It is still surreal that one month ago today, we picked up our lives and moved twelve hours away to Tennessee. You might think surreal in a bad way since we didn’t know a single soul, but not at all. We miss our family and friends as expected, but beyond that, we haven’t looked back. Everyone asks what it’s like in Tennessee and my response is an emphatic “AMAZING!” We LOVE it here!
I don’t even know where to begin. I was fully prepared for a culture shock a la Bless This Mess, which I do think is hilarious and still remarkably similar to my life. There are some things that are different in Tennessee but not in a way that really felt all that shocking. It’s more like a world that I knew existed outside of New Jersey, a world that I knew I wanted to be a part of. We chose a part of Tennessee that was a bit more rural than the place we were originally looking at and I’m really happy with that decision.
The Nature
Just like in New Jersey, the towns are busy with a lot of cars and stores. We moved to a quiet area with many farms and a fifteen minute drive into a very small town. The view from my home is a beautiful field and every night, the stars are completely visible and so bright.
Last year, our family got really into hiking and I fell in love with waterfalls. Where we were living in New Jersey, it took at least two hours to get to the nearest waterfall. Sure, we were near the beach but that’s not where my heart is. We went hiking over the weekend and we actually had to sit down and decide which waterfall to go to because there are so many. There are two within five minutes of my house and a third that comes alive with enough rainfall. It’s Heaven for me!
I won’t say it’s all perfection. The wildlife here is astounding but of course, that’s not always a good thing. There are a couple of species of dangerous spiders and snakes but for the most part, everything is harmless. Since we’re out in the country, there is an abundance of critters of the non-dangerous variety. Yesterday, my husband had a tiny snake poking out of the hood of his car and considering his deadly fear of snakes, he was not thrilled. I did ask him if he regrets moving to an area with more critters that freak him out and he immediately said, “No way, I love it here and not even snakes can take that away!”
The Food
People had me convinced that there wouldn’t be good food in the south, apart from great barbecue. Well, that hasn’t been the case for us! Not only have we found phenomenal food but we’ve also got a huge variety. There’s a delicious Mexican seafood restaurant by my house and we tried some Asian treats the other day. And yes, we DID find good pizza already! Food trucks and small food businesses are big here which really gives us a lot of new things to choose from.
The Community
I simply can’t get over the sense of small town community around here. All over my town, there are little kiosks with food or books for whomever may need it. There are always events going on in the community. We’ve been to a festival, town-wide yard sale, and a weekly green market. The vendors at the green market made their own soaps, pastries, and sold their own meats and vegetables from their farms. Bartering is absolutely a system that they utilize. A woman told me all about how she trades meats with her neighbor. I’ve always dreamed of that kind of harmonious neighborhood!
We do have neighbors, it’s not as rural as one might picture. There are two or three farms just on my street but the rest of us just have regular homes and I have only met a few neighbors but they were kind. The next door neighbors actually mowed our lawn for us in the first week of our living here!
The Kids
Most of the kids were happy about moving just because we would have a bigger house but some were upset about leaving their friends and family. I’m happy to report that the kids have already made a lot of friends and they all seem like really sweet kids. My son went to a birthday party during his first week at school!
The teachers at the elementary school are all very kind and because it’s a small town, their teachers all know each of them. I went to a family event at the school today and every teacher knew which kids I was looking for, even a teacher who doesn’t have any of my kids! That kind of small town ‘look out for each other’ attitude is awesome and a big part of what I hoped for with moving here. I think my kids will appreciate that too!
The hiking is another thing the kids go crazy for and it’s a great way to get them out of the house. They love waterfalls almost as much as I do! We’re also planning to take them caving, which we were only able to do a few times in Pennsylvania before. They may miss the beach sometimes but there are lakes nearby that we’ll definitely be visiting and I think we’ll have plenty of things to occupy them with.
We found a fun farm for fall and picking pumpkins already. Soon, we’ll be attending a lot of trunk or treats and yes, we will have to go outside of our neighborhood for trick-or-treating but truth be told, we always did that anyway. I’m pretty excited to see what we find for Christmas, my favorite!
So, Am I the Outsider?
Yes and no. Where we live, there are a lot of people who aren’t from here. Half of the people, if not more, have been from Florida, Michigan, New York, and New Jersey. It’s a huge blend of people from all over the place. That said, I’ve definitely shown my ignorant city side a time or two. Like when I asked one of my neighbors if I could pet their cow and they laughed at me and said that a cow would not just let you pet it. Oh right, this is real life and not a petting zoo…
People have been very helpful and courteous. I’m a part of a geek group and a mom group that have welcomed me in and I’ve already made some pretty cool friends. No one will replace all of the fantastic loved ones I have back in New Jersey, but it’s nice to have more people to explore this new life with!
I can’t even choose a favorite part about this relocation. I’m living in my dream home with views that I only could have imagined and a harmonious community that sounds like a folk tale. It’s what I’ve always wanted but I’m not sure I ever truly believed in. My family and I still have so much exploring left to do and I know we’ll find even more to love!
Follow along with our journey here on the blog or on Instagram @thequirkymomnextdoor
I would love to go hiking in TN. So much to see and looks like a lot of fun for the whole family!
I hope you enjoy your new home!