We Have Roots Here

May 19th was the three year anniversary of K and I packing up our entire lives and driving the endless miles down to Mississippi. In honor of said anniversary, I posted a collage of pictures to Facebook explaining everything K and I had done since moving (getting engaged, buying a house, buying two cars, getting married, etc.) 

At dinner, K and I were talking about the last three years and everything that's happened. He looked at me and said, "[our friend] P was right, we have roots here." It took me a minute to think about what he said, but it's true. In the last three years, K and I have both started jobs in our fields that we (mostly) enjoy. We've made friends and work with some awesome coworkers. We have a house, we pay bills to the city and state, we have an address that ends with a Mississippi zip code. 

What was once an adventure straight out of college has turned into a life together that we built through love and hard work. We've both grown up a lot in the last three years (I guess being an "adult" will do that,) and I can honestly say that these last three years have been some of the hardest, but best, of my life. 

And it all could change in an instant. 

Last week, it was reported that K's mill is up for sale. There had been rumors flying around for a few weeks, but apparently this had been in the talks with the executives for 8 months. They didn't even bother telling the workers; they found out through the paper like everyone else. 

Now, this could change everything, or it could change nothing. Another company could come in, buy the mill, and decide to keep everyone except for the very higher ups (which I think would be the smart move. The guys on the floor know how to work the equipment after all,) or they could wipe out everyone and employ their own people. What really sucks, is we won't know until it happens, which puts us in a rough spot. 

To cover our butts, K has been putting his feelers out for other positions around the country. Our dream ever since moving down to Mississippi has been to try and get closer to Missouri where both of our families are. However, due to the nature of K's job, it would be impossible for us to move super close; the closest we could be is about 2 hours, which is a lot better than the 8-14 we're at now.

Unfortunately, the jobs that have shown the most promise don't really move us any closer, in fact, one of them moves us even farther away (but it's on the beach!) There are so many logistics with a move now; we have an entire house to pack, not just an apartment. We could possibly have an infant (or I'd be 8 months pregnant,) depending on when we move. There's also the numbers game of salary and living expenses in a new city. Would I also have to find a job, or could I become a stay at home mom? So many questions, and unfortunately, no answers. Not until K either accepts a new position in a different city, or we know what happens with his current mill. 

No matter what, moving will be difficult, emotionally. If you had asked me three years ago if I'd want to live anywhere else but Mississippi, I probably would have jumped at the chance. But now? We have roots here. And roots always make it hard to leave.