Move Now and Move Later?

Graduation 2010

I’m almost two years removed from graduating college and have yet to really start a career. I work a job, yes, but I wouldn’t consider it a career, or at least, not in the field I’d hoped I’d find myself working in.

I’ve admitted to my counselor, my hubby, my father, and my sister that I’m scared to move. Scared because it’s unfamiliar. And scared because I know there’s a pretty good chance that this won’t be our final move.

I’ve lived in Cleveland my whole life. I lived in my childhood home 23 years before getting married at 24. I then moved to an apartment with the hubby and then to our current place 3 months later, where we’ve been for two years now.

I never had to worry about my father uprooting us because of a promotion, or having to move because my mother couldn’t find a job. My parents never had to navigate through any of that because my father was the breadwinner, my mom was a SAHM (stay at home mom).

Hubby & I are a dual career couple, meaning, both of us plan to have careers outside of taking care of home. Even if I choose to stay at home with the kids at some point (which is not completely ruled out), I will still have a career, just a more family-friendly, work from home kind of career.

When imagining married life as a teenager and even prior to meeting my husband, I never even once considered that I could possibly be the breadwinner. I never imagined that I would be the first one to earn my degree. I figured, I’d finish college, get married, hubby would be finished with college too, and we’d both have our careers already started.

None of that is the case.

Our current location has limited job opportunities for me and limited educational opportunities for hubby, who has to finish his degree. On top of that, we’re both eagerly looking for a place we can both call home, since we don’t consider Cleveland home.

With each passing day, I’m realizing that making more than one move will be quite necessary.

Our ideal location is expensive. Expensive to live in, buy a house in. School for hubby isn’t cheap either.

So what do we do?

Well, for me, a dream deferred isn’t a dream denied.

Meaning? I’m planning for our next move NOT to be our last move.

That’s scary for me, because I’m spoiled and used to stability.

However, this is what I signed up for when I got married and said ‘I Do.’

I can choose to look at this for what it is…an adventure!

One approach to all of this move now, move later? Move somewhere affordable, safe, with good opportunities for BOTH hubby & I, and a decent school system. I say that since kiddos are likely to come along in the next 3-5 years.

I realize that affordable + safe + opportunities + good school system and it just being a good fit for the both of us more than likely means, we’ll be far from family. That is scary too, but the goal will be to move closer to family once we’re a bit more settled. Sometimes you have to leave home to get established and then come back once you’re more settled financially, career-wise, etc. Worst case scenario? We’d end up living far away from home for longer than expected. And if that happens? Well, that’s what plane rides and telephones and skype are for, to bridge the gap.

It’s all an adventure, that is what I keep telling myself. And an exciting one at that!

Move now, move later…a dream deferred is not a dream denied.