No, I’m not expecting a baby. Sadly, that store is closed… unless anyone has a baby they’d like to give me, in which case, YAY! That would be some EXTRA big news! What I’m sharing today is pretty big for our family though probably much less dramatic for others. It’s been a rollercoaster of yes, no, maybe so and I have to say a huge weight is being lifted now that I can let you in on what has been going on.
You may have noticed I’ve been weirdly addicted to touring model homes on Instagram, pinning hundreds of gorgeous home photos on Pinterest, and snapchatting flooring samples. Aside from my general home obsession, there is good reason for this behavior. And no, it’s not stalking the pretend families that live in model homes, though I would like to ask them why they need like 3 master closets. 😉 Deep breaths… drumroll please… we have put down a deposit to build a house in Cary, North Carolina– which at the moment seems very far from our current home outside of Philadelphia.
My husband’s company was acquired over the summer, and the new company has an office in Cary, so North Carolina it is! Back when I was younger, stupider, and braver I moved quite a bit. Despite having lived in the same hometown for 18 years, I went to college 8 hours away, then moved to Charlotte, then to Philly. Moving isn’t a big deal for me, but what it means for my family is pretty huge. My husband has lived in Pennsylvania his whole life, as have my kids. As wonderful as it was for me to grow up in a small, close-knit community I hope they also see the benefit to moving outside of their comfort zones, embracing change, and (hopefully) flourishing.
Speaking of, how are the kids handling the news? Quite honestly, my daughter channels her inner 14-year-old each time we mention it. Stomping, tears, crossed arms, and this new thing where she points her finger in the air and waves it around. She is not happy about leaving her school. She keeps begging us to stay until after 4th grade so she can be a school safety and wear the neon green sash.
My son is excited that he will be near a train museum. He’s been my happy-go-lucky guy about the news so far, but I feel it’s the calm before the storm when he realizes he will be moving away from his buddies and his favorite Panera. You know, the Panera that must use different ingredients than the others because the mac and cheese is not as good at all the other locations. <—- his exact words
We spent spring break at the South Carolina beaches hoping it would sway my daughter. She loved it there. But just to visit, not to live there, mommy! (eye roll, stomp stomp, weird finger pointing thing)
Our friends have been incredibly supportive. My bestie drove up from Charlotte twice to help with house hunting, even when she was literally in the middle of a move herself! Others have sent real estate listings in their (Pennsylvania) neighborhoods, with the words ‘Don’t gooooooooo!’, which is also supportive, albeit in a different and awesome way. Our friends are family to us, so this is going to be tough.
No YOU’RE crying.
It took months to find the right home, even before we knew for sure we were moving I was scouring the internet and real estate listings. After not finding anything that fit exactly with what we were looking for, we finally found a brand new community that didn’t have homes built on top of each other and snagged a lot with a wooded backyard.
Ahhhhh, that Carolina Blue sky!
It’s a nice sized lot, though it is difficult to picture how our home will be situated on it. The project manager got out there in his nice shoes and showed me all the property lines, even hiking through the woods and waving to show where the lot ended. See him back there? These Carolina people sure are nice.
There have been a million decisions to make, big ones such as which home plan to buy to small ones like do we want pulls on the cabinets and knobs on the drawers (or knobs on the cabinets and pulls on the drawers?) Do we move before school starts and rent until our house is ready, or pull the kids from school and move mid-year? Hardwoods or tile? This mortgage company or that one? When do we put up our home for sale, and can we live here through the summer? Last week alone, I had FIVE meetings with the builders in the span of 3 days. Head. Spinning.
Terrifying. Exciting. Happy. Scared. Curious. Regretting. And that’s just what I’ve felt in the last 5 minutes. From butterflies in my tummy to a big ol’ rock sitting in there. To move my kids from everything and everyone they know feels momentous, and not in a good way. But the possibilities of a great school system, meeting new friends, and living where the weather hugs you back has it’s appeal, and I’ve wanted this for awhile. It’s like a blender of emotions in my head!
This home will be very different from our current abode. When bought here in PA, we could see the home had ‘great bones’ but the functionality and decor was, shall we put it mildly, ‘not our style’. Leaky hot tub in the sunroom, mauve carpeting, paneling, green laminate countertops, and a well-hidden crack in the master bathroom shower that the previous owners covered up and cost us a pretty penny to fix. We stripped room after room of wallpaper, added new flooring, took the bathroom down to the studs. Added central air. Fenced in the yard, made over the deck. Added a gas fireplace and built-ins. Tweaked, toned, polished. Now that home so beautifully reflects our family, leaving it will be tough. Whoever is buying it will get the deal of the century when you calculate how much money we’ve put into renovations.
Our North Carolina home is built from scratch with our tastes in mind, but to keep costs down, we’re going to have to go with ‘builders grade’ on many of the finishes. It was important for us to add what we needed structurally since we know we can upgrade the smaller things later. It’s quite clear I’d better learn to tile and install faucets ASAP.
