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Sunday, November 15, 2009

And Away We Went.

Recently, I saw the movie Away We Go. For those of you who haven't seen it, the story follows a pregnant couple as they visit various cities looking for a place to call home. It spoke to my heart.

Why? Well, because after the years of Badness, that's exactly what Brian and I did.

At the time, we lived in the same town we always had, not more than ten miles away from where we grew up and fell in love. We were surrounded by all the people who loved us - which was great. Most of the time. But it was also a little suffocating.

Not because anyone was trying to be overbearing, or tell us what to do, but because they knew who we always had been, and expected us to stay the same. Be the same. And we? Couldn't. We had to change.

So we decided to make a complete break. To venture out on our own and discover who we could be - not who we were supposed to be.

I found a job in Cincinnati, and after spending a weekend there, we decided to do it. To make the move and start over.

It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. We didn't know anyone. We had nobody to fall back on. We were completely and truly on our own.

Over the next few months, we worked to rebuild our lives. To make Cincinnati home. But it just didn't work. It felt too crowded. Too segregated. Just wrong.

So we prepared to pull up stakes again. I interviewed in all sorts of places - Memphis, Nashville, Louisville - even back up in Detroit. But none of those cities felt right either.

Southern Indiana wasn't even on our radar. Until I interviewed here - just for a lark.

But walking around the town on the night of my interview, I knew I had found it. The place we could call home. The quaint downtown, the tree lined streets, the youthful vibe - it all felt right. So right that Brian agreed to make the move without ever seeing it.

I found us a sweet little house to rent and two weeks later, we made the move. By the way? Never move ten days before Christmas. It was an exhausting way to spend the holidays.

Brian found a job within a week, and we began the process of rebuilding our lives. Again. But you know what? This time, my instincts were right.

We fit in here.
We have friends here.
We have...roots.

Given the business I'm in, I can't guarantee we'll be able to stay here forever. But I hope we'll be here for a while. Because this? Is our place. It's home.

8 comments:

  1. Thank you for stopping by my blog! This post really spoke to me, my husband and I are in an awkward transition. We recently moved from Phoenix to the Appalachian Mountains. After 3 months, that didn't work out...we were unable to find jobs, and it just didn't feel right. So, now we're in a place we never expected, and are slowly getting settled here. Life is weird sometimes....

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  2. There really isn't anything that can compare with home! It is so nice to put down roots somewhere. I've moved all over the place and have never lived anywhere longer than 6 years. Wish I knew what it was like to be "from" somewhere! Thanks for visiting my site the other day and I really appreciated your comment!

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  3. Been there done that Amber ... the whole changing thing, not being who you were. Sometimes you do just out grow your surroundings. I am SO glad that my dh and I made the choice you did as well. It took us a few tries but we have been where we are now for 4 yrs and it does just feel like home now. Like us, not who we used to be. It is so hard when you start young, as dh and I have been together since we were 16. I thank God we have grown beyond that...and grown together. Feels good, doesn't it?

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  4. It does feel good, Tanyia!

    Life is very strange. Some times I look around and think, how did I end up here? But it all seems to work out, somehow.

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  5. i remember seeing previews for that movie and wanting to see it...however, we're pretty lazy about movie-going and wait for the rental...

    we kind of did the same thing. we were living where my husband grew up and a few short hours from where we went to college after we got married. his parents were there and all of our friends. that is sooo not me and i really wanted to see how we would do with just us. otherwise, it just felt like college and nothing had really changed.

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  6. We just watched that movie too and I remarked how I wish we could just pick up and go... away.

    You are so lucky to find the perfect spot. It sounds like it was a great experience for you both!

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  7. awwww what a cute story. i haven't seen that movie, but it sounds wonderful. i'm so glad you found your "place". hubby and i are still searching for ours...

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  8. Amazing post. We also have recently uprooted to a totally new state so this post was very relatable for me. And now I REALLY want to see that movie!

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