dramatic move. I work in a hotel and lots of guests stay there for about a week or two because they want to consider moving to the area. Usually their jobs bring them to the area but they want to get the gist of where they'll be living. If you were ever considering just trying out an area, that could be a suggestion? Just trying it out for a bit. :) I wish you the best of luck in your move hunt! I can't wait to hear how it progresses.

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  27. I'm going through the same thing right now. I'll be 25 in December and I've lived in the same town my whole life. I did college courses online and there are no jobs in my dream field around here. I lived with my parents until I was 22, in the same house all 22 years. I want SO BADLY to move somewhere else. I've looked into moving to different places so many times but I also get cold feet and back out. I can't find a job here that makes enough money to pay all my bills and I'm not going to work two minimum wage jobs when I have a college degree so I really need to move soon but I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't know if it's the fear of failure or the uncertainty but I just can't ever get past the point of "looking". Anyway this was a little bit rambling but I've been holding in these fears so long, afraid to share with anyone close to me, that they just sort of tumbled out. Good luck! I've read your blog for quite some time and I firmly believe you will be successful in fulfilling your dreams of having a store, the perfect house, and a wonderful family. Best, Abby

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  28. Another awesome post =). I experienced the same wanderlust after I graduated high school, so I moved to another province for school... Now I'm back home and trying to figure out where I want to go from here. It's always difficult trying to decide where to go. I hope that whatever you decide to do works out for you!
    http://singlittlebird.blogspot.com

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  29. I'm in the middle of a big move right now. I moved with my boyfriend from the Canadian Prairies to Melbourne Australia. It's been good so far, as it's only been a week. But also difficult because we're starting over with jobs and houses and everything...

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  30. I've been going through the same thing! I've lived in Louisiana/the south my whole life(well my family traveled to 36 states but quit when I was born, real fair right :p)
    I'm tired of being in the hot, humid south and I want to move somewhere drastic while I'm still young and childless so I look at Oregon coast apts on Craigslist everyday. I wish I was ballsy enough to just pack up and make that cross-country trip and find a place in a little town when I get there, and sometimes I think I am. It's the same issues as you: family is here, kids one day, business, owning a home, ect. How can you do those things when you want to move all the time? I figure within the next 2 years I want to take the leap and just move to either the west coast (Oregon) or the east coast (Carolinas/Virginia) and maybe just live there for a few years until I want to move again.

    Sorry this was so long and rambley(don't think that's even a word). Maybe, this "wanderlust" trait is just something that never goes away so you just have to roll with the flow. At least its a fun, interesting trait, right? :)

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  31. LOVE this. it really gives us an insight to more of "you".

    I do am a wanderlust. at 17 I moved to NYC, fresh out of high school from a small town in MA. I lied about my age, saying I was 18 and no one questioned me.
    In the 4 short years I've lived here I've moved NINE times. lived with friends, Craigslist people, and something would always happen.

    Now, I'm looking to move to Europe. YAY travel!


    XO Sahra
    EffortlessCool

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  32. The only suggestion that popped into my head was Fairview the whole time I was reading. You know,the small town near Franklin. Or Centerville. haha I don't know. I've only moved from Fairview to Hickman Co. to Dickson. No NYC or Chicago for me! Although I do crave visiting those places one day! Jonathan and I have moved about 5x in the same yard,seriously. :P We hope to one day get an RV and go across country! Whatever you decide,I'm sure it'll be great,same as you. :) Take care!

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  33. I love this little post series: so open and honest!
    I am a bit of a wanderluster myself. Moving around many times as a child seems to have implanted a nomadic spirit within me. I get what I've now labelled "the six month itch" -seriously, after about six months I want to head somewhere new!
    Me and my brand new (and wonderful) husband are now packing our bags ready to move to the other side of the world for a few years, and then we've got the tough chats about wanderlust vs raising children to consider. It's so nice to see other girls thinking similarly: I know I'm not the only one!

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  34. Hi Kaelah!

