The Meal that Decided Our Future

I realize that the title of this post is a little dramatic, but our future really was decided over one meal.  But before I get to that, let's back up a bit to last weekend when my husband and I went to Austin, Texas.  If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you saw that we went for the weekend, just the two of us.  But the trip wasn't just to get away.

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My husband's work recently opened another office in Austin.  Everyone has the option of moving there, but it is not mandatory.  We knew that we needed to move somewhere this Spring, as we are just outgrowing our current home.  Neither of us had ever been to Austin, and we just didn't feel comfortable house hunting in our current location without even seeing what that part of Texas was like.  I can't lie - the thought of warm weather year round, a pool in the backyard and a new adventure sounded really appealing.  Not to mention we know a few people already living there.

Saturday we decided to drive around neighborhoods that were recommended to us and explore.  After seeing what the real estate market had to offer, we drove to Salt Lick - which is a local (somewhat famous) barbeque joint.  The pit was intense, just look at all of that meat and fire!

Needless to say, Tim was excited.  It smelled so good, I was excited.  While we waited for our food, we discussed how we felt so far.  Neither of us have either lived somewhere other than in the Midwest, so the terrain was different.  The styles of homes was completely different.  I had a hard time getting over the fact that all the houses we saw online had tile floors, no carpet.  And no basements?  Completely different for us.  Not to mention the fact that we were a plane ride away from any of our family - whereas in Chicago, the farthest anyone is away is a four hour drive.  Would we fit in in Texas?  Were we "Texas people?"  How could we take E away from her little friends?  Then there were our friends - all in Chicago.  Then our food arrived.

It was just ok.  All of the anticipation leading up to what we thought would be amazing, and it was just ok.  We looked at each other, and in that moment, we both knew.  We'd be staying in Chicago.

To say that a meal changed our future might be over the top - but for us, it was the defining moment.  It's a meal that I will always remember - I'll remember the smell, the taste of the food, the people sitting next to us.  I feel very relieved that we know which direction (quite literally) we will be taking this Spring.

Have you ever had a moment that defined the next step in your life?  I'd love to hear about it!

Today I'm linking up with Emily for Grateful Heart Monday.  I'm grateful that we have the option to stay in Chicago, and Tim can keep his current job that he loves so much.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to explore Austin, but even more grateful to come home.