Dreaming Big & Moving On

I've been absent from blogland for awhile and, if you don't keep up with me via facebook, you may not know why. So here it is:
We're planning to move.
We are working every waking moment to get this house flawlessly cleaned, painted, decluttered and staged, to be put on the market by the end of the month. Yeah. Swallow that down.
We're dreaming big, people. Texas big.
My great-aunt wrote and asked me why. Do we have family there? Does Fred have a job there? Friends? She's kind-hearted. Just curious.
But the answers are:
No, no, and no.
So why?
Because it's our dream. It always has been.
I've wanted to move farther south for about as long as I can remember.
I don't do winters well, friends.
I suffer from S.A.D. in a big way. ((For my well-meaning friends, let me assure you, it's not something you can turn off and on. I can't snap and feel okay. I can't think of those less fortunate and suddenly feel all warm inside because I have a home.))
Symptoms can be treated with special lights, medication, etc, but why treat the symptoms when you can help fix the problem?
Besides winter-onset-depression being an issue, our favorite activities are seasonal, and we only get to enjoy them about 6 months out of the year now. Moving to a climate that runs 20 degrees warmer in the winters is a HUGE incentive. Aaanndd, think about how much closer we'll be to the coast!! {sigh}
We've waited, guys. A very long time. I've been married almost 16 years. Lived in our first little starter home for 10 1/2 years. It's been a patient wait. We've been happy here. Maybe a little crowded, but happy. And, really, it never felt too crowded until it was too cold to go outside. We've waited and we've waited, because the time wasn't right.
Suddenly this year, it "felt" right. We knew. And then pieces started fitting together. It was as if they were magnetically drawn towards each other, just pulling and clicking into the right spots. Both of my parents started dating. My Papaw plans to move to NC when my aunt does. Suddenly these things that I was feeling responsibility for were taken care of (yes, I'm an Oldest Child.)
Then Fred said "yes." He's always hesitated before. It wasn't the right time. But now, although nervous about it, he is excited and on-board.
We started submitting applications and resumes, and got immediate responses, phone interviews. The jobs are there. Started looking around at homes. The costs are comparable. Suddenly it was no longer just a dream, but a plan. A PLAN.
Because, really....why not?
Why do people stay in jobs they hate? Or live where they'd rather not live?
Whatever the reasons, I'm not okay with that. I want to pursue my dreams. At the very least, I can say I did. I tried.
So, for the time being, everything but school and "house stuff" has been put on hold.
We are pursuing a dream.
We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.”


― Henry David Thoreau

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

― Michelangelo Buonarroti

“If you're bored with life, if you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, you don't have enough goals.”

― Lou Holtz
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.”

― Napoleon Hill


“Patience is not passive waiting. Patience is active acceptance of the process required to attain your goals and dreams.”

― Ray Davis
These are a few of my inspiration quotes. Above all, I feel that this is God's plan for us, and He is directing us. I feel secure in that, and know that He is far more able than I am to work out the details.
Pray for us? Support us emotionally? Even if you don't fully understand why we'd uproot and move, we'd appreciate your love and support. We all walk different paths. I believe this is part of ours. :)