Let’s Talk About: How we almost moved to Washington, D.C.

It all started with a stupid trench coat at T.J. Maxx.

I, a mountain-living girl, was convinced I needed a trench coat to match my saved Pinterest pins last fall when my sister lovingly responded with, “You work from home, when are you ever going to wear it?”

She was right. But I still couldn’t get the jacket out of my mind even hours later at dinner when I casually asked Gabe, “What if I just apply to some jobs in DC?” I missed dressing up for work. I missed some of the high of a fast-paced life, and I was convinced, absolutely convinced, that after years of trying to start a family without luck, it was time for a fresh start.

“I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

SOLD. Your girl was sold by Gabe’s response.

We’ve always loved Washington, D.C., and having visited the city together some 5 or 6 times in the last 13 years, we’ve dreamt of living there at some point in our lives.

I applied to a number of jobs, was connected to a couple of individuals thanks to an incredible friend, and got the ball rolling to wrap up our lives in the mountains to start a new one in the city.

We knew where we were interested in living, we started making plans for what was next, and began asking for prayer as I applied and waited to hear back from jobs.

In the depths of my heart I felt like the Lord was making the way for one of our dreams to come true.

I mean, surely He was going to open the doors to a new job when He hadn’t opened the doors for a baby, right?

Surely He was going to bring back a sense of fulfillment through my career when I was feeling a bit lost at the end of last year. Work had slowed down some, I still wasn’t pregnant, and the start of a new year felt like the perfect time to make some big choices.

I remember on one particular day when everything seemed to be rolling in the direction of D.C., I was driving around town and praying out loud, asking God if the move to D.C. was happening because it felt like all signs were leading to a go.

But something didn’t feel right. And that’s when January 1, 2025 rolled around.

Gabe and I intentionally put the topic of children on hold in 2024 and decided that if nothing had happened by January 1st of this year we’d begin pursuing adoption.

Well, for those of you who’ve kept up with our story, you know what happened January 1: we made the decision to become foster parents.

And that night, the night we had held the conversation of children off for, was the night things started clicking into place.

You see, when I was looking at D.C., I saw it as an opportunity to start over, a great move for my career and our lives, even if it meant sacrificing my personal time (and marriage and life) again. But it also felt like the first time in a long time where Gabe and I were laying it all at the feet of Jesus, saying, “Use us, Lord. And if it’s meant to be in D.C., then let it be so.”

We were surrendering it all. And on January 1, 2025, we did surrender it all.

All of our expectations for how we were going to start a family, all of the ways we thought our household would look after years together. We were leaving it up to God to use us how He saw fit, and it turned out that it wasn’t with Washington, D.C., it was with being willing and able to become foster parents.

We almost moved to Washington, D.C., and one day we may finally take the leap, but for now, we are so grateful that we surrendered it all and gave it to God.

Why? Because He knows best and His timing is everything. And if the last five months have been an indicator of that, then we know we’re on the right path.

Our journey is the complete opposite of what we had in mind, but I have a feeling that when we look back at our lives one day, we’ll be able to see the full picture.

Still a North Carolina resident (for now),