A year ago today, we arrived in Idaho. Our CA house had just gone into escrow, and the very next day, we piled in my Jeep to scout out a new life.
Before this day, we lived in chaos for months. Jon and Chance had spent the entire Summer completing the last of the renovations to our house that we had poured into for 19 years.
It was not easy.
In the middle of all the work being done, we were also eliminating or packing everything we’d accumulated over two decades. But, we still had nowhere to ship our containers. They just sat in storage awaiting an address.
There were other complications too.
Having developed life-changing cervical spine issues over the previous year, I had to pace myself. I’d spent years staving this off as long as possible with the help of holistic practitioners but it was an inevitability. So, in the midst of a huge transition, I was also keeping up with appointments and therapies.
Recovery continues but it’s a lot of work.
Being displaced wasn’t fun either. Once the house was staged and photographed, we moved into a hotel (Jon, Chance, Chuy and I all on one room with two queen beds). We’d then go back to the house each day between showings to garden, paint or fix any little thing we couldn’t get to before.
For 10 days, we were stressed + exhausted!
So, as you can imagine, getting under contract and on the road was a relief, but there were big challenges ahead. We had to get to ID, find a rental to establish residency, and enroll our kid in a new school his senior year by deadline. There was no renting remotely either. It had to be in-person. So, once again, we moved into a cramped hotel room, and gave ourselves a week to do it all.
It came down to the last day, but we did it.
This is when I realized I should stay with the dog and send the boys back to CA to pack up the garage and all the staging stuff. My neck couldn’t take the return trip plus we still had three trucks at home. We’d have to ship two already. So, it didn’t make sense to drive my Jeep back only to drive it back up in a week.
So, the boys flew back to CA without us.
That was a long week. Chuy was a wreck. I tried to stay busy setting up services and ordering items to make us comfortable while we awaited our containers to arrive. This was a much needed distraction from my guilt around not going back to say goodbye to our friends and little house that took such good care of us through getting married, bringing home a baby, and all the things.
What kind of a person doesn’t go back tho?
I tried to give myself grace about this. I’d done and been enough. Our friends would understand. I reminded myself how we wrapped up the house with a bow for the newlywed buyers. I left behind my living wall, patio furniture, pottery + succulents, while Jon gifted his handmade live-edge table they’d asked about. We even stocked the fridge w/ champagne, beers, bottled cokes + waters. No need for a sad walk-thru each bedroom. All the finishing touches would be my last kiss goodbye.
Sometimes it’s better to not look back.
A week later, my boys returned, and it was time to begin again. After settling in, we’d spend the next many months supporting Chance’s senior experience, searching for our dream property, and even surviving a month of the coco in between.
In January, we found our fixer, and it’s almost finished now (the most important projects, at least, the rest can wait). We love our new hometown too. Everyone here has been so good to us. It’s taken a lot of work but the peace we’ve found is so worth it.
If you feel it’s time for a change, then do it.
Life is short. Do what you’ve always wanted. Don’t wait. No more excuses. MAKE IT HAPPEN. Move mountains if you have to. Listen to your intuition, keep faith, and meet the moment. You’ll be so glad you did!
