We truly are "Happy!Happy! Happy!" as Uncle Si says.
Fourteen years ago, when we moved to Visalia,CA from the O.C.; I was so lonely and isolated, twenty-two years old and my first time away from family and home. I cried nearly everyday for months on end though I had family nearby. I missed my friends, my job, my family and the place I grew up. As the years went on, I made friends, got great jobs, learned to be happy in my surroundings and adapted. It was so hard but worth the life change it brought about for me.
We lived a very rough, long stretch of life for many years. My Grandparents passing away, then both parents struggling with health issues and ultimately Marty's renal failure and transplant. We missed out on many years of living life while waiting for his transplant. Our plan to move came about during his waiting period and gave us hope that we could start again. It was the fuel that kept us going along with many prayers from our support system.
We agonized over leaving our family and friends once again. This wasn't an easy decision and very unpopular with some close to us. I spent many days crying after hearing how upset some were that we were moving. It wasn't easy but we knew it was time to go.
As we were driving out of California, Lizzie turned to me and said, '' I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest." and that is how we all felt. We were following our dreams as a family, taking a chance and a leap of faith.
We are so happy to have made this move. The overwhelming peace we feel is truly amazing, undescribable, and long awaited. Truly for the first time in years, we are really living life in a big way. We are meeting new friends, reconnecting with old friends and finding our way. We love exploring the area and finding new treasures along the way. We love our new little rental house, it is really nice and cozy. Soon we plan on looking for our own home.
This week I talked to three of my SOH's Olga,Tammy, and Heather all in California. They all said how amazed they were at everything happening. I also had two surprise visits from Twitter friends at work this week; Mary, Jane and Jeff all stopped by and gave me hugs. Next weekend I get to see my dear friend Kim in her beloved Pigeon Forge, a six year dream come true! I haven't felt alone or isolated this move at all, so very different from the first time around,
Thanks for all of your support along the way. The emails, phone calls, texts and tweets have kept me going and encouraged us.
 |
| Our family loves TN |
 |
| My new friend Flavia |
 |
| Happy C and E at Cades Cove |
 |
| TN cousins sleepover! |
 |
| From my front porch |
 |
| Even Max is happy |
 |
| E enjoying our front yard with the dogs |
