I am moving to Cleveland, OH. There – I said it. My little family and I will be relocating 2,367 miles across the country. On one side of the coin this has been a long time coming. On the other – I am still in complete shock. I feel;

Excited – A new start. A chance to focus on being the best Mama ever to River. A chance to focus on me and my blog – grow my business to something I’ve always only dreamt it could be.

 Nervous – Will I find friends? Will I fit in? Will I be happy? Will I freeze to death!?

 Inspired – Who knew Cleveland had SO much creativity?

 Intimidated – All that bad-ass creativity I’ve found through social media stalking over the past few months has me wondering how I’ll fit into their close knit community.

So, as you can see – quite the range of emotions going on here. I’ve lived in California for the past 13 years. THIRTEEN years. In the grand scheme of things that really isn’t that long but I’ve grown and become who I am here. And, if I am being complete honest I truly feel like I am losing a part of myself by leaving. In a sense I feel like I am leaving everything I’ve worked so hard for behind. And I know that’s not true. My success and happiness is not dependent on a geographical location. But then why do I get choked up at the mere thought of leaving? After a lot of consideration I think it’s because California has become part of my identity. The ‘California girl’ popping back into Ohio on the holidays to visit my family and friends only to return to sunny San Diego a week later.

I recently read somewhere that the way to change your life is to do the thing you fear the most.

Change is scary because it often is paired with the unknown. But change also gives us a chance to reinvent parts of our lives we aren’t completely excited about. I get excited about the opportunity to revamp certain areas of my life. On social media we all present this perfect image of what it’s like to be us – but in reality we all know that’s not the truth. There are many areas of my life where I want and need to change in order for my heart to be happy. I look forward to documenting my ‘new’ life in Cleveland and I sincerely hope you all enjoy following along.

And PS – if you’ve made a move across country in your 30’s please drop me a line and share with me any tips on settling in, meeting friends, etc!

xx

Clasp Necklace + Long Necklace by Love Tatum | T-shirt by Emily Roggenburk