Question #1

I got some great questions/ideas for blog topics...so I will start with one question and work my way through them. You can keep sending ideas. :)

Someone asked, "Are you planning to move to Maryland with Jarrod?" I get asked that question ALL THE TIME. I figured this is a great time to answer it....

The boys and I are not planning to move to Maryland. Jarrod and I have discussed this MANY times. It is so hard for him to be away from us during the week. I know he would love having us there with him; however, the field of work that he is in can be so unpredictable and unstable. There's too big of a risk for us move to Maryland...Jarrod could be laid off...or transferred to New York...or receive a great job offer back in North Carolina. A couple of other reasons...

• The cost of living is so much higher in the area where he is working. I looked into 1 bedroom apartments for him and the rent is higher than what we are paying for our house!

• North Carolina is home for me....all of my family is here. It would be especially hard for me to leave my grandmother who is not doing well physically since she had her stroke a couple of years ago.

• I love the school where I teach...Eli will be starting kindergarten there next year. I am sure there are good schools in Maryland, but Easley is "home" for us.

• Finding a place to live with 3 big dogs would be quite a challenge.

We continue to pray about this situation, because we know that not having their Daddy around on a daily basis is not what is best for our boys. Perhaps an awesome job will open up in NC...but when Jarrod was looking before, every door was slammed shut. God is using this time apart to help make our relationship stronger....it sounds crazy, but with Jarrod gone all week we have gotten "closer" as a family. The boys are so excited when he comes home on the weekends. They spend a lot of great quality time together when he is home. He's like a rockstar...when they see him they start screaming, "DADDY!!!"

I frequently remind myself that he could be deployed in Afghanistan....or a truck driver gone for weeks at a time...or at home working crazy hours and always stressed out...or working a dangerous job causing me to worry about his safety all the time...or unemployed and depressed...

At least he is only 5 hours away...and he has driven all night to get home to help me with a sick kid...and I know he would be here ASAP if I needed him.

So, that was a VERY long answer to a simple question...no, we are not planning to move to Maryland...but if he got a job offer in Tahiti.....see ya! :)