To begin, I am sorry for the radio silence. Packing up our life up north and driving south and seeing people before we left was very consuming and taxing. Sometimes I have found that it is best for me to simply do what I need as a human in order to be better. Sometimes that means stepping away for a few days and letting the quiet takeover in order to let life happen and fall into place. Though my head is still scattered from packing up life and arriving in NC (not to mention we move into our new home tomorrow), I feel ready to be back again.
Leaving Traverse City this time was much easier than I expected. If I am honest and without disrespect to any of our friends or family, Traverse City was not where I belonged. My heart and soul for the first time in my life felt at ease with leaving. Yes, I will miss the days of jumping off the boat, the chill of fall, and the smell of the rain coming over the lake, but sometimes we just know when our heart has moved to another place.
Since May, life has felt extremely transitional. It was only a month ago that we knew where we would be living when we came back to Raleigh. It left me anxious in ways I never expected. Though I tried to fully live in the moment and enjoy having little to be responsible for, I still felt this anxiety about the next step and next chapter. Though I am not a planner I still like to see what’s on the horizon. I am not someone who can go on a trip without an outline for life. I need to know I will have a space that I can call home, so living life for 3 months without knowing weighed on me.
So, when we packed up our life in Traverse City, I felt I was finally on my way to my next chapter. This thing I had been waiting for began to feel real. Sure home ownership has its own stresses, but I feel this is where I am supposed to be. This is the adventure I have been wanting. As we sat and signed our documents for the new house, I felt ready to begin all that is ahead.
To close out one chapter properly, I wanted to share a few images from summer. We still have some lingering posts from this summer’s events and last moments, but these were taken during our last warm day in Traverse City. It felt like the perfect farewell to a place that has been the background to a lot of our life. Next summer will be different; I already feel it. I am not sure we will get the same amount of time, but I do know we will go back. I’m just not sure what it will look like next year.
Beginning the years of being home owners means other things will change. I love travel, but I think it may be time to become a more permanent fixture in our new city. To do that we have to be here. We have to know what it is like to be here, and I am ready for the challenge.
This week, you will find peaks into our new home and our life here in Raleigh as we settle. I cannot wait for you to join us as we embark on this new life adventure. It all feels so right.
