Today my parents closed on a house in Nashville. The house I grew up in for half of my life will soon belong to a new family.

When I first learned my mom and dad were looking to move from Northern Virginia, I selfishly threw a bit of a fit. This was…is home. That miserable rush hour traffic around the Capital Beltway was a strange sense of pride when talking with outsiders. No matter where I go, I will always be a Virginian.

But I moved to San Francisco. And my sister is working on her PhD in Maryland. The nest emptied a long time ago. Who am I to try to put up a roadblock to something I know my family thought long and hard about.

Despite my initial apprehensions, this will ultimately be a good thing for all of us. Holiday travel will be less stressful with family living two hours apart. They can start planning their retirement in earnest. And my mom can stop hiding the fact she sort of likes country music now.

Thanks for the memories, Virginia. You’re the best.

And hello Nashville.