Coincidentally coinciding with the 25th anniversary of me graduating from Fort Payne High School, I am officially moving my wife and kids to Fort Payne, Alabama.

This past Friday, my wife and I officially closed on the house we bought there and we will make the move after the school-year ends in May.

People here in Tennessee who have learned about the news immediately ask the same question: “What’s in Alabama?”

This whole thing started at the end of last summer as we were picking up our son from the annual tradition of him going to summer youth camp at my parents’ church. Halfway on the drive back to Tennessee, in the middle of complete silence, he muttered: “I wish we lived in Alabama.”

Neither my wife nor I responded in that moment. But we definitely separately contemplated his statement. Later that week, my wife opened Pandora’s Box when she started looking at homes for sale in Fort Payne.

Because of the ongoing mad rush of people escaping California since we moved into our home exactly nine years ago today (which was brand-new construction at the time), the value of our home in Tennessee has apparently more than doubled in value.

Therefore, we ourselves realized we could capitalize on the opportunity to leave behind the “hustle and bustle” of Nashville to live a quieter, more meaningful life in Alabama where my parents live, along with my sister and brother-in-law; whose kids happen to be the exact same ages and grades as our kids.

That led to several weekend trips back and forth from our current home near Nashville to Fort Payne; visiting houses for sale through our realtor, Ashley.

As presented in every single episode of House Hunters ever, my wife and I had certain items on our wish lists, if we moved to Alabama.

My wife wanted a clean, nice home that was fairly move-in ready, close to the schools and near families our kids would be friends with.

As for me, I only truly cared about one thing: I wanted to be pay off our mortgage in the transaction knowing we’d be leaving behind our comfortable cozy life in Tennessee where I work from home and the only places I ever leave the house for (the gym, the church, the kids’ schools, the grocery store, and Marshall’s) are all less than 2 miles from our house.

Beyond that, my wish list would include a brick house that was only one story, with access to a good walking community; as I routinely walk 3 miles each day, no matter the weather.

It took seeing several houses, but my wife and I snatched up “the” house before it was on the market even two weeks.

The house we bought in Alabama is fairly move-in ready, though we will be getting some renovations done before our move. It is close to the schools, close to the interstate, close to the gym, and technically on the same street as my sister’s family (to be exact, it’s 0.2 miles from her house). Plus, it is a one story brick home in an amazing walking community.

As for going mortgage free, that part remains a mystery until after we sell our home in Tennessee and see the total the costs of the renovations we will do on the house we are buying. But based on our calculations, there is a decent chance that by the end of 2024, the year that my wife and I turn 43 years old, we could be able to pay off our mortgage by cashing in our 9 years of investing in our Tennessee home.

If you are a resident of Fort Payne, you probably are thinking, “It seems like a lot of people who grew up here are suddenly moving back now.”

There is certainly a reason for that:

As survivors of the post-Covid apocalypse of 2020, my wife and I both went from commuting nearly an hour one-way each day to work, to now working from home and becoming hilariously more productive and efficient. When we told our employers about our upcoming move, they both responded the same: “Oh, that’s wonderful! What a great decision, to be closer to family!”

Back in 2010, when our son was a newborn and my wife and I were first-time parents, we unsuccessfully moved to Fort Payne in an effort to be close to family. But despite our education and work experience (my wife even has a Master’s Degree), we were unable to afford to live there because we couldn’t find jobs that would pay the bills. Now that we work remotely, that is no longer an issue.

It is undeniable that since unofficially losing its title of Official Sock Capitol of the World in the 2000s, Fort Payne’s economy has been noticeably on the rebound within the past several years.

Every time I visit with my family, Fort Payne’s downtown has clearly been resurrected; what I perceive is largely due to Chris Robert’s successful restaurant of Mater’s (my family’s personal favorite hang-up spot when were in in town).

This move makes sense for my family. Specifically for me, being at a point in my life where I can recognize and be grateful that I have everything a person could ever want, despite not being rich and famous, it is apparent that the second half of my life will find meaning in focusing on family and friends.

I am excited to pour back into the lives of others, now that I have spent the past 25 years away, gaining the experience points I needed to prepare to move back.

My kids are very eager to transfer to the new schools. A few months back when I asked my daughter how she felt about the move, as I wanted to ensure I wasn’t ruining her childhood by taking her away from her life in Tennessee, she excitedly responded, “Well, Daddy, I’m pretty good at making new friends.”

So, there’s that.

I plan to start posting new updates on here as the move date gets closer. We are excited to think about this new adventure and the next chapter in Alabama!