The Start of Our Journey: Leaving Oklahoma

One of my favorite pictures taken by my dad years ago in northern Oklahoma.

I’m writing this from a guest bedroom in my mom’s house in a small town east of Nashville. There’s a strangeness in writing this update, knowing that this is just one of many guest bedrooms (so to speak) I’m going to inhabit over the next few months.

We have packed up our house and it’s on the market, and unless something goes terribly wrong and it doesn’t sell…we won’t see it again. For the first time in years, we don’t have a home base to call our own.

And even with all that to say, Blake and I both possess a sense of lightness as we start this journey. The hardest parts, the ones we were dreading, have already been done. Now, the hard parts ahead are logistics and life. Easy peasy.

But first, a brief love letter to the Sooner State.

“Oklahoma, It’s Not That Bad”

Years ago someone gave me a sticker with this classic phrase on it, “Oklahoma, it’s not that bad.” I could practically get this tattooed for the number of times I’ve said it. Oklahoma is not a perfect state, and it makes me sad that I have more reasons to leave than to stay, but I balance this sentiment with so much love for the home it has been.

The Oklahoma City metro has been my home for many years and I’ve loved getting to see it through so many changes. There’s a grit and a vibrancy to this city, coupled with a love for good food, art, and music. It’s been fun to live here as a young adult.

But mostly, we have stayed as long as we have stayed because of the friends in our community. They have walked with me through grief and joy, through challenges and triumphs. The friends in our lives have been the true blue, thick or thin variety. I’ve felt this deeply over the last few months as we’ve shared this dream and embarked on such wild changes and have been met with encouragement and cheers.

We may not know what our future holds, but the support we’ve received has buoyed our confidence as we take the next step. Thank you to everyone who has made us feel so, so loved. I feel so dang lucky to have friends like this in our corner.

So, What’s next?

The big question everyone is asking, “What’s next?” We’re going to be in Tennessee for a few more days before traveling on to where my sister lives in Virginia. From there, we’ll begin the process of getting the dogs’ health certificates and all of their pre-travel appointments completed.

After that, we’ll head to New York City and stay in Brooklyn the night before embarking on our cruise. It leaves on July 7, so we are officially two weeks out. (!!)

I’ll be writing more in the days to come, so please subscribe below if you want email updates when I post a new update. Thank you, as always, for following along.