Hello Ladies!
Hope you have all had a GREAT week. We were on spring break this week and it was FABULOUS. The kid's dad was in town earlier in the week, and we celebrated Olivia turning 10! I am counting down the days until school is out for summer!
Today I thought I would share what has been going on with our family over the last few months and all the changes that have happened.
If you have been reading here for a while then you know that 2 1/2 years ago Mark was offered a job in Florida, and we packed up and left Charlotte. I absolutely LOVED living in Charlotte, it will always have my heart and will always be home for me. Making that big move was HARD for me, it was especially hard since Harrison didn't come with us, so I spent the first few months in Florida, sad all the time, missing everything and hating that my little family wasn't together. Once Harrison moved to Florida I was definitely happy, but still just wasn't loving Florida. Mark was adjusting to his new position, and doing very well, and even though I wasn't in love with Florida, deep down I knew that relocating to Florida was the best decision for our family.
When our first year came to an end in Florida, things were going really well, I was SLOWLY learning to not hate Florida, the kids were doing well, and Mark was truly enjoying his job. Life was starting to become good....and well just when things seem to start falling into place, is usually when life decides to throw you a curveball! Last April Mark lost his job....the job we moved to Florida for. At first when he called to tell me, I honestly thought he was kidding...I mean this really couldn't be happening! We truly sat in shock for the next two days...and after that it was kind of like OH SHIT now what the hell are we going to do. It was scary knowing we had kids to take care of, bills to pay and no income coming in. Mark started looking for work, sending out countless resumes, going on interviews, and nothing came of it. It is amazing how long it takes you to save money, but it literally takes no time to quickly watch your bank account dwindle down. Mark didn't work for 3 months, and I cannot even begin to tell you how stressful those three months were. Our marriage was tested almost daily, and there were plenty of times I truly felt like just walking away was the easiest and best thing to do. We had A LOT of fights during that time, and there were days I wondered if we truly would be able to get through this together. We had discussed cutting our losses, and just moving back to Charlotte, but the reality was it costs money, a lot of money, to move and going back there with no job, no home....it just wasn't a good idea.
In July he was offered a job, and he of course took it. He was excited to get back to work, and I felt such relief knowing we could at least pay our bills. We moved to Florida for a better opportunity, and of course with that came a substantial raise in pay. This job he took in July was $50,000 less than what he was just making, but we knew something was better than nothing, and there was potential to come pretty close to the salary he was making. July and August were tough, we had A LOT of catch up to play, but life isn't always easy, and you do what you have to do.
Fast forward to September, we spent a week preparing our home for Hurricane Irma, spent countless hours looking for gas and water, and making sure our house was stocked with food...it was STRESSFUL. I remember sitting outside with Mark two days before Irma hit and we were more worried about the aftermath than the actual hurricane. We both looked at each other and it was like for the first time in a LONG time we were both on the same page....we just needed to leave Florida. The hurricane came and went, and thankfully our damage was minimal, and we are so thankful for that. Mark did miss time at work, because so much of Florida was just ruined. We made a decision that week, that by Thanksgiving we would not be in Florida.
In the business Mark is in, he knows a lot of people, and he started calling around to see what offers were out there for him. We were open to pretty much going anywhere (anywhere that had seasons that is...lol).
On a whim Mark made a call to one of our friends, who he also used to work with in Charlotte. She is in the same business as Mark, and he said if there were any open positions he would be interested and to keep him in mind....he just thought he would call put the feelers out...he wasn't expecting our dear friend to immediately offer him a position...that call was an answer to a prayer. Not only did she offer Mark a job, she also said there was a position for Harrison, this was HUGE for us. That night Mark and I sat with the kids and we talked and all agreed this was right for our family. Not only did our dear friend offer Mark and Harrison a job, they offered to let our family of SEVEN plus Chico to stay with them so we could get familiar with the area and take the time to find our own home. I was unsure about staying with them, imposing on them, but they were truly sincere in their offer and it just made the best sense to stay with them. So we packed up our house, moved it all into a storage unit and on October 20 we loaded some suitcases full of clothes and said goodbye to Florida!
The second we arrived here, Tracy and David made us feel welcome...and it was at that moment I knew everything had worked out the way it was supposed too. The hard times in Florida, they SUCKED, but it was because of them we got to leave Florida, and have this new opportunity. I spent the first week getting familiar with the area, getting the kids registered at school, and Mark and Harrison got straight to work.
Our plan was to be in our own home before the holidays, we had looked at a few once we arrived but nothing "jumped" out to us. I am always so amazed sometimes how things just work out...well shortly after we arrived Tracy told us she had been offered a new job and may be leaving the company, Mark was bummed about not getting work with her anymore, but we were happy for her and the opportunity for her. About a week later she sat us down and told us that her husband was offered a new position and they would moving to SC and it just made sense for us to just stay in the house...I almost felt like I was living in a dream...after months of heartache and stress, things were just all falling into place for us. So the week before Christmas Harrison flew to Florida, unloaded our storage unit into a UHAUL and drove it to our new home. We spent Christmas with our friends and they left two days after Christmas. We are so grateful to them for everything they have done for us...I will never ever be able to thank them for what they have done for my family. Their home is perfect for our family, during the time we all lived together she saw the love that fills our four walls, and she said there isn't anyone else she would rather sell her home to than us...it was truly all meant to be.
So now fast forward to current day....here we are living right outside Memphis TN....and we are happier than we ever thought we could be. Mark absolutely LOVES his job, Harrison loves his, Brooke is working, the kids are doing well in school and Chico is learning to get used to freezing cold temps!
Last year was TOUGH, it had more bad days than good, I cried more than I smiled, but I also learned a lot and realized I am a hell of a lot stronger than I thought I was. I would be lying if I said I wasn't THRILLED to be out of Florida, but I don't regret making that decision 2 1/2 years ago to go. At the time it was the best decision for our family and for Mark's career, and had it not been for Florida I wouldn't be here today....in a place I love almost as much as I love Charlotte. I feel at home, which is something I hadn't felt for quite some time. My marriage, though it was tested many times, is definitely stronger today.
Life is hard, going through tough financial times is HARD, life is anything but perfect, but I am so thankful for the life I get to live, even on the bad days I am grateful and feel blessed.
Thank you to all of you who have reached out to me over the last 6 months checking in on me and my family, it really does mean so much to me.
Thanks so much for stopping by today! We are celebrating St. Patricks Day tomorrow night at our house with some friends, and then Sunday I am planning on putting out my Easter decor and getting the kiddos all set to head back to school Monday!
