Moving to Nashville
It has been just 8 months since my wife and I took the leap and moved over 500 miles away from everything and everyone that we knew in our home state of Michigan. For my wife, Kimberly, it was an absurd leap of faith, but for the both of us, it was the start of an adventure!
The move, being very early in our marriage, started out a little scary and nerve-racking. We had minimal but sufficient savings and had a place to live lined up for the first 5 months. We had no jobs lined up, no interviews scheduled, no leads to follow; just two newly-weds and the world. I remember the few weeks where the little money that we did spend was meticulously accounted for each time.
It was just 4 days of being jobless that Kimberly and I got interviewed, and job offers in the same day for the local Bed Bath & Beyond. The hours would be great and the pay would be decent. We just couldn't pass it up; just to have peace of mind. We finally knew that, in the financial sense, we were going to be okay.
Our very first Saturday of living in Franklin, TN My good friend, Rob, informed me that the summer NAMM show was happening in downtown Nashville. In my adult life, I'm not sure if I have ever been as giddy as I was when hearing the news. Luckily the tickets were inexpensive and the thrill and excitement was enough to convince my lovely wife that it was worth the money. Yay! For those that don't know, the NAMM show is one of the largest music-technology shows in the world. It's simply a convention for all of the gear-heads and audio snobs to explore what's new in music gear. The NAMM show is something I would watch videos of for hours on end each year to see the top companies showing off their newest and best pieces of equipment.
The music nerd in me exploded at this convention. In retrospect, my wife and I would both agree that she and my friend's wife should've gone to the mall instead of the convention because they were quickly bored and not entertained. It was a strange experience for me being able to walk up to a booth and actually touch a piece of equipment (that I knew I could never afford). It was surreal and awkward, yet exciting!
After a couple hours of dragging our wives from booth to booth, Rob and I decided to concede and head out for a bite to eat. Those two hours at the NAMM show filled me with a peace and joy that ensured me that Nashville was going to be a place for me to learn, grow, and be adventurous! In the past 8 months, Kimberly and I have found a beautiful place to settle in, a routine that isn't miserable, and friends that have blessed us greatly!
We are still working at our first jobs and are continually exploring ways that we can please God and show his love to those around us. Moving far away from family and friends has forced us to walk out into new places with new challenges. It's exciting to see what has already happened and what is to come! I'll be sharing more of these past and future stories with you in this blog. Thanks for sticking around and reading this story.
Blessings!
