It's been a few weeks since I last posted a blog, but that is because we recently moved 800 miles from the countryside of Virginia to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. In all honesty, I had been dreading this move. Our past year in Virginia was a wonderful respite. We were only there for one year while Jake was getting his Master's degree, and so he was home a lot more than usual. And we loved it. Over the year, we went camping, hiking, sledding, swimming, cherry picking, apple picking, raspberry picking, strawberry picking, blueberry picking... we went to Disney World and Busch Gardens... we traveled all over Virginia, to Florida, to Ohio, to D.C., to North Carolina, and to Georgia. In addition, we were within 2-4 hours away from very dear family and friends. We spent many weekends on the road or entertaining guests at our house, and it was great.
So it was with great reluctance that I faced our new chapter in life... packing up and facing the unknown ahead: a new house, a new church, a new job for Jake, a new school year with the girls, new activities for the kids, and new friends (hopefully). And here's how it's been going so far...
We arrived in town and our first look was of the highway that led straight to the Navy base. Let's just say, it had a typical "sailor's town" look and feel to it. Right away we were shown base housing that was a good bit too small for our family of 6, and looking immediately around the base I was doubtful that I would want to live anywhere else. However, with a new day came a new outlook. We spent a whole Saturday and half of Sunday driving around and scouring neighborhoods for "For Rent" signs. We looked at quite a few rentals and with the last place we saw on Sunday we finally felt we found a good home. We liked the location, the neighborhood, and the price. The house is a good bit smaller than our rental in Virginia (probably by at least 1000 sq ft), but we're making it work. It has a good sized back yard - fully fenced - that even has an elevated clubhouse for the kids (think treehouse without the tree). And one of the best perks, it is only 5 houses down the street from a family we know from our tour in Hawaii (we actually have them to thank for the lead on this rental).
Aside from the friends we already know in town (5 officers from Hawaii and their families), we have already met a new family related to our good friends, the Hunts (see them in this post, among others). Marcie and Jason have 4 children... the older three line up in ages perfectly with our older three, and their youngest is about 9 months. It's always a little weird meeting "friends of friends"... it's like going into a friendship blind with the expectation that you'll hit it off, and the pressure not to let your friends down. However, we have gotten along quite well, and I foresee a good friendship in the making.
Even better than friends is family... and we are fortunate that my cousin and his family live only 2 1/2 hours away. We were able to visit them for one night already, and they were also able to stop by for a couple hours today as they were passing through. I love their family and my kids absolutely love their newfound "cousins." Having family close by is something very special to me, and for that I am grateful.
As for church, we have tried two different churches and we think we will probably settle at one that has been a good fit so far. The bonus is that the church is only 10 minutes from our house, which is the closest commute we have ever had. I also think the size is perfect - not too small, but not too big. I can see our family getting involved and making connections - something we haven't really been able to do in our last couple of churches.
So, that's our start to this new chapter of life. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for our family. I know there are difficult challenges ahead (Jake will be deploying soon) but I also know that God has a plan for us. I think this will be an adventure, for sure. And I am thankful that I am already thinking of this house and this town as "home."
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