The Heart Wants What It Wants

When I was 16, I took a trip to California from my home in Maryland. It was the second time I'd been to California. I loved it so much, and vowed it would not be my last time I saw California. I wanted to move there, and live there, for the rest of my life.

That was 30 years ago. ::gulp::

For 30 years I've had a longing inside to go back to the place where I felt I belonged.

But the course of my life went elsewhere. I got married young, had 2 babies, got divorced young, and got stuck in a place I didn't want to be. During that time, I was going to college and decided once I was done, I'd move to California.

Then I met my second husband.

We met online. Tres modern.  He lived in New Mexico,  and could not leave because he was taking care of his invalid mother.  When I was done with college, I packed up and moved 1700+ miles to marry him.

And here we are 7 years later...

During all this time, I'm still pining for California. It just won't leave me. As luck would have it, if there's such a thing as luck, my husband works for a company with branches all over the country. There is a branch in So Cal. Coincidence? I think not!

About a year ago, we decided to move to California. Yes, another year has gone by, and we're still not there. But that's about to change.

1 thing happened just now to set a fire under us. Our rent is going up. We could sign an 8 month lease, and just be marking time, or we could go month to month, and have the freedom to move when we want to.

We need that freedom because of the second thing.

My husband's company can relocate a person, when the transfer application is approved, in as little as three days.

Yes, you read that correctly. He could be told he needs to start work in the new location within THREE DAYS!

And that brings us to this moment.

We can only prepare for what we can. Since we know that when his transfer application is approved he may very well have short notice to move, we are going to be ready for that, as best we can.

Before he applies for a transfer in September, we're going to weed through everything we own, and start packing every nonessential thing.

This blog is about moving long distance, on a budget and how to relocate to an area mostly unfamiliar area without going completely off the rails.