It is happening...

Whew.

If you read Lavender & Lace Living you will see I am a big believer in affirmations. Well, Brent and I's number one affirmation came true and not only did it come true it came true QUICKLY. So when you write those little or big goals down, be ready people as you never know God's timing ;)

Ever since we first met we have talked about moving South. We both feel we are Southern at heart as I was born in Atlanta and then raised in Chicago and he was born in New Orleans and raised in Ohio. It is not just the warm weather that has always kept our interest perked in the Southern states but more importantly that we have family there and will have even more in the coming years.

We had our wedding in Charleston, South Carolina for this same reason. My grandmothers and cousins all are in SC or GA. Brent's grandparent's are in SC and Florida. And long term we know (and hope it is not to far after our move) that both mine and his parents will be moving/retiring South. We absolutely love Chicago. We love our friends, the beach the runs through Lincoln Park zoo, the ends on ends of restaurants to try and much more. However, when we see ourselves settling long term it has never been here. Maybe, just maybe, if cost of living was slightly different (lower!) but probably not. We currently live in a great one bedroom/one bath condo in the Gold Coast but if we were to get something bigger we would not be able to stay in our beloved neighborhood just steps from the beach, restaurants and my office! The main reasons we love Chicago would be at far reach and again and more importantly our family will not be near long term if we were to have stayed here.

So, onto the exciting news. In late January I saw that my old organization the American Heart Association was hiring in South Carolina. "Oh what a great transition that would be!" is what I thought to myself and I quickly applied. When I left the AHA in 2010 I was heart broken (no pun intended). It is where I felt at "home" professionally. I care so deeply about the cause and mission and always saw myself working to create more funds and awareness for it. So, when I saw the posting on LinkedIn I thought maybe just maybe it is a sign.

Fast forward 4 weeks later and we are moving to South Carolina in ONE WEEK. I got the position as Director of Development in Columbia, South Carolina and Brent will be transferring territories with his job from the midwest to southeast. Blessed? That does not even begin to explain how we feel.

Although we always talked about moving, it was more of a dinner conversation and dream. The likelihood that everything would fall into place perfectly was slim to none and we knew that. So, when I applied back to the AHA we were hesitant. When I got the offer...still hesitant. Within about a week we learned my offer was one we could not turn down but more importantly that Brent's boss and company was supportive and was going to work to help him transfer territories. We officially got the green light for both of our careers to go South!  The fact that Brent's company is being so understanding and supportive is something I don't think we will ever be able to repay. I am so proud of him for working so hard but also so very thankful for his boss and colleagues in believing and investing in him so we are able to make this move.

We are ready for this roller coaster and so thankful to have each other on this crazy and exciting ride!