5/23/25  Moving Tomorrow

In just over 24 hours, I’ll be moving to a town I know so well—and don’t know at all. It’s been 35 years since I left St. Louis, and so much has changed. One thing that hasn’t? It’s still bigger than Kansas City—by nearly a million people if you count the east side and St. Charles County (and I will, because that’s where many of my clients will likely come from).

I’m ecstatic about this move. The house I’m moving into is so much nicer than my current place. I’ll be closer to a man I genuinely want to get to know and love. And I’ll be near my sisters again—especially Laurie, with whom I want to rebuild a relationship.

And I’m also scared as hell.

I’m renting a home that costs quite a bit more than I’m used to. I’m raising my rates, which always feels risky—but they reflect the St. Louis market, and honestly, I could probably raise them even higher. I just don’t want to. I’m nervous that someone might recognize me from high school and figure out who I am—and that it might get back to my sisters. Do I really think that’ll happen? No, not really. But if it does, I’ll deal with it. Still, the idea of living in the same town as sisters who might hate me? That’s tough.

And what if things don’t work out with this relationship?

The truth is, I’m leaving everything I know and love behind. And yet—I still believe I have to do this. I’m doing it for one reason: my happiness.

So here I am. Perplexed. Giddy. Nervous. Elated. Sad. All at once.