MN to NC: An Anniversary Update

A year ago… the journey began.

A year ago I tearfully hugged my parents goodbye, got behind the wheel of our mini-van and followed my husband out of St. Cloud, Minnesota and far away from my little blue house that I’d grown to love so much. Away from so many beautiful people and experiences.

A year ago we headed cross country with three little boys and a trailer packed with our belongings.

A year ago we thought we were headed for Tennessee when we were really headed for North Carolina.

A year ago we thought we’d be moving into our own home in just two weeks and that all would settle quietly into place.

A year ago we stepped out on an adventure we couldn’t have predicted if we’d tried.

The year as has now passed and it brought more craziness, upside down plans, and unexpected blessings than we could ever have planned for.

A Recap Of Our Year

It was a summer of a cancelled house contract, a job changed before it had begun, a cross over the state line, and the two week turned to two month long hospitality of my grandparents in their 1,000 sq. ft. mountain home.

Next door to my grandparents live a young couple with three little boys right around our boys age, so they immediately had playmates. God quickly answered Ryan’s prayer that he wouldn’t be without friends.

God blessed us with a house in the valley in an INSANE market. We arrived in NC in May, we closed on our home in July.

We tried to be sure and enjoy family time “in the waiting”, and that was truly a gift.

Still, life was full of packing and unpacking, house hunting, house cleaning, house renovating, then finally moving. All with the help of our church family.

See, there was no church hunt. We call home the first church we ever visited and were immediately blessed with solid gospel teaching, Christ centered worship and Biblical christian community.

God immediately blessed me with a friend I could be myself with and who had moved MANY times with small children. She helped me along in the journey of settling myself into a new home in need of MUCH love while juggling little humans who still needed me tons.

We sort of settled in but as August began, we were immediately traveling cross country for weddings and for funerals.

September came and still, life didn’t slow down.

It was time to start school as soon as we were finally home. I was an exhausted, surviving, homeschooling mama and chose to simply focus on solidifying foundational skills for the year, so that I didn’t go completely insane. We hit reading, writing, math and Scripture memory. It was enough.

Still, there was no rest for the weary. As soon as we got into the swing of school, we started having company. Lots and lots of company.

We were so happy to welcome them all. From end of September to end of October, there was almost always someone visiting us and our mountains… many of them friends we hardly ever see and we were so glad to reconnect. I couldn’t get over all the friends from my childhood of growing up in the south who were now close enough for visits!

But in all the joy of the reunions, I was tired. I was so tired. I hadn’t stopped since we’d decided to move and I had come down with COVID all at once that spring. I’d pushed and I’d pushed and I’d pushed… and I thought I had more to give.

But I didn’t.

My world came to a sudden and paralyzing halt as we started into November and the holiday season.

Derek had noticed a disfigured mole on my leg. This led me to pursue a biopsy. This led to clear results, but left me with intense pain and Cellulitis in the wound. (A rare occurrence, I’ve been told.) This led to a crater in my leg (I’ll spare you the pictures) and two rounds of antibiotics which saved my life and knocked the life out of me all in one fell swoop.

I suddenly wanted to sleep all the time and felt my blood sugar dropping frequently. Any activity could put me on my back for a day or more. Then, just as I thought perhaps I was getting passed the Cellulitis, it was followed by two intense kidney infections, one of which landed me in the ER on Thanksgiving. (I was in the waiting room for only ten minutes before being seen, and though I had to go in without insurance, God blessed us greatly with coverage for the bill. )

Two more rounds of life saving and sucking antibiotics left me even more exhausted than before.

Yet, it was all a greater blessing than I could have imagined.

See, if I’d thought the crazy year had exhausted me, it had tuckered my boys out all the more. And I probably would have embraced a crazy holiday season anyway. I just didn’t seem to know how to stop.

Yet this series of infections and antibiotics knocked me off my feet for the entirety of November and December. The boys and I spent most of our days quietly at home, allowing lots of time for schooling and reading and napping and playing and watching movies… and napping. There were many lazy mornings, when we’re normally early risers. There were many quiet evenings, when we often have plans.

I didn’t notice God at work at the start… it wasn’t until I began to notice a difference and a calming in my boys that I began to be so thankful for the season I was in.

