MOVING BACK EAST - RELOCATION ORGANIZATION!

Yay! When My husband called me last week to tell me the news, the first words he said were "Start Packing!" Just around this time last year (in November), a carrot was dangled in front of the hubs of getting a possible relocation for us back east, at the time, to Pineville, near Charlotte, North Carolina. Needless to say, I went overboard with delight, sharing the "possible move" on Facebook - sharing the house hunting plus saving pinned homes to a board on Pinterest... However, it wasn't our time and the relocation fell thru. Flash forward six months later, and it happened again, the possibility of Jeff getting us relocated, but this time not only back east, but to Florida (to the Gulf Coast - Ft. Myers area) -- However this time, learning from the last experience, I didn't say anything publicly, I just mentioned it to a few people -- and that too fell thru. But now, another 6 months afterwards and it must be our time because Jeff got rewarded with a larger store and we're being relocated back east - This time to Winston-Salem, North Carolina!

 

Sweet Sephora has no idea what she's in for again... This part of the move breaks my heart - Breaking Sephora's comfortable routine, but I'm sure she too will be thrilled when she see's her new surrounding - aka GRASS!!! :)

 In the meantime, she's been lounging on the new wool throw I had picked up for Fall at HomeGoods - which I'm sure will come in handy on the upcoming Winter evenings in North Carolina!

We're thrilled beyond belief to be heading back east - and so too are our moms, family, and friends, who even though they are spread out along the east coast (from upstate NY to South Florida!), we'll still all be so much closer for shorter travel trips. Not to mention, all the events that happen back east from Brummfield Flea Market to NY Fashion Week, to High Point (yay! FINALLY I will make it to HPMKT in the Spring!) and even the Design Bloggers Conference have been held in Atlanta (which is now just a short drive away plus Jeff's mom lives nearby).

Goodbye scorching hot summers, bacteria filled dust-storms and seeing brown at every glance - Hello change of seasons, crisp mountain air, American historical architecture and... THE BEACH - which now will be just 3-4 hours away vs the 6 hour schlep we were doing once a year driving through the desert to get to the California coast.

 

Drinking more coffee these past few days - and I'm sure plenty more to come!

Jeff shared the news when he was told on October 1, and since then, I've been searching real-estate sites, to find us a 'new place to dwell'. Over the weekend, I shared my findings with Jeff (pinned to a secret board) and together we voted yes-no on the homes to house hunt. Sunday, I printed condensed versions of each of the homes we're interested in - a diversified mix of styles from old and new, with both options to see: to buy or possibly rent (since we will be so new to the area.

I categorized all the homes I printed into a binder, divided with tabs by area, listing the MLS rooms, square footage and price at the tops of the pages. This should help not only us, searching on our own, but if we do connect with a local Realtor, we can show them our specifics since we're short on time. When we relocated in November 2011, we had more than 30 days to move - this time we have only 30 days to move -- across the country -- and just before holiday... which is quite alright. I can't think of a better Christmas gift or blessing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving than having the opportunity to move back east.

 

The highlighted dates are for my already booked & planned trip back to Miami (next Friday!!) to see my mom and friends - can't wait for that trip either!!

 

Thank you God for answering our prayers. And thank you too Focal point readers, because I know I haven't been quite "myself" since we moved to Arizona, and trust me, it wasn't from a lack of trying. I think we made the best of our situation, from Jeff getting into golf (although that lead to him injuring his back and having spinal surgery just this past August) to this "City Girl" embracing the more relaxed rustic styling, without getting into the Tuscan trap, I could take. 

It. Is. Time. For. A. (cool) Change.

 

 One of the last sunsets I've seen here in AZ, looking out from the loft space upstairs (third floor).

And so it has been already - Thank you Lord!! 

I hope October is good for you too as well!

Thanks for stopping by - and please stay tuned for upcoming relocation updates... plus a few last shares of the transformations made on this, our  Arizona rental home...