“Hey mom, I loved the East Coast and plan to attend college and play baseball there.” “Hey babe, our son wants to go to school on the East Coast. I know we have been talking about homeownership and moving out of state. How do you feel about this?” “Let’s do this.”
This was the conversation we had as a family back in 2018. “There are so many factors we need to take into consideration, but I think this will be good for us,” is what my husband said. However, I could not have been prepared for everything that was about to come my way.
I have lived in California my whole entire life. Making this move meant leaving my parents, my family, my friends, my stable job, and ultimately my entire life for the unknown. We started looking into schools for our youngest son, jobs, and a new home. My son got accepted into his first-choice high school, we found a house and I got the call for a new job. Everything was falling into place until it did not. I had to leave earlier than my family to start my new job. Leaving my husband and kids was the hardest thing ever, but I knew I had to get to Maryland to start working and get the house ready for the big family move.
The first house ended up falling through. I was so stressed because in a few short months my family would be in Maryland looking for our home to be ready. Every day I had to go out and look for a new house. The stress and the weight of the world was starting to get to me. I questioned everything. I was so unhappy and felt completely empty inside but had to smile for everyone else. That pain was unbearable. I missed my family. I missed my life. I felt so alone. I prayed and prayed and still felt so lost. A month in a new state and I still did not have a house for my family to come home to. I had to put the house hunting in full gear. Trying to buy a house in a market where you are not sure of what you should be looking for can be quite daunting. Trusting someone I did not know with the most important task of my life – buying a house – was hard. Finally, I found a house for my family and I felt like things were going as planned. The house was great…at least I thought. So many things started going wrong with the house. So much money was coming out. I questioned everything; why did we make this move? Why did we buy this house?
With all things going wrong with the house I had to keep a smile on my face for my kids. My oldest was in California finishing his senior year and my youngest was here with me in Maryland finishing his freshman year of high school. I felt so torn. The guilt of leaving one kid and staying with another was something I could have never prepared for. Was I being a “bad” mom? Would my kids understand the sacrifices we made for their future? These were all the things that were going through my head. My youngest was angry with me and not his dad because he felt like it was my fault, he was stuck here in Maryland away from his friends. I understood his hurt, because I wanted to go HOME too, but this move was to help the family.
Fast forward 1 year. Things are going well. My oldest graduated high school and just finished his 1st semester of college here on the east coast. My youngest is thriving in his sophomore year in high school. And me…I am on my second promotion at my new job. The house is still a work in progress but guess what…it’s mine and that’s all that matters. Now all I need is hubby to move here permanently and our family will be complete. This move from California to Maryland has not been the easiest for me and my family, but it was definitely the BEST move for us. If you ever think about taking that leap…just have Faith. Everything will work out. It may not be on your time, but it will always happen at the RIGHT time.