The Ordinary Moments 2017 #7 – On the edge of a new chapter

There are moments in our lives that we can clearly pin point as being the end of one chapter and the start of another. Sometimes these moments are natural ones that come with age like finishing High school and moving into the chapter of college, work or uni. And yet at other times they are sprung upon us and completely out of our control and miles away from our plans – like tragedy, redundancy or when a person close to us dies, and we have no choice but to be dragged along with the current into a new place and chapter of our lives.

Often though they come as a result of our choices…We choose to get married. New chapter.  We choose to have a family. New chapter. We choose to apply to a new job. New chapter. We choose to move house. New Chapter. And that’s where we are at right now – a choice and a moment that puts us on the edge of a new chapter in a new place, with kids at a new school and closer to where we came from, and yet further away from what has been so familiar to us.

I have talked a lot over the last few years about the prospect of us moving house in the near future. Nathan’s university graduation, an extra child in the home, and even bereavement have all played part in propelling us closer to that choice and the idea of our little family living somewhere that is more peaceful in a house offering more for our needs now. And so this year we set it as our goal. We never envisioned it happening so quickly but it has, and it feels so right! Whilst it is for most of us one of those ordinary moments in life, it feels like a huge extra ordinary moment too. Something so big and a little scary all at the same time, but it is something we are ready for, ready to embrace and excited to jump into with both feet. We are moving house!!

We sold our house in 5 days and the following week (this week) had our offer accepted on one we have been eyeing up for a while. Nothing is final yet, we still have all the solicitor things to go through, but our house is sold…the house we want is now sold and we are hopeful that things will go ahead smoothly from here, and within a matter of weeks we will bid farewell to our friends and the city we have called home for the last 9 year’s. We close the door on the city that held huge chapters that saw us dating, marrying and having our family (and all the highs and lows that came with that), and open the door to our new home and with it, a chapter of life in a little village over in East Yorkshire where we can raise said family with a different pace of life. It will be our 3rd home as a couple, our 2nd with kids. We will have a new home that fits our families needs now in this chapter of life, in a place to offer us more peace, more natural beauty, more rural living, closer to where our Poppy is buried, and ultimately more opportunities for us to spend time with both our families.

These pictures were taken last weekend when we had a glorious day together in Scarborough, and I remember that day just feeling so blessed in that moment as I looked out on the calmness of the sea and felt the sun on my skin. I felt like a new season was almost here, spring was in the air and with it a new season and chapter for us too. We felt exciting things were on the horizon for our family and we talked about how lucky we would feel to have both the Yorkshire coast and Wolds right on our doorstep. How different life would be. I watched the kids charge to sea, so free and happy and I knew this was what I wanted for them…

Life is built up of chapters and full of moments that start and end those chapters, and we are greatly looking forward to this next one and cannot wait for a new home, new life and new moments together.