The Big Move! A Texan Relocates to North Carolina... and Loves it!

Let me start off by saying that I never felt like my move to Winston-Salem was really happening, until the weekend my belongings finally showed up in North Carolina… long story, but keep reading if I have caught your attention.

As I shared in last week's post, I recently made the move from Houston, Texas, to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to follow a long-time dream. 

This past August, I came to visit Winston-Salem for the first time and instantly fell in love. The people I met were welcoming, the weather was gorgeous (it was also the dead of summer back in Houston and in the high 90’s…), and the city was so charming. After a very fun, and informative weekend, I packed my suitcase and went back to Texas to break the news to my mama that I was moving. From that day, to the day I moved to Winston, I had 6 weeks to pack everything and travel across the country… piece of cake, right?

Fast forward two weeks and I was packed up again to head back to North Carolina, but this time it was to go to beautiful Highlands for my first RRE wedding week! (Stay tuned to the blog next week to read about their AMAZING rehearsal dinner!)

After getting back to Texas from the destination wedding week in Highlands, I had 3 more weeks to go until moving day (2 of which were spent on a European vacation with my sister, Whitney). I traveled to Spain, where my dad and step mom surprised Whitney and I on our last weekend there (wow!), and learned what it would be like to explore a new city on my own. Luckily, I speak Spanish fluently, so it wasn’t too difficult to adjust. When I got back home from Spain, my car had already left for Winston without me, on the back of a very large truck. In that one week left in Houston, I spent as much time with my friends and family as I could, ate all the Mexican food I could handle, and packed what was still left to pack.

A little peek at Spain from my iPhone

The moving plan was set and I was ready to go. The moving company just needed to show up to gather all of my furniture and belongings and start the long 16-hour journey to North Carolina. Sadly, that is where the moving plan started to slowly unravel…but somehow (to this day I am not really sure how I stayed so calm during this), I kept it completely together and just moved on to plans B, C, D, and E… (This is exactly why this industry is perfect for me – you have to think on your feet and “just keep swimming”!)

Back to the story of how the plan was not going as hoped…

The moving company that my mom hired turned out to be a complete scam. Long story short, they never picked up my belongings, and to this day I am so thankful they didn’t. Luckily, we were able to find a new (reputable) moving company to help move along the plan. The only day they were able to pick up my stuff was the same day, and time, that I was jumping on a plane to fly to North Carolina. I immediately called Delta Airlines and told them the crazy story about the movers and the headache that was accumulating, and they were so helpful and accommodating. They were able to move me to a flight later that evening at no additional charge, and I was able to meet the moving team to get my stuff on a truck!

Next thing I know, I am on a plane and headed to my new home, where my mom and car were waiting to greet me at the airport! You would think by this point, it would have hit me that I was moving across the country, right? Nope. It was all still completely surreal. My mom and I spent the weekend exploring the city, furniture shopping, and enjoying each other’s company. I definitely was not ready for her to leave when it was time… and may have tried to convince her to stay with me.

Fast-forward three weeks, and my furniture (and clothes!) finally showed up in Winston- Salem. YAY! I was very lucky to have some of the most amazing bosses ever because they shared a few essential items with me over my month of living on an air mattress (including a chair to sit on and a pot to cook in – thank you both again!).

My apartment...slowly but surely coming along. iPhone pic! 

I can tell you all, the moment my belongings arrived, I immediately unpacked and recycled every box in sight. What once was an empty apartment, turned into a beautifully full and halfway decorated space! I spent the next few weeks hanging up art, arranging furniture, and organizing the cabinetry.

That was the moment it finally “hit me” that I live in North Carolina and am living this amazing adventure that was once just a dream. 

XO - Nicole