We did not see this coming. At all. It was not anywhere on our list of future or possible plans. But . . . life happens. And, family comes first.
As planned, we will be heading to Mexico after YaYu’s graduation, but in early July we will depart San Miguel de Allende for:
Our daughter-in-law works for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and toward the end of last month was offered a two-year posting at the consulate in Nashville. It’s a major promotion for her and, as she says, her “dream job.” However, our son cannot relocate because of his position and the nature of his work in Japan, so they asked if Brett and I would be willing to put our plans on hold and move to Nashville for the next two years as support for M and our granddaughter, K, who will accompany her.
We didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Our grandson, who is now in middle school, will stay in Japan with his dad. They plan to travel to Nashville 2-3 times a year, during our grandson’s school breaks, and our DIL and granddaughter will travel back to Japan at least once a year.
Everything is changing rapidly and plans are being drawn up, reworked, etc. We are being reimbursed by our son for our UK Airbnb deposits and our plane tickets to England. We’re starting the process of choosing and buying a car online to pick up once we arrive in Tennessee, and we’ll again be buying some basic pieces of furniture once we get there as well as other necessities. Instead of London, we’ll be flying from Mexico City to Boston to rent a minivan and pick up our stored things from WenYu to take along to Nashville. We don’t know yet whether we’ll be sharing housing with M and K or getting our own place. M will receive a housing stipend but it’s unknown at this time if she’ll be allowed to use that for shared housing with us or not. There are of course lots and lots of other unknowns as well but details are getting filled in as they come up.
Full-time travel for the Occasional Nomads is off the table for the time being. Following our time in Tennessee, we think we’ll either move to a permanent location in New England or do one last long road trip around the U.S. interspersed with shorter international visits. In the meantime, our priority for the next two years will be to help and support our daughter-in law and granddaughter – travel can wait.
The Occasional Nomads 
Oh my gosh! How exciting! I’m so happy for you guys. There is nothing like time with grandchildren. What an opportunity. Woo hoo! 🙌
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We didn’t hesitate to say yes – they asked at just the right time. A few weeks later and the decision would have been a bit more difficult.
I am already thinking of a possible getaway up to Michigan!
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Oh, I would love to meet in person!
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I’m going to work at making it happen. We’ll get a couple of long breaks when our son visits and we want to give them some time alone as a family, and a trip up to Michigan would be a great way for us to get out.
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Wow! That is a big change of plans! My priority for several years has been to support our kids’ kids and I don’t regret a minute of it! Best wishes!
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It’s a HUGE change LOL! But we had no trouble saying yes and know we won’t regret a minute of it either. Switching gears is a bit difficult right now but we’ll get it figured out.
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Awesome! So exciting! We are looking into camper living, traveling the US after retirement in May 2024. I’ve been downsizing a little at a time, decluttering & donating. Went to the dentist & didn’t stop at any place to shop knowing I needed to get rid of things instead of add things to the household, except for food & personal products. Karen
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We have seriously thought about camper living, but in the end realized it’s just not for us. If we do a major road trip around the U.S. we’ll stick with renting Airbnbs and staying in national park lodges.
Once we got in the habit of not acquiring stuff it’s gotten very easy to say no, and consider each purchase seriously whether we really need an item or not. I love not having so much to take care of and maintain.
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Wow ! So nice ! Being with your children and grandchildren is always great! They bring so much to your life. We go to sports for our older grandson ,our 2 year old grandson is here on weekends and our newborn grandson we are just enjoying. God had a new plan for you ! Enjoy!
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We are so excited about spending time with our granddaughter and daughter-in-law. She’s wonderful and we have a good relationship with her. We’ll also get to see our son and grandson more than we would otherwise as well as they’ll be visiting the U.S. more frequently. There’s lots to still figure out but we’re excited about the changes.
