BIG LIFE UPDATE: moving across the country?!

Hi friends!

Wow it’s been such a long time since I’ve written anything here- and SO much has changed! I recently made the huge leap to move across the country from my sweet little TN home to Boston, MA. After falling in love with New England back in the fall, I sought out opportunities to make this move turn from a dream into reality, and how the puzzle pieces fell together was absolutely incredible. I am so excited to begin a whole new season of life here.

So, a little back story if you’re unfamiliar with my journey- I was living in Florida until late summer of 2023- when I decided to pack up everything I owned in my car, leave FL, and take a trip of a lifetime where I did solo travel in Europe for 3 months. From biking in Amsterdam, paragliding in Switzerland, eating my way through Rome, to working on a farm in France (and all that barely scratches the surface of the things I got to experience), I then came back home to TN where I hadn’t lived since I was 18, completely unsure of where I was supposed to go or what I wanted to do with my life next.

I truly thought I’d be back in TN for maybe 2-3 months, tops.

That turned into 1 1/2 years.

It wasn’t easy, and the majority of that time I was struggling like I hadn’t in years. I was feeling so isolated, so lost, and so unsure of what to do. That, paired with moving through an extremely difficult time for my family, led me to really feeling like a shell of who I once was to be perfectly honest. I thought of the girl traveling the world a few months prior and I felt I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore. I am extremely passion and purpose driven, so living in a “floating” state of uncertainty left me feeling so hollow and numb. It just goes to show that you truly never know what someone may be going through, because I really didn’t share the depth of where I was at with many people.

I could write a novel about navigating that season, but now being on the flip side, I realize how much I learned and grew through it. The purpose was the inner work. Had I not walked through what I did, I wouldn’t be nearly as grateful or excited about where I am now. I had to learn to be content with a slow, little life. It took a while, honestly the whole time, and oh I was not perfect in any way, but I am proud of the way that in the end, I found this settledness within me that knew come what may, I could handle it.

The last year reinforced how important it is to be resilient and have grit, while also not letting your hope for better days fade. I learned that life is a constant balance of two things being true at once- longing for more, while also becoming so grateful for what I did have. There’s so much inner work I had to delve into that I would’ve never had the time or space for if I hadn’t been where I was for so long.

The thing is, if you’re in a season that looks nothing like you planned, or maybe to the outside world it makes no sense, you just have to let all that be and realize the deep shifts that are happening within you are the most valuable thing- over anyone else’s opinion of what you should be doing at a certain stage of life.

So… All that to say- where did Boston come from?

When I was traveling in Europe, I met a woman in her 70’s named Kathy. We happened to meet in the tiniest town in Italy, outside of a restaurant. We struck up a conversation as we waited for it to open, and had so much in common that we ended up having dinner together that evening. It is just incredible the people you meet while traveling. Her stories and life were truly an inspiration to me. She was about to hike all the way to Rome for the next two weeks- I was blown away by her excitement and zest for life.

We stayed in touch over the following months and I was so grateful for her friendship. When she and her husband invited me to come visit them in New Hampshire last fall, I knew I had to go. New England in the autumn? YES PLEASE. However, I also was a little nervous. I had no idea where I was going, who I was really meeting, or what to expect.

As soon as I saw Kathy as she picked me up from the airport, those fears melted- she was exactly as I remembered and she and her husband gave me the best taste of New England I could’ve asked for. I absolutely fell head over heels in love with it, and especially with Boston on the day we visited the city. It was a place I could truly see myself in- I felt alive like I hadn’t in months.

I returned home after that trip wondering if this was it- a door of possibility to explore. Boston- I never would’ve thought about it being somewhere I would want to be until that moment.

Tom and Kathy invited me to house sit for them while they were on a trip the following February, and while it seemed ages away, I began to search for possible jobs and housing.

In the end, while I was on that trip in February, I had a job interview in Boston, found out I got the job, found someone who was searching for a roommate- and all of a sudden this “out there” possibility was beginning to take shape. I truly went in to that trip not expecting things to come together so swiftly.

It wasn’t all cut and dry or simple after that- but through the following couple of weeks, with each twist and turn, I just knew deep inside that if it was meant to be, it would all work out. I still can’t really believe it did all work out, and that I’m here. It took a lot of faith, trust, a lot of support and more than a few deep breaths, but less than a month after my interview I found myself packing everything I owned in my car once again, and heading on a 16 hr drive across the country.

I’ve been in Boston for about a month now and honestly I am pinching myself every day. I get to live in a beautiful city that is coming alive in the Spring season, starting a job I am so passionate about as a personal trainer, and all the months of waiting for this door to open were so worth it.

I’ve been so passionate about health and wellness for so long that finally starting a career in this space I love so much has lit a fire in me and I am so ready to continue to share my passion and help others in their journey.

It’s full of unknowns and possibilities- and I am SO excited to see where this leads me.

As I mentioned before, I really hadn’t shared the depth of my struggle in being back in TN for so long, and how difficult it all was. Those months may have seemed to the outside eye like a waste of time that just didn’t make sense, but the deep inner work that I was forced to reckon with was beyond priceless- and the time I got to spend with my family was something I am so grateful for.

Waiting is hard. Not knowing is hard. Feeling lost, isolated, and stuck is hard. But within that there are such opportunities to dig deep and grow.

The resilience, grit, and gratitude I found in that place will forever carry me, and it’s this deep knowing that no matter what, come what may, there is always reason to have hope. I really believe that God wants our lives to be a beautiful adventure, and when we trust in the timing and the process, all things will come together even more wonderfully than we could’ve imagined for ourselves.

Life is an adventure to be had, not a problem to solve.

Thank you for following along in my story, and I can’t wait to continue sharing how this chapter unfolds with you all!

Until next time,

Elizabeth