Spring is a season for change. And boy have we.

why the move

In short, 2017-2018 were TOUGH for both Colin and I, specifically in regards to Colin’s business, Sandlot. From trouble retaining employees due to the desire to be in a larger city, to the exit of one of the original co-founders, Sandlot gave us serious heartburn (probably could have singlehandedly kept Tums in business).

(For those of you who may not know what Sandlot is, you are definitely not alone (I still have trouble fully explaining all of the ins-and-outs haha). Here’s the shakedown - Sandlot is comprised of two companies, an advertising agency (think making commercials and running social media platforms for businesses) and a political consulting firm (campaigns, races, elections, etc - think House of Cards but not at all the same lol). Sandlot works with both nationally recognizable brands such as McDonalds, as well as local companies - including a funeral home haha. It’s never dull.)

Thankfully however, those tough times were followed by some really really successful times. Last year we were the most successful financially despite all of the upheaval, but it became clear that Sandlot (as we had known it in St. Joe) was not sustainable. Young, talented employees just don’t want to live in St. Joe. After many, many late night discussions, we agreed that a move to Kansas City was necessary for Sandlot to continue thriving while retaining talented employees (as well has hopefully hiring new ones).

creature of comfort

While excited about the move, I found out that I had more of an emotional connection to St. Joseph than I realized.

For almost five years, I had called St. Joseph, Missouri home -  it’s the only place I had known as an independent adult. It was the home for so many firsts - first time really living away from my family in Mississippi, my first real job, my first marriage (LOL), our first house, our first dog (aka Winston).

Not to mention, there were plenty of aspects of St. Joseph we would miss. Colin’s family was a 7 minute car ride away (or a 4 mile run if we could convince Colin’s dad to drive us back home afterwards - us hoffmans aren’t serious runners, and the one way run was plenty haha). We had a close friend group, which is hard to replace. And while St. Joe isn’t far from Kansas City, it’s far enough to still feel these changes.

doing the thing

Rather than live on the outskirts of the city (read SUBURBIA, USA), we decided to dive head-first into an urban lifestyle. That being said, the choice to live in a high rise downtown was ultimately more my choice than it was Colin’s. Having grown up in a town of ~200 (I cannot make this stuff up - google the population of French Camp, MS if you don’t believe me), in a home tucked away in the woods, I never expected to be southern small-town gal living in a “big city” - definitely something I had wanted, but never expected to come to fruition.

We also weighed the options of selling vs. renting out our old home. We ultimately chose to rent out our home (gulp) in hopes that our house becomes an investment. Can I just say that renting out your personal home is SO SCARY. (if you are our tenants and happen to be reading this, nothing personal but please be kind to our house lolol).

Deciding exactly where to live wasn’t too difficult once we decided to rent rather than purchase. We did look at several condos downtown to purchase, but the HOA fees alone were nearly $900 (WHYYY). HOA fees + and the fact that we weren’t 100% sure that we would enjoy life downtown for a long period of time, renting became a simple decision.

We ended up with a two bedroom apartment (anything to encourage family and friends to visit haha) at One Light Apartments, and have been really happy with our decision. (It’s hip. It’s cool. It has lots of windows for my cat Reagan to look out.)

what i’m learning

It’s hard to wrap my brain around the fact that I’m experiencing so much personal growth from something as straightforward as moving (which hasn’t all been flowers and rainbows  - more often, it’s just uncomfortable). I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and finding ways to give back and be involved in my new community. (I’ve recently started volunteering with MOCSA - Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault - but more about that later).  We’re learning how to plug in to our new church home and find fellowship among a different set of believers. We’re learning how to balance making new friends (which is WAY TOO HARD as an adult, btw) while also maintaining old friendships. For being in my late-twenties, I’m learning a lot.

Spring has never really been a marker of change + growth for me. But this year is different. And this year, I want to enjoy spring for all that it represents.

xx