A new chapter…
After many moons of planning and packing, we moved to Brighton last month and we’re already feeling so content and settled here.
This move has been a long time coming, spurred on by an uneventful few years and a huge desire for a better life. And now we have a small person to think about too, we’ve definitely felt more motivated to make positive changes. As soon as I got pregnant, it was like a switch went and I knew I wanted to be somewhere new.
The last year or so has been spent chipping away at our plans, I’ve called this chapter of my life my sowing season – I feel like I’ve had to hunker down and quietly work towards my goals, even if that has meant I haven’t really been as present as I usually am. It’s been hard – with being a new mum, moving house (twice!) and everything that comes with it, my content has really suffered. I’ve had to think of the bigger picture a lot, and remind myself that I need to see out this quiet period if I want to get to where I want to be.
As you can imagine, our whole life was in Glasgow. Jordan (and Dahlia) was born there, he’s never lived anywhere else. And while I don’t have the same roots, it’s the only place I’ve ever thought of as home.
It was a huge, life-changing commitment and it took a lot of courage and resolution to stick to our plans to leave.
Recently, we sold our beloved flat. We really had lived an entire life while we were there, for nearly ten years it was home to us and we loved our time there very much. In the time living within those walls, we grew in to ourselves. We quit jobs, started on new paths, got married, had some pretty wild parties. Made friends, moved out, moved back in, travelled the world and still came back to our happy little top floor flat. We lost our mothers, our grandfathers, lived through a pandemic, and brought our baby home for the first time too.
Moving out of Glasgow also meant we had to sell our business – our coffee shop, Market. Even though it lives on with new owners, it was the first step we made towards our dream of living somewhere new, so it felt monumental to us. We already talk about showing Dahlia the places we’ve lived when we go back in years to come.
So, why Brighton? We were actually set on London until about six months ago – we were on a serious Rightmove hunt until we realised we wanted somewhere coastal. Jord and I love living in a city, but Glasgow always felt a little too big. We wanted to live somewhere that had the lifestyle we loved, but more compact – somewhere that offered better weather, a happier lifestyle, and the social life we were used to. Somewhere we could be outside a lot, with new places to explore nearby. A city or town that offered the beautiful period properties we loved, so we could finally find our dream home!
Brighton ticked all our boxes, and it also helped that we knew a lot of people here too – it felt less daunting knowing we had friends here to help us on the other end.
Despite preparing to move for a very long time, the process absolutely floored us. We packed up our entire home by ourselves, while also working and looking after a baby, and trying to find time to say goodbye to our loved ones in between. I don’t think we were ready for how exhausting it would be – I actually don’t think we fully processed the move until recently. I felt nothing in the weeks leading up to the move, I wasn’t excited or nervous or sad. I was simply… shattered. The day we finally left our beloved home, I felt so overwhelmed I didn’t even really say goodbye. I’m trying not to dwell on it too much.
It was a really big move, with lots of hurdles and curveballs, but we’re here! We’re settling in. It’s been wonderful so far, we really do feel like we made the best decision. It feels triumphant!
We’re not quite in our dream home just yet, but I’ll share some more details on that when I can. It’s a really exciting time for us and we feel so happy we’ve finally done what we’ve always dreamed about!
So once again, I ask you to bear with me a little as I try to get back on track in a new city, in a new routine, with a new way of life. I don’t have much interiors content to share right now, but just know it’s coming – and I can’t wait!
Here’s to a new chapter!
