everything has changed

Oh my word, it has been so long since I have written a blog post. Looking back on this year, I have only written 15 posts this year. It sounds like crickets in here, huh?

Well, anyone that knows me well, would take that as a tell-tell sign that I have not been doing well. If you have wondered that, then you have been right.

Not to be negative, but this year has been a tough one. I have been quiet because there have been things that I don't even have the emotional energy to talk or write about. Also, I have an amazing husband who is deeply private, and I felt like if I couldn't talk about what was going on with him, then I couldn't talk period. I had to respect his privacy.

Long story short. Everything has changed. We are back in NC! Can you believe that? So long, Ohio. We will miss you.

The kids and I said our bittersweet farewell 6 weeks ago, and Chris left two weeks later. This big decision came after much deliberation and prayers (and way too many arguments, if I am being honest here).

We are back in NC! Back in the same house, same school district, same church, and same proximity to our families & friends and the Atlantic Ocean :) (Yes, that matters to me).

Here's a the brief and less scary version of the circumstances that brought us all home.

Chris had a health scare April 9th. He spent several days in the hospital in the Neuro-ICU, and he walked out with so many questions and more uncertainty than a healthy 35 year old man knows what to do with. He is doing fine now. We have followed up with several Neurologists and Cardiologists over the last 5 months, and he is healthy.  He finally has some peace of mind that he is going to be OK. Peace of mind is priceless. A blessing, really. Something that we used to take for granted.

We are thankful for that peace of mind. We are thankful for our little family. We are thankful for his health and mine. We are thankful for happy kids that deserve happy parents. After being faced with the unthinkable, it is very easy to discern between what is important and what needs to change.

We felt led with every fiber of our beings to move back to NC to be closer to our family, friends, and all things familiar. Those 3 things matter so much to us, and we decided that the decision was easy.  Nothing mattered more than following our hearts back home.

So, we are home!
Was it an easy decision? NO.
Did we have doubts? YES.
Do we still have doubts? YES and NO.
Are the kids happy? YES!
Are we going to be OK? YES!

Right now, my heart is full. And we are home. More details about my new job, the kids' new schools, and everything in between to come!

“Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't, it is of no use.”

~Carlos Castaneda