    Although I haven't moved as much as you, I have the itch to move too. I grew up in a small town also, east of cleveland. I moved to cleveland heights when I got my first real job and moved back in with my parents after I lost it and my lease was up. My long term boyfriend moved to indianapolis for a wonderful job opportunity. I stayed back for a year and then recently moved last february. I have almost been here for a year. I like it here! It's fun to discover new places and to meet new people. But, I'm also kind of over it. I visited Denver recently and fell in love. I would love to move west for a couple years.

    Anyway, I just hope you know you're not alone. Oh! And I rearrange the furniture every other month too! That's so funny.

    :-) I wish you luck in your new destination. How exciting!!

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  35. Wow, you've had a busy life, hah. I definitely get what you mean about constantly wanting to move. I've only moved once and it was in the same state, but I've traveled. I constantly dream of moving to another state and even country sometimes.
    I love this feature, it's definitely open and honest!

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  36. You are always so beautifull and genuine.

    A kiss

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  37. I really love this post, because it definitely rings true in my situation. I packed up and moved across the country to be around family after visiting the town only once and for only a few days.

    And now, I wouldn't say I regret it, but it doesn't feel like the perfect fit. And I definitely don't want to settle here.

    I think you just have to try things out and let things fall where they may. You will find where you need to be when you're ready. For now, I say just enjoy life and travel and move as much as you can while you can!

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  38. oh you are so lucky to have lived in NYC ...it is one of my dreams!!

    I moved to scotland for ireland for four years for uni, moved back home after graduation and have been eager to get away since. moving to canada next june to stretch my legs :)

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  39. I've got to agree with Carrisa, Oklahoma can be a great place to live. I had a small apartment in the Paseo Arts District in Oklahoma City and it was an amazing time for me.

    Now, my boyfriend and I are considering a move to Ft.Collins, CO after I finish grad school in May. We're going up this weekend to check out the town, and I'm just as stumped as you are as to how you measure a place based on one visit. He suggested we check out the local Walmart to get a good idea of how creepy the people are. =P This is a man who has lived literally his entire life in this same small college town that I'm attending. From grade school through college, one place, knowing everyone. Like you, I moved around a lot after highschool and while I'd like to find one place to settle down in, it's so hard to pick. I'll be a therapist when I'm done with school, so I need a place I can stay put and develop a client base. I can't be leaving every 6 months, but it just all sounds so PERMANENT.

    What kind of things do you look for when deciding where to live? Hopefully after this weekend, I'll be able to give you some more helpful feedback!

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  40. I have the same feeling all the time. Because of my dad's job, we have moved all over the place including Japan twice (it was really scary moving there!) so feeling claustrophobic never became an issue until I moved to college.

    I had only visited Statesboro once, the town where GSU, my school is, before I moved here. I didn't know my roomie, I didn't know what my dorm room looked like. But not really knowing what to expect from a place excites me. As much as I love Statesboro, it doesn't have everything I want. Hell, the South doesn't have everything I want.

    It's trial and error. You move to places you think will fit ALL of your needs, and if it doesn't work out, move again. The key is research and visiting. If you don't feel like you would belong somewhere, its likely you won't like living there. I had to move to Columbus, GA a few years ago for a summer, and every time I visited before that I didn't really care much for it. I HATED living there. I had no friends, nowhere I wanted to go, and nothing there I wanted to do.

    My boyfriend and I are moving up to Salem, Massachusetts in December. I've never been there, and the last time I visited Boston was when I was 12 (to me, then, it was the most magical place ever!)I'm a poet, so Salem/Boston area fits my needs for my graduate school and my artistic side perfectly. It's also cool because they celebrate Halloween for an entire month, which is my favorite holiday :)

    Whew, so long story short, if you think you want to move somewhere up North, forget the cold! Yes, its cold, but that's what heaters are for and cute jackets. Think of all the new outfits you can post with winter clothes (which are barely useful in the South!)

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  41. Girl.

    I've lived in 19 different places since I've been 19 years old, and I'm 24 now. I'm ALWAYS wanting to move. [hence why I emailed you about the trailer ;)] I moved to California from Chicago a few years back so I can experience the california life... and to be close to san francisco. settling took a long time, and after a year of living there, I felt like I wasnt comfortable (plus other crap) so I moved to Philly, tried that out but didn't work. Now I'm back in Chicago. It's great here. I feel like it has everything I want, plus things I dont want (cold weather).
    I think you just need to go for it. See how the experiences feel, and if it doesn't work out, you can always go somewhere else. :)

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  42. Let me give you a perspective on the opposite problem...