Though painful, that season held such purpose and blessing.

At the end of all this, we headed to MN for Christmas. That was my deal with Derek when we left. I wanted so badly to spend Christmas with my parents.

We spent a lovely week in the snowy north before heading back south to start the new year.

On we went with school as a quiet January and February passed, filled with common winter sickness, many snuggles, a couple snows and lots of time indoors.

March came around and I had the itch to travel so I grabbed the boys and headed to south Georgia (the very week that gas prices began to soar) to see my childhood bestie and her husband and kiddos. It was a much needed get away!

The end of March was filled with company! First, my “closest thing I have to a little sister” Christina and her husband, Brandon. They are always a joy to have around. Next came a visit from my sweet friend, Kayla. We’d been counting down the days together since the fall. It was perfectly timed as it landed right between our 30th birthdays!

Ryan also started his first season of soccer that week and has been LOVING it.

April was basically non existent and quickly passing for me. It was filled with practices and games and extra diligent days of school work as Ryan was determined to be done by his birthday in early May.

May began and we finished school. (Ryan accomplished his mission). Last week Ryan celebrated his birthday with many friends and family and it made me happy to see him surrounded by people he loved and who loved him as he was so apprehensive about this move from the start.

I’ve spent the last week catching up on projects like helping Derek get the garden prepped and “polishing” our turd of a kitchen to tide me over until we can afford a full remodel. (I’ll share the improvements soon!)

Oh, and since about November, Derek has spent many of our evenings studying hard for his upcoming Master Electrician license exam in July. That has been an ever present theme this year.

And Now Here We Are…

I really can’t believe it’s been a year. It’s honestly flown by for me.

There have certainly been some trying moments and difficult seasons throughout.

I miss my parents. I miss my brother and sister-in-law and (soon to be three) adorable nieces. I miss my MN friends and church family. I miss our ND friends and family. I miss our amazing nurse practitioner who took such good care of me and my boys whom I’ve yet to be able to replace. I miss my little blue house and perfect, fenced in back yard. I miss having every store at my fingertips. I miss a snowy Christmas season. I miss many things that I had to leave behind.

Yet, since coming here a year ago, God has provided:

A home with my grandparents when we had none.

A good job for my husband.

Friends for my children.

Friends for Derek and I.

A solid church and loving church family.

A warm and comfortable house in the valley.

A view of the mountains.

A picturesque farm next door (without the responsibility 😉 )

Nature at our fingertips.

Medical care when it was needed.

Countless blessings and gifts I haven’t even realized or listed here.

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But see, here’s the thing. The blessings that have been poured out this year are not the “sure sign” that we followed God’s will. An easy transition isn’t proof that we “heard God right.” Being in God’s will can mean deep and abiding joy, but not always “happiness.” It means God providing our needs… but sometimes not the “needs” we think we have. God’s will can mean more ashes than beauty for a time, a painfully long night as we wait for the morning.

Derek and I had a peace about this when we pulled out of my parents driveway and headed south. No matter what this year had brought, we knew we could go and glorify God in the going.

Not that I’m good at this, but our hearts should always aim to be as Paul mentions in Philippians 4: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.“

Sometimes God gives us long hard seasons that don’t seem to have an end. Sometimes that’s his will. But I am grateful to say and just wanted to share… that this has not been that.

I don’t say this to boast, I simply don’t want to take it for granted.

See, you all walked this journey with me last year as we followed the Lord’s leading into the unknown. You cheered me on and encouraged me. You came along beside me through the ups and downs and offered so much support.

So I wanted you to know.

Our gracious God was so kind to make what could have been a much more difficult season, a season filled with great joy and many unmerited blessings. He could have allowed me to walk alone through this time… but he didn’t. He wrapped me up in the loving support of so many friends and family and it has been so bolstering for me. He could have allowed this year to be much more of a trial than it was.

If a harder season begins tomorrow, this truth remains unchanged.

I just wanted to take this moment, this anniversary, to update and to be grateful.

So here it is: One year and a journey later…

I truly feel at home here in North Carolina, God has provided abundantly, and I am just so very thankful.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17