the small town life: Fast Foward Nearly 4 Years.... Hello Again

And I'm back!

What was intended to be simply a 1-2 month summer hiatus to settle into life post move turned into nearly 4 years.

I doubt anyone is still here waiting for me.

My oh my... so much as happened and our life is nearly unrecognizable {in a good way} compared to four years ago.

Sit back, hold on, and get ready for a quick recap of what we've been up to since my last post.

We sold our little house on the lake, purchased land, and moved into our camper for 16 months. This could fill an entire blog in itself. And while so many viewed us as utterly insane -- I mean, who chooses to move into a 26 foot long camper with a three year old -- we were completely happy. That year brought us so much closer as a family, taught us many lessons, and brought to light areas for growth in our family, marriage, and individual selves.

I wouldn't trade those 16 months for anything. Believe it or not, my husband and I often comment on how we miss those carefree and simple days. We joke about doing it again.... permanently. Instead, maybe we will be that retired couple that travels around the country living in their camper. That sounds like heaven to us.

We spent the summer and fall of 2015 clearing and prepping our land to build, adjusting to life in our camper, and spending time together as a family. I was blessed to go on a second mission trip and saw God move in ways that still impact me today.

Spring and Summer of 2016 brought with it the season of building. We heard so many negative stories of building from friends --- how stressful it is. Honestly, we loved this season and would build again in a minute! It was a fun and exciting season for our family. We spent our first night in our new home on July 1, 2016.

I started graduate school again to earn a second Ed.S. -- this time in the field of educational leadership and administration.

Fall and Winter of 2016 were spent settling in to life in our new home and surviving Saturday grad classes.

Spring, Summer and Fall of 2017 were spent making our house a home. I completed an Ed.S. in Ed Leadership and entered a new season in my career as I accepted a position as an elementary assistant principal. We enjoyed our first snow in our new home (December of 2017) and another big snow in January of 2018. Why would I document that, you may wonder? Well, when you live in the deep south, snow is rare and a BIG deal.

Spring of 2018 brought with it a new side venture for me. I created my own little cozy craft nook and began making farmhouse signs. What started out as something for our home quickly turned into a busy side business. Sterling Designs was born and has been a wonderful adventure.

I spent the most part of the Spring and Summer in 2018 outdoors either camping with my little family or gardening. I have found a love for gardening and canning. I love that my little mini-me also enjoys gardening and would rather spend her time running through the corn rows or chasing butterflies around the sunflowers than indoors on a tablet or watching TV.

We celebrated my husbands 40th birthday and spent nearly every weekend camping.

Fall of 2018 brought with it many blessings and some sorrow.

The Lord opened the door for me to move into a new position career wise. It has been the most wonderful blessing and there is not a single day that I do not enjoy my job. I work with the most amazing and talented ladies from all over the state who inspire me to be all that I can be in pursuit of helping others succeed.

We lost our sweet Bubba, who has been part of our lives since Mary Grace was 4 weeks and 4 days old. The Martins came into our lives when Jackie (aka Nanny J) began helping me with Mary Grace. They quickly became more like close family and have been by our sides through ups and downs. Bubba was like a father to Bob and I, and Mary Grace saw him as a grandfather. We miss him dearly every day and I often catch myself picking up the phone to call him. We know where he his and I cannot wait to see his face again one day.

And that brings us to where we are today... finishing the last few weeks of winter and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Spring. There are so many exciting things happening in this season of life.

Blog wise- I want to document the everyday moments and adventures that make our life so wonderful. Those milestones and simple joys that I want to remember. One of the favorite things about having a blog is the ability to go back and relive memories that I may have forgotten. I will always regret not documenting more in writing over the last four years, but today is a new day and a the perfect time to start something new or begin again.