Coming Home

“So this is home.”

These words, spoken in reference to a desktop background photo of my parents’ snow-covered backyard, among many other signs that the universe has offered me over the past few months, told me that our move to Wisconsin was indeed the right move.

In my memories, Wisconsin feels like riding my bike with my cousins around Grandma and Grandpa's lake house, a freedom in the wind like one I experienced nowhere else. It’s the comfort of another fresh batch of cookies and the wonder of a hidden path to a glimmering lake. Wisconsin is the promise of a campfire started early in the morning for peach toast and coaxed back to life for some evening brats. It’s wild times on water rides, a slow swing on the back porch and surrounding it all in a warm layer of love, Wisconsin feels like family.

I had every plan to move to Milwaukee when my parents were preparing to make their move to the great state in 2016. It was part of the plan from early on and I know my parents expected me to come along. I had just moved back in and with the busyness of several jobs, I hadn’t had as much time to spend with them as I had hoped.

Then I met Troy.

A chance connection that changed it all and began the formation of my new family. A door opened for a new job that led to a new (and always dreamed of) career and we settled into our California soil. Even as we got married, added a few to our crew, and bought a home in Fresno, we always talked about where we would move together next. These discussions traveled from Portland to Denver and back but the idea of a big move mostly felt like far off imaginings.

We visited Wisconsin as an engaged couple in Summer 2017 and loved our adventures but it wasn’t until we visited in Summer 2021 that Troy really began to understand the treasure of the Midwest and I became more hopeful. Now, my folks and I have always joked about convincing Troy to move to the Midwest and as we predicted, and any Midwesterner knows, the land speaks for itself.

Visiting this time, perhaps with the perspective of a parent, perhaps simply reflecting as a more seasoned human, it all seemed to click. It started with the parks: wooden trails that led to magical castle play structures and unique spots to pause and be. We envisioned a different quality of play and exploration for our very adventurous and energetic child. As we set off for a little parents’ getaway to Sheboygan and a drive up Door County, we saw flags supporting our diverse identities in unexpected places, and around each corner, a new town we wanted to explore. We found art on every street corner and another unique shop we wanted to pop into at each turn. My parents took us for the most exquisitely peaceful getaway to a Northwoods cabin and we enjoyed every moment of taking in the trees, night sounds, and birdsongs. There was so much to do in almost every town we visited. And everywhere, everywhere a lake.

It felt like a dream and it was so hard to come back home after that trip. We knew our next chapter lay somewhere in the Midwest and we began taking steps to get there.

“Anywhere,” we thought, “let’s just get out that way.”

Troy began applying to jobs all over. Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Green Bay, anywhere! Where would it be?!

Nowhere it seemed. After several months with no responses, we paused the search and settled back into where we were.

Flash forward through a few more years of pandemic, a miscarriage, and the daily stresses of parenting, we took another trip to visit my folks in Stevens Point.

This time, our parents’ outing took us for a night out in Downtown Milwaukee and then a few days and an evening in Madison. And oh, did Madison meet us well! Somewhere between the decadent views of Lake Mendota, the rich flavors of our dinner at The Globe, and that James Baldwin statue on State Street, Troy knew.

“This is it.” He said, “We’re moving to Madison.”

And so the job search began again.

The stars must have really been aligned because it seemed as though we had barely unpacked our suitcases from our trip to visit my family when we began packing for the move. Troy found an amazing job with an incredible nonprofit organization in the Madison area and that door we had been knocking at swung wide open!

Change is never easy and picking up your whole life to move to a new city can be especially difficult. It was so hard to say goodbye but feeling like we were heading home did remind us why we were leaving and ultimately, assures us that we made the right move.

We’ve been in Madison for about a month now and oh my, are we home! From the parks, to the libraries, to the children’s museums, to all the unique neighborhoods with so much character to share, we are so grateful to have found ourselves here and to now call this beautiful state and city ”home”.

Thanks for reading a bit about how we got here and sharing our joy as we begin this new chapter. I hope you’ll stick around for some stories of all the Wisconsin Wonders we’ve encountered so far and all that’s yet to come! New stories will be coming every week and you can find them or follow along on my socials for updates on new places, people, and all things Wisconsirrific!