If there’s one thing I’ve learned after being married to Colin for 6 ½ years, it’s to never say I’m not going to do something. When some company in Texas with a funny name randomly called Colin in 2011 and told him about a “great career opportunity,” he asked if I minded if he did a phone interview with them. My response was, “You can interview, but I’m not moving to Texas.” Two months after that first phone call, he started working for Schlumberger and a few months later, I found myself moving to Texas. I should have learned my lesson. It wasn’t long after he started working that he told me there would probably be an opportunity to work internationally at some point. I told him, again, that there was no way I was moving out of the United States. Well, guess what? Two and a half years later, we’re going international! That’s right. We’re moving to Abingdon, England!
We have struggled all summer with the question of whether we should make this move. In the beginning, way back in April when we first started talking about it, it was just a remote possibility. And it was something that I was certainly not comfortable with. I have two small children and we have really just gotten well settled here in Texas. As time progressed, however, it became more concrete and by the beginning of June, it looked like Colin was going to get the offer to go. By that point, I had gotten pretty excited about the idea and was starting to look forward to the possibility. Then the news came that due to some turnover and position changes within the company, no moves were going to be approved for at least a year. After finally getting my head wrapped around the move, we weren’t going after all. It took me a few weeks to readjust my thoughts, but eventually I just decided that it wasn’t meant to be. We were staying in Texas.
In late July, while visiting my family in Kentucky, Colin came home from work and suddenly everything was back on. He had been working out of the local public library, as he always does when we visit, and got to my mom and dad’s just as we were sitting down to dinner. In between passing the rolls, Colin just blurts out, “Do you still want to move to England? Because they’re wanting me to go.” After I picked my chin up off the floor and heard him out, I realized that this was probably going to happen. Now, in September, we have final confirmation. Colin’s first day of work in Abingdon will be January 1st. We’re really moving!
I have a lot of emotions about this move. I’m anxious, stressed, and a little scared. But mostly, I’m really excited. We are going knowing that this it is a temporary thing and we’ll be back to the States in two to three years, so that helps. I know that if I hate it there, we’ll be coming back soon. If I love it, I have a few years to live it up. It’s a promotion for Colin, and financially, it is a great thing for our family and our future. In terms of his career, this is really going to move Colin forward and give him a leg up. Aside from that, as cheesy as it sounds, I’m just excited to live in Europe. London will only be a 45 minute train ride and we can make it to Paris in the same amount of time we can currently get to Louisiana. There’s so much to see and do; so much history and culture to soak up!
A lot of my friends have asked me if I’m nervous about being so far away from family. The short answer is no, not really. It makes me a little nervous that if, God forbid, something happened and I needed to get home, it would take me a while. But let’s face it, Texas isn’t exactly close to Kentucky. We are used to living our day-to-day lives without family nearby and while it certainly stinks sometimes, it doesn’t really stink any worse in England than it does in Texas. Also, there’s the added bonus that I’m actually going to be closer to family there! Colin’s parents are currently living in Scotland and are just an overnight train ride or a two hour flight away. And fellow Three Ladies author, Ashley, is going to be less than a two hour drive away (SQUEAL!!!). We’re already planning weekend visits and both Ashley and my mother-in-law have been giving me pointers about what to bring with me and what I’ll need to do when we get there. As an added bonus, we will also be getting a vacation allowance as part of our moving package so we are guaranteed two trips back home to the States every year.
I have to say that when I was a little girl growing up in Eastern Kentucky, it never entered my head that I would make my way to Houston, Texas, let alone England. Even after I left “home” and traveled quite a bit, I still always assumed that I would settle down in Lexington (the only “big city” I felt capable of moving to) or maybe head back to Pikeville after college. The opportunity to experience everything that England (and the rest of Europe) has to offer is something I hope I’ll never take for granted. It is not something that everyone gets the chance to see and I’m so happy that we can also provide this experience for our children. I’ll quit rambling now, but I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more about our move and even more about how we’re getting along once we get there. I’m so excited for the next Wier family adventure!
Three Ladies and Their Babies 