One Year of Building a Life in New Hampshire

Shortly after moving to New Hampshire, I remember a number of individuals making the same rebuttal to our praises: “Just wait till you’ve been there six months or a year. You’ll feel differently once the honeymoon is over.” Well I’m happy to report that has not been the case at all! A year after making our move, we have only found more to love about our community and our life here.

It was exciting but somewhat nerve wracking the first three months or so, getting settled in and figuring out where to find the things we needed. Thankfully, we enjoyed a warm welcome and plenty of people willing to lend a hand or make a recommendation. With so much local support, both from Free Staters and neighbors, we made it through the transition period.

Once the newness wore off we were able to settle into our new normal. By the time we’d been here six months, we had made friends, established a monthly potluck for our regional liberty group, and gotten involved with community functions. We were feeling pretty comfortable here and knew enough people that we generally ran into at least one acquaintance anytime we went out.

By nine months in New Hampshire we had weathered our first winter, no big deal for us Michiganders, but still a milestone. As we started spending time outside and seeing the neighbors, I noticed their approving glances that we were still here. Apparently winter is a rite of passage in the North Country; once you make it through you’re accepted as practically a native!

Now here we are a year after our move. We’ve welcomed nine more movers to our region, made our new house a real home for our family, established a vibrant social life, explored a variety of New Hampshire treasures, stopped to take in some breathtaking views, started volunteering in our community, and created a truly beautiful life for our family.

I suppose you could say the honeymoon is over. The sheer thrill of the move has long since passed. But in the calm after the thrill we have truly fallen in love with New Hampshire. My only regret is that we didn’t move sooner!