We moved to Georgia in 2007 to start our life together, a new adventure. We were young and thrilled to be doing something on our own. Moving away from home, although it was something almost everyone never thought I would do, has proven to be one of the smartest decisions we have ever made. New Jersey is wonderful and certainly had its perks growing up– living across the street from an entrance to the Appalachian Trail, fresh air, quick car ride to New York City, you name it. My husband, then boyfriend, and I had a blast together. Georgia, however, was our adventure ticket.

A little over a year ago we decided to move back to NJ. There were a couple reasons for the move but it mainly came down to us longing to be closer to family. We had been away for about 7 years and it was time to reconnect with our roots. My parents welcomed us into their basement, made it as comfy as possible and really took care of us during the 7 months we were there. Amazingly and to our surprise, we found out we were pregnant shortly after moving back up north. Although I have struggled to believe in such things as a higher power before, I believe, with my whole heart, that we were meant to move to NJ, even if only for a short time. We were meant to be pregnant while living with my parents. I’d like to think I would have done a great job eating healthy and taking care of myself had we remained in Georgia but the level of compassion, commitment, and overall concern for my and the baby’s well being was unmatched. It seemed that almost every other day my Dad was bringing home fresh fruit for me to devour, happily purchasing all of my cravings (boxes upon boxes of clementines and bottles of hot sauce). They were eager and looking for ways to help us and it was exactly what we needed.

As the months moved quickly and I was getting bigger, I realized that although NJ had welcomed us back with open arms, with impending motherhood approaching, there was a voice telling me the best thing for my child was to move back down south. We had established such a wonderful life down here and I wasn’t ready and didn’t have the energy to try and create that again, even if I could. The school I had a hand in building is like no other and the thought of my child attending any other school made me sick to my stomach. With the fate of public schools how they are, I was already preparing my husband for home schooling if we remained in New Jersey. The education opportunity aside, I wanted my son to grow up in the community that my husband and I found ourselves in. We got engaged down here, said our vows here, and created our life here. It was home. The roots that I had longed for in NJ had already been replanted down south.

So here we are. We moved while almost 8 months pregnant into a small apartment with creaky floors and bad insulation. We gave birth to an amazing little boy at the most comforting hospital. My sister and my mom made it down in time to witness our son being born, an experience I am so thankful I was able to share with them. There are days that we really miss our family up north. We don’t regret moving back up there and we don’t regret moving back down. We will always do what we think is best for our family of three, after all, what more can we ask for?