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Wow! That came out of left field! I think it’s amazing that you and Brett are able to do this and you guys will be an enormous support to your daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Plus, closer to the girls (I bet they’re thrilled)
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This really did come out of nowhere! They asked at a perfect time as well as it’s very easy for us to make changes now so that we can make the move to Nashville. Our daughters were surprisingly more excited about the change in plans that we imagined.
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What a surprise and a delightful one for you at that! You will never regret taking the time to support your DIL and granddaughter in Nashville. And I bet you will have time to explore at least that part of the US and find some cool places to visit. Nashville itself is full of fun places, not to mention the surrounding areas. Keep us posted as plans progress!
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That’s exactly what we thought, that this was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with our DIL and granddaughter. We keep hearing good things about Nashville, and we’re excited to explore the area – we’re already planning getaways!
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What a wonderful gift you are giving your son and his family!!! I can only imagine how much they appreciate your support!
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Our DIL said she would never have made the move without us. If we think it’s a big change, it’s a MAJOR one for her. We believe the position will require travel on her part, and we’re glad we can be there for her and to watch our granddaughter if she has to go out of town.
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This is truly wonderful news, and I am so, so happy for all of you. We set our retirement travel aside for a full year when our first granddaughter was born, and our son-in-law was deployed at sea. We moved in with my daughter for six weeks to provide support leading up to, and then after the birth of our granddaughter, and then provided day care for the first yeyourar of her life as my daughter returned to teaching. I can’t even begin to express how much we treasure those memories, even as exhausting as it was at times, and I feel it changed the trajectory of our relationship with our granddaughter in the most positive way imaginable.
It’s so timely for me to read this, Laura, as my husband and I have been discussing taking turns traveling to Europe for extended stays near where they live now, simply because we miss so very much being a regular part of our granddaughters lives. There will be no getting this time back, and I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled for you and Brett both that you will be able to become such a pivotal part of your granddaughters life for the next two years. And the timing of it all . . . . wow. Just wow!
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It has been hard for us these past couple of years to watch our grandkids grow and not be able to spend time with them, so I think this move will be more of a blessing than we realize.
The timing of the change is ideal for us as well. It’s easy to rearrange our plans and we’re in a good place health wise to help out M & K. Plus, we’re looking forward to seeing out son and grandson more than we would have if we were traveling full-time.
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Dear Laura and Brett, You are officially the parents and grandparents of the year! I have been following your blog since Portland. I know how much you have planned for your travel. Wow! I live in the Asheville, NC area. Once you get settled and venture out to travel. Look up our area. It is so beautiful. My husband and I would love to meet up with you. Sincerely,Paula Mature
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Thank you! We’re so lucky that we’re able to make this change and grow more excited about it with each day.
Both sides of Brett’s family come from Western NC (a bit further east of Asheville), and we are already planning to make a pilgrimage over there, including a stop in Asheville. I would love to get together!
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What a huge change of plans! A very sweet one though. I am sure your DIL and granddaughter will love to have your support and you will have a ball to be so close to them. Good Luck in Nashville!
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It is huge, isn’t it. And honestly, nothing we ever imagined happening or saw coming. We are so excited about being able to spend time with our granddaughter and daughter-in-law – truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re also excited about the opportunity to get to know Nashville and the surrounding area.
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Well the Universe has certainly been shaking your plans up over and over but have to agree with others, this is the most wonderful reason to put your extended travel plans on hold. The time you will get to spend with your grand daughter is priceless. The memories you will make, plus the added bonus of being closer to the girls and it’s all good, just another fork in the road. BTW not sure of your latest travel plans but are you going to be in Honolulu before you depart? I can’t remember your flight routing. I will be in Honolulu from mid April so if you are maybe we could meet for a coffee.
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Well, apparently the universe wasn’t done with us when it came to travel, even though we thought the worse of the changes were over with the flight to France debacle. Our daughters are very excited about our move, and we know we’ll be seeing more of them in the next couple of years than we would have otherwise.
We are transiting through Honolulu on our way back to the mainland, but just for around 2 hours. We figure we’ll have just enough time to get of the plane and make our way to the next terminal for our flight to Atlanta!
