October 2020 we left our farm in Northern CA for a new life in Tennessee. If you had asked us even 6 months prior we would of told you we had no plans to leave our farm and community. Yes we didn't like the political climate of CA (although northern CA is much different than southern) but we had an established business -nathanvaughanstudio.com
community and a farm we had poured a lot of blood, sweat and tears into.
Nathan and I can't remember what spurred it on exactly,truthfully we both know now it was God. But June of 2020 we took a flight with our three little kids in toe to SC. Nathan has a brother there and we went to visit him and check out the area. We had looked at homes online and met with a realtor while there. We drove into East Tennessee and stayed at an airbnb there for several days. It was nice but we didn't feel like it was "home". At the end of our trip and arriving back in CA we decided to throw the idea of moving out the window. We were going to stay and fight for CA, it wasn't worth leaving what we had built.
After Nathan came to that conclusion it never did sit right with me, I had a feeling we would still move, although the thought terrified me. Just weeks after we got back we had a phone conversation with a realtor we had been talking to about the possibility of us listing our home. We told her we were still considering selling but still weren't sure. It was then that she informed us she had a potential buyer, she said they could come see our house the next week. Nathan and I decided if God wanted us to move, then THIS buyer would be it. We didn't want to go through the hassle of listing our home and having showings with three small children.
I remember it clearly, we were at a park while the "potential buyers" were looking at our home, I got a message from our realtor and all it read was "SOLD". To say we were in shock was an understatement. The next weeks were an emotional rollercoaster, we entered escrow sick to our stomachs. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?! Nathan and I both felt God telling us to trust Him. We wanted to stay, but truthfully felt like a move was inevitable for the future of our children. I wish we could say everyone supported this move, but we were met with opposition by some, it was emotional and hard but we knew God was the one leading this move. Leaving an area you love for the future of your children isn't something we ever thought we would do. But October 2020 we left our home and started the trek across the US to the home we bought Sight unseen. This isn't the home we are in now but thats the next part of this story.