The Big Move and The Beach

Well, after living in Charlotte, NC for 1 1/2 years, we have decided it is time for us to move back home to MI. Although we absolutely LOVE this place and think it is a wonderful place to live, we feel the Lord is leading us to go back where all of our family is. We miss our family a lot and need their support. The only reason we moved in the first place was so that Brad could have better job opportunities. We have found since living here (and 3 jobs later) that there really aren't any "better" jobs for him here. So, there is no reason to stay when all of our family is back in MI. Brad is actually going to go back to school and get his degree. He doesn't have one, so his job options are VERY limited. He is considering something in the medical field, not a doctor, but possibly a physician's assistant or something in the administrative part of medicine. His dad is a family physician, my brother is in medical school right now to become a doctor, and his brother is in physical therapy school. So, we will have a lot of family in that field which could lead to better opportunities. I will have to work full time in order for us to survive, but I am very excited about it. I have applied to a bunch of jobs, both in teaching and in clerical/administrative. So, hopefully, I will hear back from some of them soon. If not, I will sign up to substitute teach and pray that I get called everyday.
We decided we were going to move a few weeks ago and had planned on moving at the end of this month. However, Brad ended up quitting his job earlier than expected due to some interesting circumstances that took place at his job. So, we decided it might be better to just get up to MI and get going on things instead of sitting around here staring at each other. So, we are leaving at the end of this week!!!! We are packing and getting all the small details of moving accomplished. Everything is really going quite smoothly, so I am not stressed out at all.
Brad's brother, Scott, had planned to come and visit us a couple of months ago (when we weren't even thinking of moving). We all thought he was coming for a vacation but instead he has been helping us pack!!!

We did realize that since living here we have never been over to the ocean, so we decided to pack up and go for one last hurrah before moving. We really didn't have any clue where the best place to go was, so we just mapquested a bunch of different destinations and Charleston, SC was the closest to where we live. We took off at 8am Sunday morning and got to Folly Beach before noon (we had to stop on the way because we were all starving!!!!). It was absolutely beautiful!!!! The weather was perfect-90 degrees and pure sun!! The waves were BIG and the water was warm, yet refreshing. We couldn't have asked for a better day!! We spent 5 hours at the beach, playing in the sand, swimming, and riding waves. I packed a huge cooler with sandwiches and snacks so we just ate right there on the beach. We rented a big umbrella so Parker could play in the shade and we could take a break from the sun if we wanted. Parker absolutely loved the sand. We weren't there 5 minutes and he was down in it, crawling around, kicking it, and eating it!!! He loved it!!! Halle kept saying it was "the best day I've ever had", so obviously she really enjoyed it. We were all wiped out by about 5pm. Parker actually fell asleep on Scott's shoulder while they were out in the water. He was extremely tired. We headed back home and got in around 8:30pm. Parker and Halle slept the majority of the ride home. Parker's first encounter with sand

Our little area

Scott and Halle

Halle and I playing in the waves

Halle and Scott's sand city

Parker fell asleep on Scott's shoulders

We wish we would have been going over there ever since we moved here, but we are super glad we went once before the move. We will definitely come back to the beach when we are on vacation.

We are going to miss all of our friends we have made here in Charlotte and especially miss our church!!! Goodbye North Carolina!!!