Hehe, here I am! One month into my Nashville journey and let me tell ya…so far, so. damn. good.

So how in the heck did this happen?? Two months ago this wasn’t a thing and now it’s my entire reality?! Yep. That’s right. Home girl made up her mind, packed her bags, and hit the road. Well…sort of.

Let’s take it back to a year and a half ago. It’s late spring in 2018 and I am badgering my poor mother incessantly about taking a girls trip to Nashville. It had been a topic of conversation between her and I for quite a while but nothing had ever come of it. Finally, I bugged her enough to get the ball rolling on a trip out here! She, per usual, spared nothing as she planned an amazing girl’s trip out here for my 22nd birthday that upcoming summer. We had plane tickets booked, an AirBnB reserved, and all kinds of plans for what we’d do while we were here. Fast forward to later that summer and of course, one of my first tasks after the accident was canceling all of these reservations we’d made. Man did that suck. I had a mere 10 days between the accident and my 22nd birthday, and yet, it’s funny how life doesn’t stop even when your world does.

Next thing I know, it’s August 2019, we’d just honored the first anniversary of mom’s passing and just like that I was about to turn 23. A whole freaking year had gone by. And don’t get me wrong, while it was in many ways the ugliest, toughest twelve months I’d ever experienced, it was also the most beautiful, strong, and empowering twelve months too. My birthday weekend is a pivotal moment in this journey–not necessarily in a bad way, just significant. I spent the week between the Colorado trip and my birthday getting my house in tip top shape. Seriously, I was organizing, I was painting, I even cleaned the exterior windows–yeah, squeegee and all folks. I meant business! I was determined to make 23 a 180° from the year prior. Finally it was Saturday, and I was exhausted! I had spent all my energy prepping and now that it was time for the main event I was running around like a crazy woman powered by 95% RedBull. The event itself was a success, I got to see so many people that I didn’t expect would come! I felt very loved. And yet, at the same time, very unfulfilled. Over the past twelve months I’d accomplished some major milestones and all I could think about is “what’s next?”. The future was wide open for the first time in my entire life. I was single, had a college degree, and an itch to live fully.

A mixture of some really ironic events lead me to plan a trip to Nashville alone. Just me and the two dogs, a twelve hour road trip, and some serious excitement. The drive out was SO much fun–I listened to all my favorite podcasts, Life.Church messages, and did some serious karaoke (sorry pups). I can remember finally getting to the outer-skirts of Nashville and seeing the skyline for the first time. I was buzzing! I had the biggest smile on my face so many times over those twelve hours that I knew I had made a good decision, and honestly, I knew in my heart I needed this. I needed something new, a fresh start, an adventure.

That week the dogs and I explored all over the city, attended live events, shopped, toured–all the things! I also looked at a KAJILION houses/apartments/condos. It was hard making a decision–Nashville is so big it’s like well shoot, where in the heck do I want to be and why?! Ultimately, I found a townhome in the 12 South area that stole my heart. There’s a huge park right down the street, people are always out for a run and walking their kids or their dogs. And 12 South Avenue is right around the corner full of cute little shops, coffee joints, and restaurants. The whole vibe is very family-oriented and safe. I love that.

So, on day six of my trip, September 1st, I signed 12-month lease and dove into this adventure head first!

Now, the pressure was on. I applied for jobs like crazy, came up with a game plan for my house in Kansas, and started packing like a maniac. As someone who has moved an entire family-sized home twice in one year I can tell you, IT SUCKS. But in all seriousness, it was such a fulfilling process. I was able to leave behind the things that I knew served me no purpose. That freedom felt better than just about anything had in a long time. I made trips back and forth a couple times to Nashville and then finally, on September 27th, I was here for good. TWENTY-SEVEN DAYS! That’s all it took to completely uproot my life and start something new–because I was 100% committed and bursting with excitement!

Now it’s only mid October and yet I feel like I’ve been here forever! I know, I know, I’m ridiculous. I feel so blessed to have the ability to come out here and live my dream life. The past year prepared me for so many things I never expected. I guess I just realized, if I can survive all of that, I can do anything.

So in other words, your guest room has moved–come visit me!

Remember, bad hair days and good hair days, they all add up to something.