Nearly Five Years In

Safe to say, we’re in it to win it here in North Carolina. This October will mark five years in the dirty south. (Crazy!) Some observations, as we near this milestone:

• I still tend to lead with “Oh, we moved here from NY not too long ago.” Why? I don’t know. I guess there’s still something about being considered a New Yorker that feels like part of my DNA. How long will I have to be here to not lead with the NY connection? Talk to me when bagels go out of style.
• I have zero issue with “y’all” and in fact I now prefer it over all other pronouns and contractions. That’s just how I’m rollin’ these days, y’all.
• Summers here are hot AF. Period. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the oppressive southern heat, but I do love me some air conditioning, so the escape is always a welcome one. Plus, once you start getting accustomed to 98 degree days, 89 degrees feels like a dream. Really.
• I still enjoy Hubby’s and my collective roles as “Triangle Sherpas” for those considering a move here. But I’m getting a little tired of the same spiel when family members visit from NY and mention they’re intrigued by the idea of living here. It puts a lot of pressure on us to show y’all the best of the best here in the Triangle in like a day, and I’m just tryin’ to live my life. Ain’t nobody got time for all that. So hey, we love you, and we want you to ALL move here, but how do you feel about a laminated 2-sider self-guided-tour sheet instead? Working on the creative as we speak…
• I’m getting used to being called Miss Sarah by children. I’ll give it to the South, it’s reeaallll cute. (So ignore what I said about all that here.)
• Speaking of kids, this is where my Gemma Bean was born. She’s a genuine, real-deal North Carolinian!
• Food truck rodeos used to feel like such a novelty when we moved here. “It’s a rodeo, get it? It’s so country! We so south!” But now it’s like, oh another food truck rodeo…. yawn. (I secretly still record every last one in my calendar just in case I desparately need Pho Nom dumplings or a lobster roll from Cousins.)
• Our awesome NC elementary school doesn’t believe in homework. Why? Because kids that age do enough learning during the day. Evenings should be spent reading and hanging out with their family. Parents all over West Cary are rejoicing. (At least this parent is.)
• Life with two kids is hella complicated. Between school have-tos and special days (Wear rainbow today! Water play day! Early dismissal!) and extracurriculars (dance class, soccer practice, soccer games, basketball practice, basketball games, playdates, etc) and then layer in adulting (7am/pm conference calls, after-work drinks with the team, cooking class, try to fit in a workout every 3rd Tuesday) it ain’t easy, and the older they get the more complicated it gets, because the more things they’re involved in. Now imagine layering in the madness of living in New York — insane traffic, trains/subways, major expenses, judgy parents, tourists — NO THANK YOU. It’s hard enough down here in the south where work is 12 minutes from home, school is 5 minutes away, I have 16 grocery stores within 2 miles and Starbucks are all drive-thrus.

We’re staying, y’all. We’re not moving back to New York. NC is home, and we (heart) it here.