Our First Hike in NC

On Saturday, Matt and I went to Crowders Mountain State Park for our first hike here in North Carolina. we wanted to take advantage of our time together before Matt's training up in Massachusetts. The hike was in the "strenuous" category which of course was right up our alley. I was definitely struggling to catch my breath by the time we got to the top. I successfully ruined the serene environment with my huffing and puffing. Matt raced up the hill and he seemed as calm as ever, while I was keeled over trying to catch my breath.

Despite all that- the weather was absolutely perfect for our trek and the rocky trails helped with my agility and coordination- which most of you know- needs a lot of work.

Of course, I can't be blamed for all the lack of serenity, while people were meditating on the top of the rocks, Matt's water bottle full of ice rattled in rhythm with our step- just in case anyone wanted to know we were coming.






This is us at the top- Matt looks somewhat refreshed after his run up the steep trail to the top...and I on the other hand, as seen below, look like I have been bowled over by a semi.

Moving Day

The 18 wheeler looks kinda daunting outside the house, but they insisted we didn't have that much stuff! They were a great company that boxed up everything including our mattresses and shrink wrapped all our furniture and took a lot of time putting things into the trailer meticulously.





We are in our apartment (temporary housing) in Charlotte. Matt will be leaving for Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon for 2.5 weeks and I am on the job trail interviewing and sending out resumes. We hope to close on the house the latter part of October and then we will be EXPECTING visitors!

Settling into Temporary Housing

With the cat's sufficiently drugged up, so I thought, I took off for Charlotte with my car weighted down to capacity with only a little room for the cats. They managed to climb me like a tree for the entire 5 hour drive and had to explore every inch of the car despite their unsteady footing, elevated third eye lids, and drooling mouths thanks to the sedation they were given. At one point, Abby fell asleep on my lap with her tongue sticking WAY out. I wish I could have taken a picture.

As you can see, they were feeling plenty awake enough to explore the apt and the third story balcony. I think Jack would jump up on the railing if it wasn't for me babysitting him. He tried a couple of times, but I am not up for a trip to the ER.



Our living room.... the apt was comletely furnished, washer and dryer included!



The office...which hasn't been much of an office since it has been like pulling teeth to get the internet to work. But we are working to make it feel like "home" at least for now.

Our 2nd Family that we will miss SO much!

Our church family really was our family away from home. We met every Sunday night to discuss the message that the pastor brought in the morning and we created some amazing relationships that I couldn't have imagined life without. we will miss them all so much for the incredible impact they had on me and Matt.
Katie Williams
Alexis and Malia- my 2 favorite girls.
Poor Alexis has more mothers and fathers than she could ever wish for! Its hard to believe she is already a "big girl" in kindergarten. And Thomas is our resident electrician, and can find anything in Nassau County you could ever want.


Jared- the Ladie's Man and also the one who kept the lawn mowed when Matt was gone! Thank you!
Savannah and Ashley- always smiles!

We also had some fun outings: Such as white water rafting, camping, Float trips to Itchetucknee, the baseball games, game nights, shooting at the gun range, etc.


White Water Rafting in West Virginia in September!

Camping in Fort Clinch...Erin and Dustin- thanks for the awesome memories!

When Matt was in Iraq- I was fitted with a gun, an attitude, and plenty of practice at the gun range. It made both me and Matt feel better when I was home alone for a year.

Words can't express how much our friends mean to us. We will miss them so much but know that this won't be the last time we see them. God is so gracious to bless us with such an awesome core group of believers. They have really bridged a gap in the church and infiltrated every ministry. We can't wait to see how God continues to use them.

Breaking down the house

We painted our beautiful walls, stark white. Sterile, as some might say!

Mother- to prove that we don't have THAT much stuff...we have put all of our stuff from the attic on the floor of the garage and still have room to park Matt's car in it!

We tried to help out the moving company by breaking down beds, boxing up books and linens, and putting things in rubbermaid boxes. It should expedite the process, we hope!

I am busy packing my clothes into bags to take to our temporary housing. The interim of going into temporary housing makes moving a little more complicated. The moving truck will not be stopping at our temp housing, so anything we want with us, will have to fit into our cars. Anything that goes in storage will not be accessible until we close on a home!

Once in Charlotte, Matt travels to Massachusetts for 3 weeks for some training. He has to do a total of 3 months of training up north which will be spaced out between now and the beginning of next year.

House Hunting

Matt and I went house hunting in Charlotte, NC this past weekend. We had a great time. We viewed around 2 dozen homes and saw some of the most eccentric homes and had some interesting experiences on the way. We put a contract on a home and had promised some of you I would put it on the blog but I figured it might be better to wait until the process was further to completion, just in case for some reason the contract does not go through. We will keep you posted as we find out more.

We officially move September 26th. I will take the kitties up on Wednesday as the moving could take more than a day. Matt will stick around in FL to oversee the moving process while I do my best to get the cats settled in our temporary housing.

God has been so good. We thank you for all your prayers. And will send pictures soon.