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Wow! What a huge & exciting change for you. I hope you’ll be posting, so we can follow along with you, as everything gets sorted out. Sounds like an awesome couple of years ahead!
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It is exciting! We’re thrilled to be able to spend time with our DIL and granddaughter, and the move fits our whole occasional nomad thing as well, although totally nothing we ever expected to be doing. I almost can’t believe though that we’ll be buying furniture, etc. again so quickly.
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Very exciting! It seems the universe has sent you a strong message that you were just not meant to travel to Europe for now. I’ve never been to Nashville but it seems like a fun place and you’ll be able to spend so much time with your DIL and granddaughter! It’s also good you’ll still be able to go to Mexico to satisfy at least some of your wanderlust, LOL! I’m sure the time you spend with your granddaughter will be wonderful. Enjoy!
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We just said the same thing the other day – apparently we were not meant to go to Europe this year. Just never imagined the substitute would be Nashville but I know we’re going to have a wonderful time with our DIL and granddaughter. We’re already planning things to see in the areas and getaways we can take.
We’re still really looking forward to our time in Mexico – that trip is coming up quickly as is YaYu’s graduation.
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Gosh! What a big change of plan! Wish you well.
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It’s definitely a major change to what we thought we would be doing. England, Scotland, and the rest of the world will still be there when our time in Nashville is over, although I doubt we’ll do any more long stays there.
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You will never regret the time with your grand and your daughter in law.
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That’s why we said yes very quickly – we knew we would regret it for the rest of our lives if we had said no.
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Fantastic! This is such splendid news after you have not been able to see the grandkids for two years thanks to Covid! So, so happy for you!!!!I adore Nashville, spent a lot of time there in the early 70’s. Middle Tennessee is gorgeous and you are just down to e road from Lexington with all the beautiful horse farms!
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We will be spending time with both grandkids this summer, until it’s time for our grandson to return to Japan with our son. Brett and I are somewhat familiar with Tennessee – we met in Memphis and get married there, but have only driven through Nashville with a stop to visit The Hermitage. We’re definitely heading up to Lexington – we think our granddaughter will love visiting the horse farms, and Mammoth Caves NP is also close by. Long-time navy friends live in Knoxville, and you know we’ll taking our granddaughter to Dollywood. You’ll be close enough that maybe we can meet up one day!
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That would be wonderful!!!!!
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Let’s make it happen! Once we get settled we can figure out the logistics.
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Wow! I did not see that u-turn coming. Hope everything works out. You will be close to Ft Campbell, Ky. We were stationed there when I was a kid. That should help with shopping. Good Luck.
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Neither did we, Vivian! But, it was change we were happy to make. Between Ft. Campbell and NAS Millington we are well situated with bases close by.
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So excited for y’all! Also Arnold AF base is about an hour or so south of Nashville, and there is a PX and commissary there too!
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Thank you – we did not know about Arnold AF base! We don’t use the commissary and exchange all that much (except in Japan LOL), but we’ll see how prices are in Nashville – it might make sense to go down there every few weeks to stock up.
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And just like that, the stars of the Universe have aligned and changed everything! So so happy for you, this is really exciting. Your wish to spend more time with your grandkids is coming true!!!
Our pandemic granddaughter is turning two next month and she is my heart, my everything. I can only wish the same for you!
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Meant to be is what we think even though we honestly had no idea this is how we’d be getting more time with the grandkids.
We feel the same about our grandkids, and it’s been very difficult not to be able to see them or spend time with them. This move is so positive for us in so many ways.
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Wow! It just goes to show ya…as they say. I’m sure there are mixed feelings for everyone. I admire you for being able to drastically change plans and keep positivity, seeing the bright side. I LOVE that area of the US, and it’s centrally located, so you’ll have plenty of chances to explore and be nomads in a way.
Watertown, Tennessee is a fantastic town to visit. Make that a priority! I’m serious!
