The Move

After months of conversations, negotiations, research and  paperwork, my husband, 6-month old daughter, E, and I finally made the move from Charleston, South Carolina to London, England in March!

We had been mentally prepared for this move for some time and were very excited to receive the official “go-ahead” when all of the necessary components came together mid-February.  One week after the approval for Troy’s visa came through, we took off for a whirlwind house-hunting trip to London and were thrilled and relieved to quickly find a little “flat” just north of the city that we could call home.  Two weeks later, our belongings were packed up and loaded on to a boat headed for England.  Throw in a quick trip to Atlanta, a wonderfully special girls’ weekend, and last good-byes, and it makes my head spin to think we made it out of Charleston alive. Needless to say, we saved sleeping for the flights…

When the moving company confirmed it would be at least 5 weeks before the shipment arrived in London, Troy kindly suggested E and I spend a few days visiting my parents in Dubai for some much needed rest and relaxation before heading to England.  We were very thankful and certainly didn’t argue!  While we spent our days shopping, eating sand and laying by the pool, Troy went ahead to start work and manage the set up of our temporary home. What a guy!

Some have said we’re crazy (and sometimes we agree with you…), but we’ve always agreed to take advantage of the opportunities that come our way.  And when it came to a move overseas, we didn’t think twice.

For Troy, this move allowed him to finally be on the ground in the UK for projects he’d been working on since July.  He is excited about what his company is doing here and the opportunity to continue learning and growing in an international setting.  (Not to mention, he’s no longer commuting to London every other week or permanently jet-lagged!)

For me, it’s a dream come true.  I spent a great deal of my childhood moving (mostly around Europe – including London for a year! – and the US), and I’ve always hoped to be able to raise my child(ren) in the same way one day.  …Little did we know that both a child and an opportunity to move overseas would come so soon!…  I am excited to be closer to the family and friends I have around Europe again, and I look forward to exploring this part of the world with my own little family.

We’ve been on the ground for several weeks now and are feeling more and more at home each day.  We are quickly settling in to our new routine, spending as much of our free-time adventuring as possible and trying to remember how much fun we’re having with any bumps we encounter along the way.  I look forward to sharing more about our new world and experiences with you!