We have some huge changes happening in our family. The short version is that we are moving our family of six from Scituate, Massachusetts to Dallas, Texas. The long version is as follows...
About 11 years ago my husband was feeling itchy in his corporate job at Fidelity and started talking about owning a business. "How about opening a restaurant" he said to the wife who heads to bed at 8pm. "Umm, where is this coming from?" I asked him. I had never heard his desires to own a restaurant and being an early bird, early to bed and the mother of a one year old, three year old and five year old I really didn't see this working for us. We needed security, we needed health insurance and we needed stability. He talked to a couple of people in the industry and was steered away from owning a restaurant and the myriad of problems that accompany it. Life went on. We had another child, moved from the country to a seaside town and three years ago he got a job with a different company. He had his beloved boat, we had two dogs, we went on ski trips and a wonderful cruise. Life was good. I began to play tennis, worked a couple of hours at an orthodontists office and did sewing on the side. Like I said, life was good.
February 2012 we went on an awesome cruise to the Southern Caribbean. It was the most perfect vacation our family had. Upon returning home my husband's dissatisfaction at work arose again. This time we were in a different position and he really meant it. I dug my heels in. I liked my life, our house and where we were. I didn't need for things to change. He, however, was commuting three hours a day to sit in an office to do a job that he didn't have any passion for. We had some serious heart to heart discussions. I always want him to be happy. He's much more fun for us when he likes what he is doing. Biggest on the list, he's a smart guy who when he puts his mind to something, he will give it 110%.
So, he started looking at business magazines rattling off business franchise opportunities. "How about a painting company? Car wash? Dry cleaners?" Really? I couldn't imagine leaving a corporate job with health benefits, bonus and security to own a painting company! How about my owning a membership boat club... "Now that's the first thing that sounds like you." I said from the couch.
As he looked into it more and more he liked it more and more. It all sounded great except for one thing, we live in Massachusetts and our boating season is about 3 months long. To make a club like this work really well you need an extended boating season. Next big discussion, we move south. Again I argued I like where we live. I love our big ole house within walking distance to town. I grew up an Air Force brat and moved often. I took trips, by myself, with a youth group. I went to a German school for a year as a teen. I am not averse to change. Could I do it? Could I move out of this house I said I'd never leave when we moved in? What ultimately made me feel like I could do it was my friend across the street had moved away the year before. Now, she is a mover and a shaker, but if she could do it, I could too!
