How did we get to Charleston?

I’ve been asked a lot about why we moved and especially how we chose Charleston. So if you’re curious, read on about the journey of fear, faith, and persistence.

At 15, just entering High School, I wanted out of the small town that raised me. Of course, I had no idea what moving would entail or what was ahead, but my adventurous spirit was calling me out of Indiana. Oh ya, and there was an ex-boyfriend that I was running away from. I was that typically teenager trying to run away from my problems, and even though that’s not the person I am now, I learned a lot from that period in life. I was in my school library and saw a magazine with a picture of a white plantation house on the cover reading, “Best Places to Live in the US - #1 Charleston.” After opening the cover and reading only one paragraph about the number one city, I was set. One day, I was going to move to Charleston and life would be perfect! As you can imagine, I had no means to move at that time, so I decided to stick out High School.

As my Senior year came around, I was looking at colleges all over the US – California, Florida, and South Carolina. I told myself that I was going to move to one of these states (preferably South Carolina) if I didn’t get a full ride to college in Indiana. Well, then I did. I was incredibly blessed to have all 4 years paid for, so I put my dreams of southern living on the back burner again.

When I was a Junior in college, I had a great job working through school and even met an amazing guy – he’s now my husband. On our first date, I quickly expressed that I was only going to dinner with him to have fun and that I was moving to Charleston as soon as I graduated so “this” couldn’t work. Ben’s eyebrows rose, and he said, “That’s awesome! I’ve always wanted to live in the Carolina’s.” Talking about this response later on in our relationship, he legitimately loved the memories that he had in North Carolina and would have really moved there if the stars aligned – It wasn’t just for me like you’re all thinking.

So, I finished up college, dating Ben, and committed to moving to Charleston as soon as I graduated. A month after graduation, Ben surprised me with a ring and promised that we’d do this whole “life thing” together. With a wedding in mind, we still were going to move – just together this time. After all, I’d been hyping myself up for almost 8 years. We decided to have a quick wedding up in Indiana so that all of our friends and family could join, and then next stop, CHARLESTON! Our shotgun, 3-month engagement, flew by as we made arrangements to move. But then, our employers realized that they were going to lose us. Ben’s company begged him to stay one more year with extra vacation and some bonuses. We had waited this long for the dream, so we thought we could wait one more year.

Alas, the year was coming to a close, and we packed up our clothes, sold the furniture, and moved! After years of waiting, I do believe that God has put us here for a reason, and life has been such a blessing at the beach! I'm so thankful that I was persistent with my goal and will have no "what ifs" later in life!