New Beginnings

We moved!

It happened really quickly. We visited the area we had been praying about and researching , and things fell into place. While it sounds very casual and care free, indeed it was not. The Lowcountry was home for all our lives. It’s where we built our family and opened a school, we truly had to count the cost.

She’s a fixer upper, which is exactly what I didn’t want but exactly what I ended up choosing- of course. This was taken in the summer. If you were to drive by now? In winter? Not a single leaf on the trees, the grass is dormant. The sky is almost always grey which kind of also makes the house look cold and haunted. We had a tree fall on the house (in the back) so you will also see lovely mud tracks from all of the trucks and cranes- from the front to the backyard …mud. The previous owners did not take care of her, and we are cleaning up their mess and working hard to restore her beauty. She has big beautiful windows that overlook a creek. Lovely oak floors. She is old so she is solid. And has enough room and bedrooms for all of our people.

I am still left unsure of how to answer when someone asks me why we moved. What brings you here? How did you get here? We don’t have a great one liner. I could say more opportunities for our family and children who need services, etc.

I could also say for better schools. Wait- didn’t you open a school??? We did, and we love it and we are still involved with it. While HLS Beaufort is absolutely wonderful and is my heart, it wasn’t able to serve all of our children- and that meant that we didn’t know what to do with our non-HLS kids each year. So many factors that simply have to do to the amount of kids we have and the varying needs of all of them.

So, we partly moved for Catholic schools that are distinctly and devotedly Catholic. More school options? There is a Catholic full time Memoria Press school here and an HLS campus as well, and we now have kids in both!

I could say for hiking/camping- we’re close to the mountains. We could say lower cost of living and four seasons. All of these would be correct.

But at the top of the list is our faith and our desire to raise our children in a strong traditional Catholic community. It’s likely this won’t be understood by many unless you are a Catholic family who has done the same or is praying to do the same- living in an area that is not traditionally Catholic, for many reasons unique to our family- we knew we had to make a drastic change and that the souls of our children were more important than the beauty of the lowcountry.

We’re three months in- and undoubtedly know we made the right decision for our family. It hasn’t been easy or carefree- we’ve been in the middle of home updates and repairs, school and sports and life. There have been emotions and feelings and friends missed. We all have something that has been the hardest for us- for me in particular the change of landscape and the size of the city have been one of the hardest to adjust to. It is beautiful, just not salt water beautiful.

The following is a photo dump from the last three months, in no particular order- sometimes unexplained 🙂

I snapped this photo and sent it to my husband because it was a tangible answer to a prayer. We lived in a rural area for so long, and it was perfect for us for so long! But the last few years we dreamed of being able to go on a walk in a neighborhood. Weird right? We could walk previously- but at the risk of cars and dump trucks passing us at 50mph, busy two lane road and no sidewalks. Sometimes we took the risk and went, but mostly we drove 25-45 minutes away to be able to walk/run.
Being able to safely walk around a neighborhood (or let the kids ride bikes, etc) was something we never thought we’d miss or need until we didn’t have it.

We have a few favorite spots for hiking and biking, we’ve found our favorite parks and coffee shops, we’re slowly eating our way through Greenville (IYKYK) and the more we befriend new families- the more at home we feel. Early spring has been wonderful, the Catholic culture here is exactly what we had prayed for and heard it was. We have kids in soccer, tennis, altar serving, choir, schola, voice lessons, and school. There is no shortage of things to do, places to explore, activities to engage in.

*Hello, back to school and HLS Anderson.*

Adam is working remotely and there have been many benefits. While I do believe that men should work outside of the home when they can, it’s been nice having him “home” at 5pm. He is currently in the middle of building his office in the basement so that he has a place to “go” each day.

*I could never build a home from scratch- too many choices! I am a “I have no idea what I want, but I will know as soon as I see it” type of person.*

*Just a tree hanging out on our house for two weeks. We also uncovered a fire pit! Believe it or not, it was covered under so many leaves and sod- we had no idea it existed!*

*And making slow progress on the backyard* 😅 *Probably a never ending project.*

*The kid’s favorite spot hands down- Gather GVL*

Just fyi- real mountain biking is actually really hard. I over estimated my ability, at one point I wondered if I’d be able to walk the next day. But I’m also ready to do it again.

*Hands down **one** of my own favorite spots- Swamp Rabbit Cafe for raw milk, access to the swamp rabbit trail, family friendly environment, fresh food and ample outdoor seating.*

I am still “at” HLS Beaufort and I’m so thankful that I have been able to continue after a move. I am on campus at least once a month- and fufill the rest of my role from home. This school has been a blessing in our lives and I love watching how the Lord grows and changes it every year. I am also equally blessed and thankful to be in a classical education hub here, too, where all of our children can benefit from it and I can constantly glean from the great thinkers and leaders in the movement right here.

*I had to snap this photo of Ava’s (12) book stack she brought we with her to coffee. The Bronze Bow, A Place to Hang the Moon, The Bible, Famous Men of Greece.*

*The area we live in is growing rapidly, and it’s a little sad to see. There will be scenes like this , and the next block over is a clear cut subdivision or shopping center.*

*We dabbled in sourdough and I’m hooked!*

*Villager in “The Weight of a Mass”* *class play*

Life is good. Full. And well. We are thankful.