Space and Pace

After years of talking about it and much soul-searching, TK and I are finally taking the plunge and getting the heck out of Dodge! We're headed to a more rural life in Jamestown, NY, a little city in western New York on the banks of the beautiful Chautauqua Lake. I grew up in this particular part of the country, and for us the timing is right to finally make the move.


For a while now we've been longing for a more simple and balanced (for us) lifestyle, away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago...a place where we can breathe in the fresh air and be closer to the natural world, even if that means mammoth Buffalo/Lake Erie snowdrifts and a long, cold winter. We're excited for this time of new space and new pace upon which we are about to enter.


Transitions like this, exciting though they are, are bittersweet for me. After years of imagining how you'll "start your life" somewhere else, you begin packing up your home and saying good-bye to friends and realize the life you've been creating in the place you "didn't want to be" was indeed full of blessing and happiness. We leave the close proximity to my brother and his family, to TK's parents, to many close friends from college, to our church community...all things that I'm confident we've taken for granted, and we head toward what we believe is right for us in this present time for our family. We leave great things, but are hopeful of great things to come...great things that our bodies and souls have been longing for for years.


In this new place and time for us, I'm hopeful that we will all spend more time outside. I'm expectant that because of the work situations we're entering in Jamestown (TK continuing his carpentry/contracting business and me working from home) will allow us to spend more quality, intentional time together as a family. I know that canceling our DirecTV account and not having the distractions and conveniences (for us) of the city-life will force us into a new era of creativity and self-reflection/assessment. I know that I will no longer just have leftovers to offer my husband and son when it comes to my time and energy. I'm looking forward to gardening, summer road-side stands, walks in the woods, trips to the library, investing our time and talents in our new community, and adventures with my sweet little boy!


Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers as we pack up and move this weekend. As exciting as it is for us to have this dream realized, I'm sure we'll both be bawling like babies as we leave the city we've had a love/hate relationship with over many, many years.

All pictures above are courtesy of the wonderfully talented Rebecca Ondrey, my awesome sister-in-law. To check out her work, click here!