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Funny thing – the morning before we got the official word that our DIL would be accepting the position, I told Brett I sort of hoped she would turn it down. I just could not see us in Nashville nor did I want to give up our travel plans. But, the minute we knew it was official we knew we had made the right decision for the right reasons and have had absolutely no regrets. We’ll all be on a learning curve.
There is lots to see and do in the area which will keep up all happy. I looked up Watertown and we’ll definitely be visiting. I’m trying to figure out how to get Brett on one of those train excursions that go there!
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We make plans and God laughs. You are wonderful to help your family in this way. I hope family time in Nashville becomes a great adventure.
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LOL – I almost title the post “God Laughs.” We’re excited about our upcoming move and the potential to visit and get to know that part of the U.S.
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Wow. I applaud you both for putting your travel plans on hold so that you can help support your daughter-in law and grand-daughter with their relocation plans. To have planned for your adventure for such long time only to have it changed so near the departure date seems like it would be difficult. You are both quite remarkable when it comes to your children and your grandchildren, they are all very lucky to have you. I wish you and your family the best!
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This was a good time in the process for us to change things up. And, if we were not going to be reimbursed for non-refundable expenses already incurred, we couldn’t/wouldn’t have changed our plans – that was a huge consideration for us. We’re looking forward to the new plans and how things shake out.
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Your know what they say— life is what happens while you’re making other plans.Family is always first and I believe things happen for a reason, so.. you will be seeing ANOTHER part of the world for the next two years.. in the USA! Good luck and good for you and Brett for putting family. First.
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Definitely! I count being flexible one of our best traits/skills and yes, it looks like we will be getting to see more of the US for a change. We’re most excited though about spending time with our DIL and granddaughter.
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I think you made the right decision too. You’ll never have this time again with your grandkids. Besides, it’s still a BIG adventure just not what you thought.
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I agree – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, and it’s definitely going to be an adventure.
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What a happy reason for a change of plans! And Nashville is such a good central location to show your family around the U.S. Congratulations to your daughter-in-law!
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The more I learn about Nashville, the more excited I am to be going. Can’t get over how close things are (versus the west where everything is so far apart).
Our daughter-in-law is very excited. Her new position will play to all her strengths.
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I am from Memphis but live in Birmingham now. Are you two from Memphis? You will find so much to do in this part of the country. You are so lucky to be able and willing to move at will…lol.
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Not from Memphis – Brett was stationed at the naval air station in Millington as an instructor; I went through “A” school there when I was in the navy. He was my instructor for two weeks and we started dating after that course. We were married in Memphis by a county commissioner, and our son was born at the navy hospital in Millington. It was a sleepy little town back then but these days the Millington base is huge with several very important commands (all the A schools have been moved to Pensacola).
We are excited about our upcoming Nashville sojourn. Our son & DIL asked at just the right time as we’re getting ready to leave Hawaii anyway.
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I am so excited for you!! I missed this post when I was on vacation last week. I saw your comment in your anniversary post about celebrating your next anniversary in Nashville and I was so confused. I applaud your willingness to switch plans and I am so happy that you get to spend this time with family. I’ve visited Nashville a few times and it is such a cool city. I second the suggestion to visit Lexington with your granddaughter. I would love to meet up if you visit here.
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We’re happy about our upcoming mood. Right now though we’re in a waiting stage – can’t move forward to until everything is firmed up for our DIL. I would love to get together!
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Hi Laura, What a wonderful opportunity to be there for your family. You guys are certainly shining examples of what loving your children looks like! I obviously live in Atlanta, but I grew up in KY and had lots of relatives around Nashville. Once you’re settled there, I can give you lots of tips on things to see.
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We are very much looking forward to spending time with our daughter-in-law and granddaughter – didn’t hesitate to say yes! And, I would love tips on things to see in the Nashville area. As I’ve said, we’re more familiar with the western part of the state, so Nashville is all new territory for us.
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