Stripes and florals + surviving a period of transition

It was always our plan to move back to Cleveland. And although we didn’t think it would happen for another 7 or so years, that had always been the plan. But then we fell in love with Columbus, GA and considered moving back there when we found out Z would be transitioning out of the military. We fell in love with the small town feel and would have loved to raise our kids there.

But ultimately, we wanted to be near family. We wanted our kids to grow up around their grandparents and cousins and have the same experiences we had while living here. And when a house we had previously looked at went back on the market and in the school district we wanted to be in, we jumped at the opportunity. Were the stars finally aligning for us? Would things work out?

We’re taking a chance for sure. Z doesn’t have a job yet because he’s still in D.C. transitioning out of the military. The kids and I have been staying with my parents and we move into the new house next week. We’re super excited but surviving this period of transition has been a challenge.

It still feels like we’re just visiting since we’re not in our own place with our own things. We’ve been gone for 6 years so things are different. People have busy lives with busy schedules and their own groups of friends and routines. Will we fit into them? Will we need to start over and make new friends? The dynamic will be a lot different now that we’re living here and not visiting and it’s going to be an adjustment for sure.

I signed N up for Kindergarten and am working on getting Lady situated. We’ve also found a dance studio for P, signed N up for soccer, and will be working on some other logistics over the next few weeks. Oh the joys of starting over… again!

But one of my favorite parts about being back? Frequenting all of the places I know and love and exploring new areas! Things have changed so much since we left and I can’t wait until we’re settled and able to explore more. But Chagrin Falls has always been one of my favorite spots and it felt good to be back there again to shoot these pictures!

This romper is from Amazon and less than $20 and it’s soooo comfortable. Have you noticed I’ve been frequenting Amazon for clothing lately? I also snagged the items below!

If you’ve ever moved away from “home” and then moved back, what words of advice do you have? I feel like I must have gone through this somewhat when I came home after graduating college but I can’t remember. Would love to hear your experience!

Photo credit Emily Zeaman