Steve and I had tossed around the idea of changing the way we live for a couple of years. We realized how caught up we were, in that vicious cycle of working so hard to maintain the lifestyle we chose and not spending enough time “smelling the roses.” Now don’t misunderstand, we loved living in our 2400+ square foot, beautifully landscaped, home in an upscale, restricted subdivision with all the trappings that goes along with that. Our kids were pretty happy with that as well, but Steve and I wanted to slow things down. The daily grind was getting old.
Then in the fall of 2013 Steve expressed some real concerns with his job and in light of our desire to change the way we were living, it was time to do something about it. He put his feelers out into the Health and Safety realm and nothing came of it. Back to the grind we went.
Steve continued to struggle with his role at work, being stretched too thin, to obtain the quality of results that he demanded of himself. He was burnt out. In Spring of 2014 he once again started looking for alternative employers in Southeastern Wisconsin. There was nothing available. He expanded his search area and in the Summer of 2014 a large health care system, in North Carolina, had a position available that was right up his alley.
The east coast, although enticing, is really far away from everything and everyone we have ever known. We had never even been to North Carolina. We decided to just see what they had to offer. Steve had amazing phone interviews, during which they all but offered him the position. They flew him out a few days later, for on-site interviews, which also went really well. When he returned, he looked hopeful for the first time in a long time. I could tell without him saying a word, that this position was what he’d been waiting for. The moment was bittersweet.
We had a very difficult decision to make. Steve needed a different job and we really wanted to live simpler, but we never even considered doing this across the country. We would have to uproot our two teenagers. Our daughter, Gabi, had just started her Senior year of high school. Our son, Zach, had just started his Freshman year. I had a very successful and very rewarding Pediatric Primary Care Practice, that I spent nearly 20 years building, which I would have to give up. We would be down to one income. We would have to sell and pack up the house. The house we designed, built ourselves and the only house the kids had known. We would be leaving all our family and friends behind, moving nearly 1000 miles across the country, to a completely new life.
Steve and I truly agonized over this. Gabi and Zach changed their minds every other day. We prayed a lot. In the end, we decided to be spontaneous and take a huge chance and go for it.
