I locked in a 3.25% mortgage rate in a desirable suburb. It looks like success on the surface, but feels far from it.

Although I feel lucky to have my house in the suburbs outside of DC near family, I miss the life I'd built in Atlanta.

Sheena Wilson I loved my life in Atlanta for years, but missed being near family, so I moved to the DC suburbs.

I'm grateful I secured a great mortgage rate on a home in a desirable suburb for my daughter and me.

Although I miss Atlanta and feel lonely here, I stay because it's best for my kid and finances.

One car ride home, my observant 6-year-old asked a tough question: "Mommy, do you want to live here?" I suppose she'd heard me complain about life in the DC suburbs a few too many times.

Still, in a moment of vulnerability and sadness, I said, "No, I miss my friends, and I miss Georgia." In her most supportive and matter-of-fact tone, she reminded me that I'm the boss of us, and that we can move whenever I want to.

I've weighed these words many nights.

After all, before moving here seven years ago, I'd spent more than a decade building a life I loved in Atlanta.

I'd originally landed there in 2006 to pursue a career as a photographer, and it's where I'd made some of my closest friends, built up my portfolio, and discovered new outdoor hobbies like hiking and fishing.

Atlanta had just about everything I wanted except proximity to family, who are mostly in the Washington DC area, where I'd grown up.

In those 13 years I lived in Atlanta, I missed a lot of birthdays and weddings because I didn't have enough money or PTO to fly home.

It became hard to stomach.

And by 2019, I had finally decided to head back to the DC area.

I feel lucky to have secured a great mortgage rate and home in the suburbs of DC I'm proud I was able to buy my first home in the suburbs.