North Carolina: Raise Up!

Take yo shirt off, twist it around your hand, spin it like a helicopter!

I was born and raised in Ohio and I had never even visited North Carolina when Petey Pablo released his infamous song. I first set foot in beautiful North Carolina in 2012 when I flew to Raleigh and met up with my shitty abusive ex-boyfriend for a trip to the Outer Banks. Of course, he was on his best behavior on that trip because he was trying to win me back and that’s how the cycle of abuse goes. After that trip, I decided it was time to move away from my beloved home state of Ohio. My career was going nowhere there because jobs were pretty much nonexistent and I really wanted to see the sun more than three times a year.

On April 19, 2013, after some very emotional “see ya later”s with my closest friends, I set out by myself on a treacherous 11-hour drive in a U-Haul truck pulling my 1998 VW Jetta on a car dolly behind it. That was the scariest drive of my life because it was storming in the mountains of Virginia and the fog was so dense I couldn’t see the car in the lane next to me. Also, the truck was literally shaking back and forth as I drove up and down the mountains and I was worried it was going to tip over, but I’m smart and I figured out to switch to a lower gear like some amateur trucker.

Finally I saw it: the state line! Welcome to North Carolina! My new home! My reaction:

NORTH CAROLINA!!! C’MON AND RAISE UP!!

There’s even a hyperlink in case you want to watch the video.

Speaking of the video, after I moved here I ended up working a sales territory off of New Bern Ave exactly where the video opens up. That was pretty cool but working that territory as a single woman by myself without a concealed weapon was NOT cool because it’s a bit of a rough area (and that’s a bit of an understatement).

I’ve now been living here for over 5 years and it really has become home to me. It didn’t replace Ohio; I just have two homes now. I built my career up to the point where I can work from home doing things I don’t hate. I finally ditched the shitty ex and met an actual nice guy, married the fuck out of him on the beach in the Outer Banks, adopted two adorable rescue dogs, and now we’re working towards a goal of owning property in this great state next year.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had stayed in Ohio instead of moving here. Something tells me it wouldn’t be quite as great.

North Carolina isn’t perfect of course. We have to deal with hurricanes and people who think BBQ should be vinegar-based rather than tomato-based (🤢) but overall I like living here and I’m glad I decided to pack up everything I owned and move 600 miles away by myself like only a crazy person would do. It’s been quite the adventure, and I can’t wait to see what new adventures lie ahead for me here with my amazing husband and my pups.