That’s where we’re at. No more secrets (not that we were holding back, we truly didn’t know it was happening for sure until the ink was dry). This may explain why I haven’t done much DIY-ing lately, or gotten further on the KonMari series. Both will play important roles in my move but doing them and finding time to blog about them are two separate things! Getting our home show-worthy, staging it to sell, decluttering, packing, storing, moving, keeping the kids happy and emotionally stable, renting, building, home design, decorating the new place… it’s all going to come out here, in as real time as possible. Plus running my blog and essential oils business. Not overwhelmed at all. HA.
In the meantime, advice on moving with kids, packing, building a new home, and the Raleigh area in general are all appreciated more than you know.
I’m excited with a side dish of terrified and a sip of anxiety. With a large helping of hope and optimism for dessert. It’s going to be an interesting year. Who’s ready for the ride?
Read the entire Building Up series about building a new construction home from the ground up here:
The Big News: We’re Building a House
Let the New Home Adventure Begin
How to Maximize Your Budget When Building a Home
Making Design Decisions you Won’t Regret at the Design Center
Congrats Carrie! What an exciting (and overwhelming) time for you guys! We live in Raleigh just outside of Cary. I am happy to help in any way I can. We’ve just finished a full home reno here, so I may have some handy recommendations for you. Feel free to shoot me an email anytime!
I’m thrilled!!!!! ??
Hi Carrie,
I am thrilled for you. I’m sure you and your family are thrilled to be making the move. It is so exciting to meet new people.
Best of luck to you. And I’m sure you won’t forget US. Love ya. Enjoy your new home.
Hi Carrie, I live in the Raleigh area also, Wake Forest to be exact. You will love it here. I’ve been here for 21 years. We moved our daughter at the age of 10. She’s did fine and she is an “only”. The one suggestion I would have for you is to get their bedrooms settled as quickly as possible so they will have a space of their own with their things.
As for building a new home, we have built three. It is overwhelming and exhausting at times. So many decisions to be made but sooo exciting! I wish you the best of luck with the move. Feel free to contact me if you need anything!
Wow! That truly IS huge news Carrie! Congratulations! I know it’s not easy leaving the Philly area – heck I only moved 90 minutes away and it still feels a bit odd sometimes – but starting a new chapter with your family will be fantastic in a new place, new home, new experiences! Maybe to win your daughter over a bit more, she can help “think” of ideas for her new room. Although, I know that back long ago when I was 14 — good luck getting me to change my mind on something until I was ready to! LOL Whoo-hoo for you and your family!
North Carolina?? Didn’t they just win some big basketball game? Bless your heart, darlin’. Sunshine and soft breezes. Can I buy your snow blower??
Wow! That’s pretty cool. We’ve lived in Cary about 5 years. We are actually headed back to the Philly area at the end of summer. Our lease is up here and my hubs worked in Raleigh and is now working in New Jersey-we’re tired of the long distance relationship LOL! If you need any advice for the Cary area feel free to email me.
Hi Carrie,
Big adventure ahead! We live in Bath, NC, (inner banks) and Cary is a really nice area! Congratulations and enjoy! PS there are some awesome good resale shops around Cary too, so know you’ll feel at home quickly! Come see us sometime, little historic Bath is a fun day trip!
I loooove historic beach towns and can’t wait to explore the coast! It’s always been a dream of mine, my heart is there for some reason. We vacation in OBX every years so really exploring the area sounds like a dream. Would love some recommendations around Bath if you’re willing to share!
Congratulations! Sorry to see you go, but this will be a great adventure for your family. Building is a journey and exciting, I wish you the best of luck in your new endeavor. Very smart, not putting those finishes into a long term mortgage. We only did a very few for our own home, mostly must-do’s. Enjoy!
Exciting and terrifying at the same time! I know you and your kids will love it where you are going! On to the next chapter! Best of luck!
Congratulation! It is so excited! My brother is in Raleigh and he loves it. It is a great area. We left Philly 6 months ago and moved to Jax FL. We don’t know anyone but we love it. Something about warm weather and adventure! Good luck. It sounds like it will be amazing. Message me if you need help while relo.
Sarah, I just realized I didn’t reply to you yet. THANK YOU for your kind words, we’re nervous but excited. I’d love any relocation tips you want to share!
Congrats on the exciting and anxiety-ridden news! I totally get it. We’re talking about a potential move – 2 hours north – and the thought of it makes me too nauseous to eat for the rest of the day. Your open mind (and love of making your home so special) will get you there, and I’m sure the kids will follow your lead!
Congrats on the move! We left Philly almost exactly a year ago (May 1, 2015), so I know too well what’s it’s like to make a BIG move. I still don’t feel 100% settled and making new friends takes time. I still miss Philly and my friends there a ton. Still, we do what is best for our families, and it is exciting too. Next life chapter, indeed–haha!