Big News to Share!

Hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. It’s been a crazy summer and there’s been so much going on. Having said that, I have BIG news to share: we are moving to Oklahoma! 😳 Boy does that feel strange to say! I think I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it all…but it’s happening, and time is marching us closer and closer to our move date each day.

For those of you thinking WHAT??!! A little back story to help this all make sense:

My husband has been working in Oklahoma for some time now. It’s been hard on all of us to have him working out of state, but we have made it work as best we could. He has missed out on a lot being away for work- school events, Cooper’s baseball games, birthdays,  social events, etc. Plus we miss him when he’s not around! Also juggling work and parenting when I’m by myself can be really difficult sometimes. So we started thinking about moving to Oklahoma late last year.

I started researching areas out there and found a couple cities that really interested me. They checked all my requirements: safe, clean, low crime, affordable, excellent schools, lots of community events, a suburban feel, plenty of parks, and pretty. Plus they also had the less important, but still important, things like a mall, plenty of restaurants and retail centers, lakes, a nearby zoo, amusement park, etc. Best of all, we could buy a house for about half of what we would pay for one in Southern California.

We decided to take a trip to Oklahoma so I could get a feel for the area. We stayed in OKC and I really was impressed with how clean and pretty the city was! What impressed me most of all though, was the people. Everyone is SO nice. It’s really incredible.

We spent a day of our trip with a great realtor. He showed us some really nice homes in the area we were most interested in. We saw one house that we really, really liked…but we just weren’t sure if we were ready to take the leap. We left Oklahoma a couple days later and continued on our road trip, and then eventually returned back home.

After obsessing for days about the house that we liked, and the thought of moving, we decided to make an offer. Homes are moving quickly out there, so we knew we didn’t have a lot of time to waste. Our thought process was; if our offer gets accepted, and the loan process goes smoothly, then it’s meant to be. Obviously, it all went without a hitch…and we are officially Oklahoma home owners!

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of packing and organizing in preparation for our upcoming move. They’ve also been a roller-coaster of emotions! I’m feeling EVERY feeling. I’m excited, scared, happy, sad, hopeful, sentimental, stressed, exhausted, overwhelmed…you name it. The thought of leaving the only state I’ve ever lived in, and starting all over in an entirely different place, is so SCARY. The thought of pulling Cooper out of an amazing school where he’s made close friends is crushing. The thought that I’m leaving my family and my friends behind to only see them a handful of times a year makes me cry. That’s the worst part. I just keep reminding myself that we will visit. And I know we will, but it’s still hard.

I’m also SO sad to leave our current house! I love this house! It’s absolutely beautiful and it’s in an amazing area. We live in such a pretty neighborhood, within walking distance to shopping and restaurants. We’ve really loved living here for the last 3 and a half years. Cody and I both say that the years we’ve spent here at our current house have been our happiest. But, it’s not our house. As much as we love it, it’s still a rental. We rent it for a great price- but our rent is more than double what we’ll be paying for our mortgage in Oklahoma. That was really the deciding factor for us. The affordability of Oklahoma versus California. We will be able to build towards our future so much easier in Oklahoma. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it all boils down to what is best for our future. 

So that’s our big news! Please pray for my sanity as I pack up my house… I’ll try to post updates and progress as we go!

Thanks for reading-