Never Saw It Coming

A year ago my husband got a job in a different city which meant we had to move.  We lived in the same town I had grown up in, where our children had been living their whole lives, and where our families lived.  My kids were not looking forward to moving at all, especially my oldest.  How could we have known then that moving would end up being a great decision for our family?  I had hoped that the boys would adjust well to a new home, new town, new neighbors but never in my wildest dreams did I envision we would be in the situation we’re in now.  My boys have a great group of friends who are here all the time.  They ride their bikes together, hunt for Pokemon, play video games, ride skateboards, play baseball in the cul-de-sac in front of our house.  They hang out over red Solo cups full of Kool-Aid, talking about their classes at school and what funny things happened that day.  My house is full of life and joy and honestly, I just never saw it coming.

My oldest son decided that he wanted to take some classes at a nearby community college and, after taking a rigorous placement exam that took him nearly 4 hours to finish, he placed into college level English and Math.  He was so proud of himself!  As a homeschooler, he really had no basis to believe he was especially skilled at any subject so to see that he qualified for those levels of classes as a high schooler lead him to feel such a sense of accomplishment.  I can tell you that this mama was overjoyed to see that wash over him.  It was quite a moment!  Once he started school though, he realized that even though he was qualified to take the classes, the pacing of the work was too fast for him so he asked if he could register for high school instead.  As an adult I know how difficult it can be to recognize when something isn’t a good fit so I was really proud of him for speaking up and not struggling through in some misguided notion to try to please us.  We just want him to be where he should be and now that high school has started, this is definitely the right fit for him.

My youngest son knew before we moved that he wanted to go to school.  For years he has flirted with the idea of no longer being a homeschooler and he felt that us moving to a new town was the perfect opportunity.  He has absolutely thrived there!  Being the social extrovert that he is, it didn’t take him long to find people to talk to and he just enjoys school so much.  He has had some challenges, as has Iain, but they fade in comparison to the feeling of achievement he has felt at excelling in his classes. I love watching him really come into his own!  What an amazing experience to have, this thing called Motherhood. He went from being a kid who was always on his computer to being a kid who is always doing something instead.  We had to buy him a new bike because he had grown so much since we last bought him one!  Shoot, he has grown almost an inch in the 6 months that we’ve been here!  He has told us so many times that moving here has been the most incredible thing that has ever happened to him and he’s so glad we did.  Love that!

It’s funny because the whole time we were looking at moving, I was worried about how the kids would handle it and really didn’t think it would be a big deal for me.  With Facebook it seemed like I wouldn’t have any issues with missing friends because they’re available to me online.  What I didn’t count on was how lonely I feel!  Lord have mercy, I miss seeing my bestie several days a week.  We used to work out together 5 days a week and now, we have only seen each other about 3 times in 6 months.  We chat online and text but I miss seeing her face!!  Thankfully she and I are taking a girls weekend trip to the beach in October so that will be nice.  We’re both looking forward to that!! I also miss seeing my sister and her kids.  We lived around the corner from one another and it was so easy to just pop over for a spontaneous visit.  Now our visits require a lot of planning and I think we’ve only seen them about 3 times since we moved, too. I feel I’m missing out on so much with my niece and nephew.

In 2014, before we had any idea that we’d be moving, we had done a major renovation on the kitchen at our house.  It was gorgeous and was everything I’d ever wanted in a space. Leaving that behind was tough but our new house ticks so many of our “wish list” boxes that all in all it was a pretty fair trade. It’s newer, has a basement where my husband can store all of his stuff and have a music room for all his amps and guitars. My kids have the upper floor all to themselves, which includes a game room where they hang out with all their friends. We have really great neighbors who welcomed us right away when we moved in.  The day our stuff arrived, my next door neighbor asked me to join her book club and THAT has been a lot of fun. We don’t do a ton of discussion on the book and I look forward to seeing the other ladies every month.  They are a slightly wild, fun bunch!

For many years, my husband and I had fantasized about moving away, especially while the boys were young.  After Lord of the Rings came out, I wanted to go to New Zealand so badly! Then we took a trip to Ireland and we all wanted to move there.  We visited family in PA and wanted to move there.  It seemed like we would always feel this restless yearning to move. Then the opportunity to move here came up.  Where we are now wasn’t ever on our wish list but it really has been a dream come true. To see both of my boys coming out of their shells, exploring new things and meeting new people, has been the most rewarding time so far. I really never saw it coming.

Hope all is well in your world!