I'm moving to three different states!

Saying yes when the stars align

Hi there!

I hope your summer has been full of popsicles and swimming pools and peanut butter sandwiches (only if you like those things, of course). It’s been busy so I gave myself permission not to worry about keeping up the weekly pace here AT THE KID TABLE. I figured you wouldn’t mind as I’m guessing summer has probably been crazy for you too.

As you may have noticed in the title of this post, I’m moving! On August 19! To three different states! How did this happen? I’m so glad you asked.

The context

My husband Aaron just finished up a pharmacy fellowship and is now looking for a job. We’ve been renting a townhome in Utah. The debate was…do we renew our contract?

The inciting incident

The renters made this decision easy for us as they upped the price of our townhome by $500-$1,000 per month depending on the length of our contract!!! (Normally I try to avoid three exclamations at once but this one is earned.)

Our renters

The point of no return

We discovered that AirBNB offers discounted rates if you stay there for at least a month. Turns out some pretty cool places are about the same price as renting our townhome. No contract, no kids, no in-person jobs…Goodbye Utah!

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We made a plan to pack up our stuff and put it in storage, then purchased an AirBNB one month near San Francisco and one month in Oregon right by the ocean. We’re waiting to purchase the Washington one until the date is a little closer as Aaron may have a new job by then.

This is me since I was 9 years old wanting to move out of Utah.

The adventure

While we are in these places, Aaron will be applying to jobs and interviewing and all that super fun stuff. I’ll continue to work on my debut as well as other books. Our dog Annie will probably demand walks and smell every blade of grass.

We will also be playing “would we want to live here” — a fun game that will hopefully help people with commitment anxiety to feel more comfortable choosing a place to call home.

How I’m feeling about all of this

I’ve been wanting to move out of Utah for a long time. And finally everything lined up in a way that gave us the flexibility to say yes to an adventure!

This is me now.

While I’m excited about this amazing adventure, I also feel lots of other feelings too. Sadness, grief, anxiety, etc. For me, sometimes the best way to express those emotions is through dance. So I decided to have a “Later Gator” party. Everyone will come to a park. We’ll provide food. And we’ll dance. Is there a better way to end this Utah chapter of my life than that? I don’t think so!

Alright, let’s end this post with a game set to the theme song of Carmen Sandiego (you’ll have to use your imagination to hear it).

Those who guess right will feel their entire life validated. They will know without a doubt they are at one with the universe. They will wake up singing and all the little animals will come clean their house.

Those who guess wrong…well…

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Thanks for sitting with me AT THE KID TABLE this week!

Your procrastinating-packing-everyting-up friend,

Rachel