The One With All The Changes

At the tender age of 19 I moved to Baltimore. I packed my bedroom on Pinto Drive and excitedly headed to the big city. I'm not even sure I looked in the rear view mirror when I left. I was sad to be leaving my mom, it was just she and I while I was growing up, after all, but I was ready for the next adventure. After 6 months of being in Baltimore, I fell in LOVE...with the City. The fast pace, being away from the small town feel, I loved it. I knew this was going to be my home away from "home". I apartment hopped my way through college until graduation. At 21, I shared my first big-kid apartment with my best friend, down the street from my other best friend and spent Friday nights drinking wine, Sunday mornings taxiing it home from whatever bar we were at Saturday night and hungover breakfasts at Panera. Life was good. No, life was great.

At 22, the husband and I moved into a house in the City with my best friend and her boyfriend. Life was changing. Our routines became more permanent and our nights out became steady but less frequent. At 23 the husband and I bought our first house. We became established in our respective careers and our friends became a second family. The husband and I have always said through good times and bad times they rally, no group of people can match our friends.

Which is why our announcement to our friends about our life changes will be bittersweet. The husband has accepted a new position...in our "home" county. We move the beginning of April. And while I cannot be more proud of this man for preserving and not settling for anything less than he's worth, it's bittersweet to me. My entire adult life thus far has been rooted in Baltimore. From a college student to a working woman to a wife to a mother. Many of  my life's amazing milestones have been established here.

I look forward to what's to come with a twinge of sadness. When we drive away from our first purchased home in a few weeks, I'm sure to have a tear in my eye while looking out the rear view mirror. I'm not saying good bye but see ya later is right around the corner. Life has a funny way of throwing everything at you at once. I wouldn't have it any other way but the last 7 1/2 years has been an amazing journey. I've grown so much since leaving my Southern Comfort Zone. I can only imagine what's in store for me now.

With an enormous leap forward, the Facini household is beginning a new journey.