Lord willing.
Kenton and I are planning to move to Salmon Arm, BC in May 2021.
"Why?" You ask. Well, let's get right into it. What better way to explain ourselves than with a list?
Reasons we're moving to Salmon Arm, BC:
We love mountains, lakes, hiking, biking etc
We fell in love with Western Canada when we were out there in October 2020
Kenton has always dreamed of living somewhere else for a season of life
We are both working remotely for the foreseeable future and we are young with comparably few responsibilities and ties so now seems like the best time to do it.
And most importantly:
We feel that God is calling us to go! For what purpose? We'll have to wait and see. But so far the experience of deciding to move has already deepened and challenged our faith and caused us to ask some hard questions. I imagine that no matter what happens, we'll have grown from the experience and learned to rely on God more. What more can we ask for?
The Details
We purchased a new home in Salmon Arm that will be completed in May. It's been another dream of Kenton's to build a home so why not check two dreams off the list this year? Kenton will continue working remotely for his job, and I will continue to do online and in-person fitness and nutrition coaching through Homestyle Fitness. We might stay for a couple years and then move back to Ontario, or maybe we'll stay forever. Who knows.
We sold our house in Elmira and will live with my parents between the closing date of our current house, and the possession date of our new one (approximately one month.)
No, we don't know anyone there. We look forward to getting connected in a new community and experiencing life somewhere new. However, we are also very excited to host friends and family from Ontario so please come visit! And since we both work remotely, we'll have the freedom to visit Ontario frequently as well.
And yes, there is a tennis club for Kenton in Salmon Arm.
We picked Salmon Arm because it seemed like a good balance of "close to the mountains" and "close to all the amenities." Plus it was rated one of the top places to live in Canada!
The Process First you should know 2 things about us:
Kenton is the brains in our marriage. The dreamer. The one with the imagination required to dream up a new life. The researcher. The one who looks into every small detail (like if my cheap, not-well-known mobile provider would have service there. It does.)
I’m not a dreamer, I’m a planner. A list maker. More in the here and now. My plan was to live in our house in Elmira for 30 years, pay off our mortgage as fast as we can, and then maybe when our future kids are grown up, move into a condo so we can travel a lot. I also make lists. Pros and cons of moving to BC. What household items to sell before we leave. What food is in the freezer that we need to eat before we leave. Etc.
Kenton has been dreaming of living “somewhere cool” for quite a long time. I figured since we had a nice house, jobs and family all in Waterloo Region, this probably wouldn’t happen and I’d get to keep my safe plan. Then COVID hit and we both learned what it’s like to work remotely. I went from 4 jobs to 1 and our travel plans to Nevada got changed to going to Alberta and BC. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Kenton was already looking at real estate online while we were in BC.
We loved Western Canada. So much so, that as soon as we got home we started planning to go back for a longer trip in 2021. Well, one thing led to another and eventually Kenton was showing me houses and condos for sale in BC.
Flashback to earlier in our marriage: I told Kenton once or twice that the only way I was moving would be if the house was nicer AND cheaper than our current house AND detached. Somehow he pulled it off!
Clearly, I was holding on too tightly to our house in Elmira. To me it represented security. It has been a sanctifying process for me to let go of my plans and my false security and trust God and follow His leading. We spent a lot of time in prayer. I felt God’s peace and heard His voice in new ways. We asked our parents for their advice / blessing.
We took a few steps to see what would happen. We had some sleepless nights. We prayed some more. Things started to fall in place. More praying.
Fast forward to now: We are both very excited.
We sold our house in Elmira for way more than we expected. This house that I felt was a gift from God, kept on giving. We toyed with the idea of buying a bigger house in BC, but ultimately decided this was the best option for us right now.
One of my best friends gave me great advice for making a big decision. She told me to keep a running document with verses that we come across when praying and thinking about our decision. This has been wonderful. It is a reference sheet for when I am doubtful, and it grounds me when I'm anxious. Plus, it has encouraged me to get in the scriptures!
What about COVID?
Yes, COVID will make it harder to meet people in Salmon Arm, and it's possible that churches will still be closed, and there is much uncertainty about life in general right now. On the other hand, COVID also makes this move possible for us because without it, Kenton probably wouldn't have had the option of working remotely, and I would probably still have 4 jobs instead of 1.
Also, we don't mind that because of travel bans, our Canadian friends and family will be more likely to vacation in British Columbia with us this year than to be tempted to go elsewhere.
Staying Up To Date:
I plan to continue blogging (and possibly vlogging) about our experiences, so stay up to date with us on Instagram @homestyle.fitness and subscribe to my blog below! You can also email me at tricia@homestylefitness anytime.
ความคิดเห็น