2018: Coming Full Circle

Yesterday was my birthday. I don’t usually acknowledge this day on the interwebs; I’m just not that into birthdays. But while I don’t tend to go all out celebrating, my birthday usually results in a lot of internal reflection. I think it’s probably because it’s still so close to the New Year and everyone’s heads are already swirling with plans for the future and changes to be made. I’ve been meditating on all of those things that new beginnings entail, and I’m feeling more motivated and optimistic than I have in quite some time. All signs are pointing to 2018 being a very transformative year.

Around my birthday seven years ago, I got the crazy idea to move to DC

I lived in Oklahoma my whole life until I turned 25, but always dreamed of living on the East Coast. I don’t know why I favored East over West, there was just something about it that always seemed inevitable.

After a wayward relationship went south, I realized it was the timing was perfect to take a leap. A now or never kind of thing. DC actually wasn’t my first choice, but because I was working in government contracting it just made sense. I don’t know if I believe in fate, but someone was looking out for me during this journey. I stumbled in late the first morning at my new job, frazzled from traffic and my general lack of direction. After checking in with HR, I was directed to my desk – directly next to Tom’s.

It wasn’t love at first sight, but within eight-ish months I knew he was the man with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life. If I’d had any doubts before over whether moving here was the right choice, they were silenced pretty quickly. And while Oklahoma may have been where I grew up, DC was where I really grew into myself. From being away from my family and learning to truly rely on myself to learning how to have a healthy and fulfilling relationship I made a lot of important personal strides here.

Living in DC has been such a wonderful and unexpected gift

I had no idea I would fall so deeply in love with the beautiful tree-lined streets, the ever-expanding food scene, the stunning architecture and endless cultural activities. I certainly had no idea I would start a blog that would connect me with so many wonderful people throughout the city. I’ve made so many wonderful friends and feel so lucky to be a part of this energetic community of creatives.

Beyond that, I’ve acquired a second family. Becoming close with Tom’s family here has been such a blessing. We don’t always make things easy for them with our quirky lifestyle, but they’ve been there for us every step of the way and I love them all so much. Not to mention, we have a new baby niece who is my favorite little human in the world.

However, over the past year or two we’ve been itching for a major change. Perhaps it was our short stint in Brazil or just general millennial restlessness, but we’ve been craving a change of scenery for quite some time. It’s also no secret that I’ve been missing my family in Oklahoma more and more with each day I’ve been gone. We attempted to move back last year, but couldn’t get all the pieces to fit. But after a lot of careful consideration, the time has finally come to make it happen.

We are officially moving to Oklahoma City in five minutes (I mean, three weeks)!

This is something we’ve thought about very seriously for quite some time, and are so excited to finally make it happen. I know it’s been a bit of surprise to some friends and family to hear that we’re heading to a conservative land-locked state. But Oklahoma City is not exactly as it seems. Over the past several years visiting my family, Tom and I have both opened our eyes to how much the city is evolving and changing. The food scene is seriously one to watch out for and the revitalization of the downtown, midtown and uptown areas is astounding. We’re so excited to be a part of it.

Beyond the excitement over being close to family and friends, there are less evident reasons why this move is right for us.  Following the move, we will work completely remote. I’ve worked 95% remote for the past three years, but this will be Tom’s first time being location independent.

This will give us so much more freedom to travel and create a healthy work-life balance.

Plus, with a much lower cost of living, our travel dollars will go even further. We’ll be able to come back to DC often to see friends and family, check in with my job and our favorite restaurants. It really is the best of both worlds.

Thinking back to my birthday in 2011, I don’t know that I’d recognize the woman sitting here today writing this post. In a way, it feels like I’m coming full circle. But in reality, I know this is just the beginning of another incredible chapter.

So what now?

Clearly this move is going to change a lot about our day-to-day lives. It’s also going to change our approach to blogging. One of the things I am most excited about is launching our brand new blog called The Tasty Escape. We’ll be writing about our transition to life in Oklahoma City, the OKC restaurant scene, our various travels and so much more. Until the launch of the new site, things will continue here as usual. We definitely hope you’ll follow along with us on this new venture! Stay tuned!