Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my wife and I moving to Charlotte, NC. On that particular day, we found ourselves unpacking a moving truck by ourselves in a 36 degree rain/sleet mix.

Not exactly a picturesque way to start your life in a new city.

It was the third time we’d moved in less than three years, and I had become a pretty skilled at packing moving trucks. (I secretly contemplated opening my own for-hire packing service and then realized the overwhelming sound produced by packing tape guns would be too much to handle…)

But now, the last year has flown by and taught me (and reinforced) a few things I wanted to share.

So here’s my Top 10 list of things learned after a full year of living south of the Mason Dixon.

1. Add a little butter to the skillet before you scramble your eggs. Holy smokes! Your cholesterol will technically scold you, but it’ll also slyly slip you a note under the table saying “Thanks for living a little”.

 

2. The line “Uptown funk you up” was actually written about how difficult it would be to try and run a marathon around uptown Charlotte. In a car, it never seemed that hilly…

 

3. While “Bojangles” might sound like the name of a clown-themed amusement park, it’s actually a regional favorite for chicken and biscuits. And if they slice one of their famous said biscuits in half and put two pieces of cheddar cheese in the middle…they’ve suddenly create a whole new “cheddar biscuit” that people go crazy for.
    
   No, I have not personally tried it.
    
   Honestly.

 

4. Four out of five people living in Charlotte are not from Charlotte. And three of those four people are from Ohio or up-state New York. It’s mind-boggling.

 

5. America is a fascinatingly beautiful country, and there is a lot that I still need to see. Our move came pretty unexpectedly, but if it hadn’t, I’m not sure that I ever would have experienced as much of the southeast as I have. It’s breathtaking.

 

6. If you want community, you have to be willing to make community. It won’t happen on its own. It’ll take time and a few awkward social interactions (on your part and theirs), but eventually you bump into a person or two that you click with really well.
    
   Voila.
    
   Now you just have to make a concerted effort to hang out with them regularly and build a real friendship.

 

7. Church, old acquaintances and cooking clubs; start with those to begin building said community. You find people that share similar value systems, have been in your shoes as the “new guy” and who like food. This will eventually become the backbone of your feeling “settled” once again.
    
   I didn’t know or do this the first time I moved, and it makes a world of difference.

 

8. Leaving old friends and family is tough business. It’ll break your heart to put physical distance between you and people you love. There’s no way of getting around it. But who ever said there was a problem with having friends all over the country?
    
   And fortunately, number nine is on the list.

 

9. While there’s nothing like being in person with your family and friends, technology gives us zero excuse to not stay close to the ones we care about most. Between texts, snapchats, emails, shares, likes, messages, Instagram comments, secretly shared pin boards and Facetime…it’s so much easier to stay connected than ever before.
    
   Now if I could just get my Grandma to sign up for Gmail…

 

10. In marriage, a man is supposed to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife (Gen 2:24). While moving yourself across the country has the potential to be extremely stressful and may not be the best way to go about that, it can also create the strongest relationship you’ve ever been a part of. The biggest thing I’ve been assured of and had reinforced over the last year is that I truly married my best friend.
     
    Adventures in new places create memories you’ll never forget and opportunities to grow from unexpected situations. Both have happened for Caitlin and I, and it’s something I’ll be grateful for for the rest of our lives.

 
When any of us are in the middle of a difficult situation, it’s almost impossible to truly understand the “why”. I found myself asking that same question a year ago. But after having the chance to look back at the past 365 days, I can definitely find purpose in the things that have happened.

And best of all, it just means I know I’ll be ready the next time we come to a bend in the road.