The catalyst for our move came in April of 2012 in the form of my four-month-old nephew. My husband, Matthew, and I were driving home to Indianapolis from my parents house in Fort Wayne after enjoying Easter weekend together. My step-brother and his family were there, including the newest member of our family, Liam.
Somewhere in that two-hour car ride, I turned to Matthew and said “I want kids.” His response was expected: “I want kids too.” So I clarified, “I don’t want to have kids in Indiana.”
In July 2011, we had visited New Hampshire in to really feel out the Free State Project as a movement, outside of our internet-based interactions, and knew we wanted to move. Loads of student debt, access to family support, and the opportunity for jobs in our fields after graduation kept us in Indiana longer than anticipated.
That three-sentence conversation on a Sunday in April shifted our priorities significantly. Within weeks, we had seasonal jobs lined up, our belongings were in storage, and we headed out to New Hampshire with the hope that we could build a life and a family that would be there for us when we did start to have children.
I won’t say we were lucky, we worked hard, got a little farther in debt, and interviewed for any job that may fit our qualifications. But we did it – we moved and haven’t looked back. It took years to get into a spot where we felt supported financially and personally to grow our family.
Our son was born in early 2015 at a standalone birth center with a midwife and 2 of her students in attendance, something that was a felony in Indiana when we left. Our daughter was born with the same midwife in 2016.
Our family loves New Hampshire life – you can find us at a park, beach, or trail every chance we get. We are weekly participants in the NH Cryptocurrency Meetup in Manchester on Sundays, enjoy monthly Marketplace Manchester events and frequently schedule events through the Porc Family Connection Facebook page.
We run Ledgeview Commercial, and our property management company is flourishing.