STL Moms: I’m Sorry I Misjudged You

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Dear St. Louis Moms,

I totally misjudged you and I’m sorry. As you may have read in my bio, I recently moved to St. Louis from Houston, TX. Before that, I was born and raised in Mississippi. While I am no stranger to living in a large city, I am a stranger to living anywhere but the South. You may hear and read that the South is full of hospitality and friendly people who go out of their way to say hi to a stranger….or more like “Hey y’all.” All of that is mostly true! I have always thought I would live in the South and am proud to say that it raised me into who I am today. However, our world did a 180 when my husband accepted a great opportunity in St. Louis this year. We knew this was the right move for our family, but how would this southern girl adjust to a place where there was absolutely no familiarity with three kids age 2 and under? Not to mention the cold weather!

My brain immediately went to a place of misjudgement. I’m human. I misjudged so much about what our life would be like here. Yes, I was excited for something new and a fresh start but so hesitant (and sometimes downright negative) as well. I misjudged how our day to day life would work. I misjudged the thought of no longer living in my comfort zone. I misjudged you.

My best friend for more than 20 years asked me the other day, “How are things going up there?” I immediately responded, “Good, Hard, Cold… but I am amazed at how nice and friendly and outgoing everyone is here.” Her response was “Why?” That got me thinking, I have no idea why I thought you would not be friendly or nice or lend a helping hand to me. I misjudged you by thinking it would be so hard to find moms and friends here who would welcome me into their circles or send me helpful ideas to make our transition smoother. I can honestly say, I’m sorry. This has been the most outgoing, helpful and overwhelmingly positive community I have lived in and I am so grateful. Moving is tough. Moving to a new city is tough. Moving with three tiny humans is tough. But you have made my heart feel so much more at ease knowing that we made the right choice moving to St. Louis. So again, sorry I misjudged you.

Photography by Molly Thomas Photography at Queeny Park
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Ashleigh Daniel
Ashleigh is a mother to 3 tiny humans all within a year’s age difference! She has a set of twins (Evie Claire and Decker) and a little girl named Mary Catherine who surprised them! She and her family recently moved to St. Louis after living in Houston, TX for the past 8 years. They are so excited to continue their journey here as her husband is originally from around this area. As for Ashleigh, she’s a born and raised Mississippi girl but has loved living in big cities such as Houston and now St. Louis. When she’s not blogging or “momming”, she enjoys Pure Barre, reading a good book, traveling, farmer’s markets, and exploring new restaurants. She looks forward to getting to know the St. Louis community more!

2 COMMENTS

  1. I will second and third…..moving is hard! I am so encouraged by the welcome that you received in St. Louis. Thank you so much for your post.

  2. Thank you for this blog! I’ve lived in Houston for the last 18ish years and have lived in Texas all my life. My husband just accepted a position in St. Louis this week and we will be looking to move by February (fingers crossed). My emotions have been all over the place with all the up and downs of relocating. This blog post put my mind at ease!

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