Where do we start?!

Back Where it All Begins

Every summer for past many years, we travel back to the motherland (aka Wisconsin) to see family and friends.  Our family fly would back and gather around the sandy beach of Long Lake to have fun in the sun with the cousins while the grown ups catch up on miscellaneous cocktails and beers.  All would come to an end when one of the family's packs up their cruiser to head back to their respective homes.  The end would come and our kids would go into shell shock when the cars would leave one by one.   The feeling of sadness in the cousins as they gave their goodbyes eventually subsided as we headed back to the West Coast.   But the feeling of family I think does not leave.   

Before the kids were born, it was never a big deal when we didnt see family for 6 or 12 months. (insert all jokes now)  Now we have kids and our extended family has kids, we all want to see them more.  Our family seems to travel all the time, every time of the year.  If its not Christmas, its some other time of year and usually going coast to coast or the Midwest.  The airlines love us, Park SFO loves us and the dog sitters might have to report income to the federal government for tax purposes we have been so many times.  

The West coast is a great coast.  I have been here since 1999 and Heather since 2002.   We have met so many great friends, traveled and really enjoyed every bit of it.  But in reality, life is screaming on by us before our eyes.  Seeing your family once maybe twice a year really should not be "the normal".   I mean lets be real...  6 hours of flying and 2 time zones just to get to Lambeau field is absolutely ridiculous!

So how the heck did we get where we are today?!   The decision was not an easy one.  I think Heather and I have been talking for quite a long time about moving somewhere.  Maybe Chicago, maybe Minneapolis, etc.   We would look at homes online, imagine what it would be like.  I remember when the Home Alone house came for sale. How cool would that be to have family christmas there?!   Would we leave Cash there all by himself and fly to Paris.... probably not Paris but...

We looked around at weather, location to other family.. travel to places, still had a "city" and good schools and of course.. a lake.  A real live lake.. well sort of lake..  but was not the dirty Delta. (where you may see a dead cow and maybe one "beach" with broken glass and probably a dead hooker.)   We ran a few scouting missions and decided upon Charlotte, NC.   Everything from the lakes, schools, weather, and we could actually DRIVE to see family or they could see us in a few hours.   We finally found a home in Fort Mill, SC where the schools are fantastic and the property taxes where half of North Carolina.  Go figure right?!   

Well, let the journey begin.