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Posted by: Sherry

It’s been a little more than two months since we packed up and moved north. I’ll admit, the first few weeks were a bit rough as we adjusted to our new town. The roads are different, the drivers are much more aggressive, the accent takes some getting used to, and the overall lifestyle is very different from the little town we left behind in Pennsylvania. Fast forward 68 days, and we’re like “Pennsylvania who??” 

It’s so funny to talk to people up here and see their reaction as to how we ended up here. “You did what?” “How?” “Why?” “Don’t you miss your families?” “We’ve always talked about moving away, but I never could…” “That’s so cool; I wish I could do that!”

Yes, there is something very terrifying about moving away and starting fresh. But there’s also something extremely thrilling about it! For us it’s been nothing but new experiences, new opportunities, new cultures. It’s been a chance to explore the world outside of the confines of the town we’d always known. At some point, when you want it bad enough, it comes to the point where the fear of the regret of not doing it becomes more powerful than the fear of actually doing it.

For as long as we’ve been together, we’ve dreamt about moving away. But it always seemed to be that either we just weren’t ready, or the timing wasn't right, or we didn’t have the financial means. And I’m actually a bit grateful because I am sure we wouldn’t have ended up where we are today, had we moved away sooner. We originally thought we’d be going South. It intrigued us…sun and sand all year long. Heck yeah! But then we had kids and the schools began to matter and…the schools in the areas we were looking into kind of turned us away.

We stumbled across Salem during a 2010 family vacation to Boston. My dad had the idea of taking the ferry from Boston to Salem and I am sure looking back, he probably wishes we had picked something else to do that day. We stepped off the ferry and into the town that would eventually become our home. And we knew it right away. I remember that day very vividly. It was rainy and a bit chilly for June. We took a trolley tour around downtown and I thought we had stepped back in time.

Everything about Salem captivated us. For two history lovers, the historical aspect of it probably played a huge part. But the ocean! In Salem, you’re never more than a few minutes from water and for me that was huge. I’ve always had a strong connection to the sea and that has always been one of the main reasons I wanted to move away from Pennsylvania. Blue Marsh Lake is nice, but it’s not the ocean. And then there’s the fact that Salem is one train ride into the heart of Boston. Culture! Opportunities for the kids that would never be as easily available to them in little Robesonia, Pa. Stephen turned to me and I knew exactly what he was going to say…”this is it.”

For some, choosing to uproot your family and your life may seem a bit crazy. A lot of people voiced those opinions to us while we were preparing for the move, and some I am sure thought we probably wouldn’t even go through with it at all. But, our philosophy has always been that you have to risk all to gain all. Sometimes you have to step off the straight, well-lit path and into the murky, scary one to get to where you’re going. And doing it with three kids in tow poses an even greater risk. Their well-being comes before our dreams and desires and if I hadn’t thought this move would benefit them, there is no way I would have gone through with it. I had the faith that all would be okay, and it has turned out to be better than I imagined.

Moving here was a big change for us, not only in location but also in lifestyle. We moved from a 2500 sq house that we owned, to a 1200 sq foot half of a house that we rent. We donated/sold/got rid of more than half of our belongings when we moved. We went from being a two car family who drove everywhere to being a one car family who rarely uses it at all. We realized that we thrive with less and that experiences matter much more to us than things.

There’s a saying that living coastal causes you to plan by the tides, and I never would have realized how true that is. Every day, I get asked at least once by one of the kids, “is it low tide or high tide right now?” It matters here. Low tide means we can go swimming, or walking along the edge of the ocean or digging in the tide pools for crabs, sand dollars and starfish. High tide means we’re going down to the harbor to watch the boats come in and out because at high tide, our beach has no beach (the water comes right up to the rocks), or that we’re going to Fort Sewall to watch the high water splash on the rocks.

The downfall, of course, is being so far from our families. I spend a lot more time on the phone with my mom and texting my dad or sister than I ever did before. I see pictures of my nieces and nephews and want so bad to squeeze them but I know it will be awhile until we’ll see them. But I think the time we do get with them from now on will be a lot more meaningful. And this experience has definitely brought our little family closer together. Most certainly a risk well worth it, in my opinion :)