It should be easy enough for me to shout it aloud because if you know me you know how happy this would make my heart but as I sit here in front of my computer actually having to type out and say it to someone that’s not Erik…well, it’s starting to hit me what our decision really means.

So, what is it you ask? …*drum roll*…Erik and I are MOVING!

TO LANCASTER!

Yup, we’re making the leap back to Lancaster, Pennsylvania! This definitely did not come as an easy decision for us. We have spent countless nights discussing our options, the vision for our future, what we seek in life, how to attain our goals, and be the kind of people we want to be. I even had the whole shed a few tears or two…or bucket loads, covered.

I moved to NJ about three weeks before we got married. Erik picked out a wonderful little apartment that we have made our home. We’ve had a lot of good memories in that little space. We loved, we fought, we laughed, we cried, we created, we explored, we cooked, we cleaned, and did everything else in between. But even with all the positives that we had going for us there was still this unsettling feeling. Over the past year, and escalated by the past few months, we’ve felt ourselves changing into different people, people that we don’t like, and that made us unhappy. Our surroundings were not conducive to what we felt we needed to live successful and happy lives. We felt like there was an aspect of more that we were missing. 

It’s kind of crazy how it all happened really. Erik started sending out his resume to a few job places that, and to be totally honest with you, he was probably under qualified for. Erik has been a Woodshop Teacher for the past five years but didn’t have any direct construction or field experience outside of the classroom. We received a few rejections after a few days and then a few more after a week or two. We weren’t surprised but we were sad. But then, he received not one but two requests for additional information, and an interview, all within the same week! Due to the nature of the long distance between Parsippany, NJ and Lancaster, PA Erik had a phone interview with a prospective company. After the interview, a day or two went by and the company called again saying they’d really love to meet him. The very next day we were on the road!

The morning of his interview he left the house looking sharp as a nail and I stayed back as a bundle of nerves. I put my phone in front of me and all I did was stare at it until he called me. The news, he passed the sit down! They were taking him to see their work spaces AND a wedding venue. The owner of the company and his wife bought a piece of property that was an old tobacco warehouse and turned it into what is now a popular wedding spot for the Lancaster area. It’s also where they store all their materials and coordinate each morning before heading off to their various job sites.  

I didn’t hear much from Erik after that until he came back to the house. And guess what? They offered him the job on the spot! He was the only individual out of 30 applicants they even offered the job to! Hella yeah was I proud wife!!

Then began our serious talks and discussion if we could really, and I mean really, make this work now that the opportunity was sitting in front of us. For so long we’ve dreamed and only talked about the opportunity but here and now we have it…so what do we do with it? In the end, we took it. It was really tough and I know it was upsetting to a few people but Erik and I have learned some very important lessons, either through our own experiences or by watching others handle theirs, and those lessons taught us that we can’t waste our time on trying to do what everyone else and society “thinks” is right. We need to do what we know is best for us and our future.

We are so excited for this next chapter in our lives and we hope that you can be excited along with us!

To those we are leaving in NJ: It’s not good-bye. We’re only a phone call away and we will still be paying visits to Jersey.

To those we are joining in Lancaster: See you soon! 🙂