Oh the Places You Go

First day on the road (WA State)

People always ask us why we made a decision to move to Florida, which seems so drastic. I feel like now that Josh and I are a little bit settled down in Florida (and I have a day off work) I can share how God brought us to Florida.

This past year we celebrated our first year of marriage. In that year, God has allowed us to refine our family vision that we started talking about when we were dating and figuring out whether the life we hoped to live would match up. Thankfully, our visions were and still are the same. Because family is important to the both of us, we've been listening to God's call and felt his pull to move to Florida.

How the Idea of Moving Came to Us

Church with a huge cross in Texas we passed

The idea of moving to Florida wasn't a moment where we closed our eyes, spun ourselves in a circle, and then put our finger on a map. Our move to Florida is a work of God. God came to us individually about this and we both wrestled with this internally before we shared this with each other. Neither of us initially wanted to move because it would mean we would be leaving Josh's family and it didn't help that my cross country move to Washington was pretty traumatic even though I've never shared that publicly online.

We felt like God was calling us to move for many reasons one of those being the atrociously high costs of the Washington housing market. We wouldn't be able to afford buying a home for several years if we stayed and I would have to continue working despite our decision for me to homeschool our children. Florida has the potential for us to not only buy a home, but also build one that is a multi-generational home where we could end up taking care of our parents later in the future but also use our home as a ministry. 

Despite knowing this fact, we came to the conclusion that if God is truly calling us to move we would give time for the decision, continue being open to the idea that He wants us to move Florida, and seek counsel from our loved ones and others affected by this decision. Over the course of a year, God has given us some of the biggest signs that would be clear to us that He wants us to continue pursuing this move.

Family First

Red Cat Café menu board in Birmingham, AL

It was important for us that both our families were onboard with our plans. If they weren't onboard, we knew this was a clear sign that God did not want us to pursue the idea of moving away from family. We were honestly surprised with their responses. It turns out Josh's parents and grandmother want to move as well, but it'll probably take them about 3-5 years once Josh's dad is able to retire.

With living on the opposite side of the country from my family, it's hard to find affordable plane tickets from Washington to Pennsylvania. If we fly from Florida, it's a third of the cost on plane tickets, which makes it much easier to see my family. For visiting Washington, we can probably make it cheaper for us when Josh's company flies him out and pays for a hotel and car rental for us. All we'd have to pay is for my plane ticket (and "lap child" tax).

Work-Life Balance

One of the other concerns where we thought God might cause a red flag was our jobs. My job I was currently working at the time wouldn't have been a problem, but my new job was more than happy for me to be thinking about moving to the same time zone. It was Josh's job that we weren't sure would be on board with us moving to Florida. It turned out that Josh's company thought the move was beneficial for them since they needed IT presence in the east coast.

And Now We're in Florida

Made it to Florida!

Several other pieces aligned for us perfectly, too. With my new job, it doubled my income and allowed us to save exactly what we needed to get movers to ship our stuff across the country and to get us there. He has given us peace, especially for me, during a time that isn't easy. The road trip was as safe and easy as it can be, which was something I had wrestled with for weeks before this move. And despite being at the end of my second trimester, God has given me good health where I feel fairly normal and I am functioning during all these changes.

In front of our new home

God has blessed us immensely and has been reminding us in the last month with continued blessings through His provision. When we look out our windows in our living room, we have a clear view of a giant cross a few miles away, which gave us peace knowing that God has been with us and continues to be with us.

We've only tried one church out the past 2 weeks and the sermons series that the pastor is sharing is all about hearing and listening to God. It has been validating to us as we've had some moments of "Is this really God or is this our own selfish desires?" In yesterday's sermon, the pastor listed off how to determine if a decision is God inspired or if it's our selfishness, which included

• Your thinking aligns with God's Word (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
• Your thinking aligns with Godly counsel
• Your thinking aligns with time - Don't be in a hurry
• Your thinking with God's purposes (Romans 8:28, 11:36, James 4:3)
• Your thinking aligns with peace (John 14:26-27, 16:33, Philippians 4:6-7)

As we listened, we both took in all that the pastor said and both felt comforted that what the Bible says we're following God's, and He wants us to know not to be downhearted about missing family and friends we left in Washington for this move since we'll still be able to see them again when we visit.

The birthing center where our daughter will be born

Finally, I was able to quickly get into the birthing center that I researched like crazy so that I could get the best care for me and our daughter during these last few months. It's honestly a God thing. Thankfully, it didn't cost a fortune for the rest of the care and labor and delivery fees, which are all paid. I know a lot of new moms are afraid of childbirth, but I walked out of my consultation with confidence and peace with our decision. I'm surprisingly at peace with the idea of childbirth and plan to use this experience as a way to thank God that He has given me a body that has cared so well for this baby despite how much my health suffered in the past. I'm enjoying every little kick and tickle this little girl gives me as we count down the weeks when we can finally meet our daughter and take her home with us.