Big news!

Yep- we are moving to Tuscaloosa!  We have been thinking about Tuscaloosa as a place to relocate after Justin graduates because of their tier-one law school for him and their Masters program for Higher Education for me!  We have been looking at two rental homes online, and on Saturday we took a trip to take a look.  Both were very cute and modern (which I loved), but not in the best locations.  Justin’s Aunt Mary Anna (who was such a blessing to us on Saturday) helped us find more houses for rent, and we stumbled upon this one…

I wasn’t sure of the house at first, but I loved the shrubbery, the tree in the yard, and the cute front porch, where hopefully some rocking chairs will go!

When we first walked in, we saw a pretty front room with lots of natural light!  This is the room that we’ll be turning into the dining room.

There was also a large kitchen, and a pretty sunroom that we are using as our den.

We’ve got two bedrooms, one bathroom, and this bonus room upstairs, which we’ll put a futon, a twin bed, and Justin’s desk and use as a study space/place for guests to stay.  Justin especially loves this room!  I like that there is a huge closet and easily accessible attic for storage space, but I will love it a lot more once we get it painted!  This is the smaller "nook" of the room where the twin bed will go.

My favorite part of the house is the back deck and fenced-in back yard.  There are also two storage sheds outside, and big trees that provide lots of shading!  I can’t wait to put my hammock up!

It is an older house (built in 1950) and has a lot of charm, which we both like.  We are about a mile from campus, and less from Target, the mall, and Midtown Village.  Did I mention Target?  Like, I could walk there if I cut across a few peoples’ backyards.

I don’t think words can express how excited I am to be moving to Tuscaloosa and starting a new chapter in my life.  For one, I will be much closer to my friends and family, and my sister Kate will only be one hour away as she starts her first semester of college!  I plan to apply to the graduate program once I have established residency, AND I have applied for tons and tons of jobs, and I am really optimistic to hear something soon!

We will be traveling to Tuscaloosa this weekend to paint our kitchen, dining room, den, and upstairs bonus room.  In addition to my mom and Aunt Mary Anna, my grandfather from California will be in town and volunteered to help us!  I am so excited because I do not get to see him very often, and this is the first time he will meet Justin!  Yay milestones!

Justin’s graduation is also coming up (May 5^th), and we will be loading up the U-Haul that afternoon to move in!  It is crazy to think that this is finally happening- I have cherished my time in Cleveland working for the Alumni Association and being a Fighting Okra!  I will miss everyone so much!  These next few weeks are going to fly by as we get ready for our big move together!

If anyone wants to help paint, move things, hang things, or just come hang out in general, you are more than welcome!  Keep praying for job opportunities and for my phone to start ringing from employers ;)  I spent a good part of last week making a PowerPoint to show Justin my favorite choice for wedding venue and to convince him that it was the right decision for us (yes, I am that person).  I have an appointment shortly after we move with the venue, so hopefully by next blog post I will have more info!