    I never want to move!

    I've been living in St. Louis my entire life. My family is here, my friends are here, I have a really awesome job. I grew up here. When my husband and I first started dating, I warned him that I would never, ever want to move. He married me anyway... but he, like you, has wanderlust. I think he feels the itch sometimes, but he stays, because I stay, you know? I just have no desire to leave. My roots are here.

    I think sometimes about leaving, but I really have no reason to. I think I would really have to have a good reason to leave, and I don't!

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  43. your story does not sound foreign to me at all. My entire life I have been moving all over the place. South Africa to Tennessee (dollywood was my neighbor haha) to NYC to Kansas City and now I am back in Tennessee. Most of the time my moves were due to school, a work opportunity etc. I always have the itch to move as well... sometimes it makes me feel like one single place will never satisfy me.... which is scary, but at the same time I think moving all over and moving often is something I will do, now, while I can. Im thinking California will be next and this time purely for adventure :)

    -Jani
    www.funfashionfit.com

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  44. Love reading your stories! And as for the moving-Some just have adventurous souls, vagabond spirits. My aunt and uncle moved a bunch after they married. They started in new Orleans then it was their farm in new Hampshire a cabin in Arkansas and even a stint in the middle east. He is a dr and she a librarian and they work where they move or move to work. They always say how people would tell them they would slow down as they got older. But they are in their 60s now and just moved from California by way of Virginia and Kansas back to PA! I imagine they have more stories to tell than most.

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  45. This is the first time i visit your blog, and i usually don't read long post like this, but i'm glad i did. i've just turned 20 and until now, i have lived in 4 cities in 3 countries (colombia, brazil, and now chile), so i get the whole moving thing, but i have a different way of seen things. i love when everything is "new", but also love when you start actually living things as another citizen. i am very interested on different cultures and i believe you can only start to truly understand everything when it's no longer "new", but also a little bit "yours". and that's why even tough i could move back to colombia with my parents next year, i've decided to stay here, in my new (and probably not permanent) home.
    you obviously have other things to consider, but i still felt like telling you my story. i really liked the way you wrote this post

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  46. It is a really hard thing to answer, I've never understood how people choose where to move to if a job or a person/significant other isn't the reason. I recently moved from my hometown that I grew up in, much like you, for 16 years. I had left and gone to school at 16, and moved back after I graduated to be with someone that I had known since middle school. We recently packed up and moved to Kentucky! I'd never even been there before. I think you just have to do your research, as far as crime/income/jobs/whatever is important to you.. and maybe visit once or twice. I think the shorter lease is important too, in case you get there and it just sucks.. then you can get out just as quickly. I've moved more times than I can count in the past few years after living in the same place for 16 years and I love the idea of living somewhere new every couple of years! Good luck to you and mike :)

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  47. I felt very similar and now I live in Southern Pines NC and it is the dreamest place ever. My fiance works at the newspaper as head of the graphic design department and I just start a business of my own and business is booming, I guess for the fact is this is pretty much a golf/horse/military town without alot of bustle and hustle and it's a year round vacation area.

    You ought to check it out!

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  48. It's a very nice poste! And I completely understand their own itch.

    I love this blog.john mista

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  49. I love your post (as usual) and your blog is simply great to get lost in and read!
    I kind of did something similiar after I turned 18. See, we moved around a lot when I was a child for various reasons, but it had always been my mother, my little brother, and me. Well, my mom get married 10 years ago to a man who is now my father and we've sinced lived in the same house for 10 years... Its kinda weird, I won't lie.
    Well, when I turned 18, I enlisted in the Army. I've been on my own for over a year now because of it. I still see my family as often as possible, but it was kind of hard to be on my own at first. It was weird getting used to the freedom to do what I want, when I want for the most part. I've lived in the barracks since I've been in the Army, not getting my own place until after this deployment, but I am nervous about getting my own place. I can't wait to see where life takes me.
    Happy Sunday!

    <3 Jenn
    http://jenn-mcclure.blogspot.com/

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB