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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / adventures / BIG (HAPPY) NEWS: our family is moving!

BIG (HAPPY) NEWS: our family is moving!

January 5, 2016 · 49 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, Detroit, family

Well friends, I can’t keep this a secret any longer…

michigan zack maggie whitley

If you’re a longtime reader, you probably remember that Zack and I were living in Detroit when I started this blog, seven years ago. It was also in Detroit that I learned to sew. In Detroit, we lost our jobs, scraped to keep the lights on, hatched a business, and dreamed of adventure. Needless to say, it is with much excitement that our family is finally going home. And this time with a bundle of little ones!

I’ve shared some photos on my Instagram of our time in Michigan, and maybe you’ve wondered why Bauer is also here with us? It’s because we’re here to stay! :)

The month of December was filled with wrapping up a bazillion decisions, packing 30-some boxes, hugging our dear Los Angeles friends, and preparing for cold weather fun. Oh, and SURPRISING our extended families with the news once our plane landed!!! We definitely ended 2015 with a bang.

Thanks for cheering alongside us, and I’ll be back soon to share the details of our happy news :)

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49 Comments
Filed Under: adventures, Detroit, family

« Family goals for 2016!
Neutral with a dash of color! »

Comments

  1. Erin L says

    January 5, 2016 at 7:03 am

    Welcome back to the mitten!

    Reply
  2. Jess :) says

    January 5, 2016 at 7:21 am

    Yay for being back home!!! I know how HAPPY this makes you, sweet friend!!! What a BLESSING to be close to extended family as well!
    xoxo

    Reply
  3. Corinne says

    January 5, 2016 at 8:02 am

    I KNEW IT! I am so happy for you and your family! It is such a blessing to be close to family. xoxoxo

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:47 am

      ;D I bet you weren’t alone with thinking that…

      Reply
  4. Katie says

    January 5, 2016 at 8:07 am

    Welcome back to the mitten!! :-)

    Reply
  5. Shelly Wildman says

    January 5, 2016 at 8:40 am

    How exciting! I never really thought you were in CA to stay. You belong near family. So happy for you!

    Reply
  6. Southern Gal says

    January 5, 2016 at 8:48 am

    As a mom to a daughter with little ones, I can only imagine what a joyous occasion it was to hear the news you were home to stay!! I know you’ll enjoy the cold, snowy winters you are accustomed to. Congratulations!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:48 am

      We really do enjoy them — maybe because we now know what it’s like not to have a real winter season? :)

      Reply
  7. Ashley Pichea says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:02 am

    Welcome back to the great state of Michigan!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:48 am

      WOO HOOOOO! :)

      Reply
  8. Hope says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:21 am

    Fun!!!! Also in Michigan- keep warm and cozy during this special season!

    Reply
  9. Bree says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:22 am

    Welcome back!

    Reply
  10. Kara says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:23 am

    Ahh!! I’m so happy for you guys! I was starting to wonder since you’ve been in MI for so long :) Our family is likely facing a 2-3 year relocation this summer but will likely return to home afterwards. Your openness and willingness to fully embrace a temporary home is inspiring. I hope I can do that!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:51 am

      We usually visit Michigan for 2 weeks at a time (anytime we’ve lived out of state) so we can spend a week with each side of the family, but this time we turned it into something else ;D xx

      Reply
  11. Haley says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:37 am

    So exciting! I bet your family was thrilled. I can’t wait to hear more.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:51 am

      Thrilled AND speechless, it was pretty amazing :)

      Reply
  12. Kate says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:44 am

    Wow! How exciting, and amazing for you to be back to your home & close to family! I hope the transition goes well for you, Zack and all 3 kiddos! Looking forward to following your journey.

    Reply
  13. Emma P. says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Welcome back to the Midwest!!! What a great way to start the New Year :)

    Reply
  14. Melody says

    January 5, 2016 at 9:51 am

    So happy and thrilled for you! As a note of encouragement, I definitely got moving more last year because of your running posts…and I have already made one knitting project and completed two that had sat unfinished for 10 years! Agh! Thank you for your inspiration and all you have invested in your writing and business. You are a light! ……I am in Detroit and I love my city.

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 9:52 am

      Hi Melody! I’m so glad you commented :) and it looks like we’ll be neighbors because that’s where we’re moving to!!!!!! :)

      Reply
  15. Jess says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:02 am

    Welcome back to the mitten! You inspire me to keep following my dreams and now I am going to start teaching sewing at my favorite sewing studio in Grand Rapids.

    Reply
  16. Mandy says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:06 am

    Awesome!!! Welcome back! I grew up in Dearborn and now live just south of Flint. Best wishes for your transition back.

    Reply
  17. Jessica says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:07 am

    I’m so happy that you’ll be closer to family. Our family is close by and they are our biggest support!! I was starting to get nervous that you were gonna be in your one bedroom apartment with three babies. It made me want to buy you a bigger space. Well you know if I was rich I would have wanted to buy you one… Anyways YAY for family close by :) I can only imagine their excitement with your news.

    Reply
  18. Sarah Polleys says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:11 am

    Welcome back! You and your gorgeous family will be a welcome addition to MI. :)

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 5, 2016 at 10:15 am

      I’ll send you an email, we’ll be in Petoskey next week and I’d love to get together with our kids :)

      Reply
      • Sarah Polleys says

        January 5, 2016 at 10:16 am

        Definitely! ! :)

        Reply
  19. Amanda says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Welcome back! So happy for you guys!

    Reply
  20. Courtney says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:18 am

    We moved to CA around the same time as you & have also just moved back to MI!! I’m sure your family is thrilled !

    Reply
  21. Lauren says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:26 am

    What a fun surprise. I could never keep that a secret though. Well done!

    Reply
  22. Lindsey says

    January 5, 2016 at 11:00 am

    Welcome back! Hope to see you soon once you get settled in! What a fun way to surprise them too!!!

    Reply
  23. Maria says

    January 5, 2016 at 12:17 pm

    Welcome back. I’m in Farmington hills so pretty close!

    Reply
  24. Laura says

    January 5, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Maggie – I am so THRILLED for you guys! You know that MI has a dear place in my heart (once a Michigander, always a Michigander) and I love that you guys will be closer to family now. Can’t wait to hear all the details. I know that grandparents must have been over the MOON. XO

    Reply
  25. Amy Cornwell says

    January 5, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    Congratulations! There’s no place like home. So happy for you!

    Reply
  26. Marci says

    January 5, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    How were you able to keep it a secret?! We are wanting to move sooo bad but horrible at secrets like that, congratulations and enjoy a real winter!

    Reply
  27. Marina says

    January 5, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Congrats on the return to your happy place. Your family must have been thrilled. What a fun surprise! I’m sure your close friends here in LA will miss you but love that you’re following your heart. =)

    Reply
  28. Laura @ Laura Radniecki says

    January 5, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    What a beautiful testament to following God’s leading and blooming wherever you are planted. You have thrived in LA and now that life is leading you back home to the next phase of life, you guys will do doubt thrive there too. I’m excited to read about/follow along on this next chapter too!

    Reply
  29. Andrea says

    January 5, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    congrats! how wonderful to be closer to family!

    Reply
  30. Carol says

    January 5, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    I know California is beautiful but I’m glad you went home. Family is so important…especially when you have children! And well California..you know love in Christ, Carol

    Reply
  31. Marcia Herath says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:19 pm

    Welcome back to the beautiful Midwest and snow! I live in and love northern Indiana.

    Reply
  32. nicole says

    January 5, 2016 at 11:04 pm

    The fact that you surprised your families with the news is the most amazing thing ever. Congrats!

    Reply
  33. Katie says

    January 7, 2016 at 10:00 am

    What a blessing!!! Sounds like you’re going to be able to be near family, which is SO nice for you… free babysitting via grandma & grandpop! :-D Congrats on the move… & have fun unpacking! ;-)

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      January 7, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Unpacking is my FAVORITE part of moving — I love reorganization and rearranging our furniture! :)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Neutral with a dash of color! says:
    January 7, 2016 at 6:01 am

    […] headed to Detroit to continue searching for our next home. In case you missed the announcement, our family has moved back to Michigan! We are sad to leave our Los Angeles community, but we are very excited over the future for our […]

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  2. 8 tips to help you thrive as a mama! says:
    January 15, 2016 at 8:26 am

    […] + KEEP A LIST OF “TO DOs”: When the kids are playing well together, and I suddenly I find myself with some extra time, I’ve found it’s so helpful to have a list of important “to do” tasks ready to go. Knowing exactly what I need to work on when I finally have a little bit of time on my hands, like call my doctor, research moving companies, or write a thank you note, has helped me get through my to do list without delay. Also, hello helping our family move from California to Michigan! […]

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  3. A couple updates on moving to Detroit! says:
    January 25, 2016 at 6:00 am

    […] there’ll be some tears. We’ve had a lot of heartfelt ups and downs the last few weeks. Turns out moving across the country requires a lot of details ;) And, waiting for the details. I’m grateful for extra patience, because our plans have […]

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    September 26, 2016 at 8:03 am

    […] back to the sleepless night phase of parenting. And never has my bed felt so comfortable! When we moved back to Michigan, we bought a down comforter and duvet set for our bedroom. And flannel sheets ;) And I tell ya, […]

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  5. Merry Christmas from the Whitley’s! says:
    December 23, 2016 at 7:02 am

    […] year. This time last year, we surprised our extended families with our big exciting news, and a few weeks later we shared with everyone else :) That was a fun time, for sure! For the first time in years we haven’t had to fly home for […]

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  6. How we paid off over $65,000 of debt in 3 years (debt freedom part two) - Maggie Whitley Designs says:
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    […] In order to make substantial progress we decided to move our family back to Michigan (where we both grew up). This would give us the financial margin we needed to make large monthly payments towards our debt plus allow us to live closer to family. You can read more about our surprise move to Michigan by clicking HERE. […]

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in northern Michigan. She has been writing online since 2008.
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