Top TEN!!!

So as we are winding down our last week here in New Hampshire I had started my Top Ten Things I LOVE and will MISS in NH list on Facebook... then I realised our Internet will be shut off long before Saturday (when my #1 should have been posted) so I'm cheating and doing it here!!!

10: Winter beauty: do not get me started on how I HATE the snow and all things cold but there really isn't anything like going outside after a blanket of snow.. it is SO QUIET, and beautiful... what did not make the list is the 2 days after the beautiful blanket of snow when everything is soggy, muddy, salty and down right gross!!!

9: Small town feel/ So I'm not sure if there is any place else in the US that is Literal full of TOWNS, not CITIES TOWNS.. and they are very happy and resist becoming a City at all cost.. the New England folks are a tough nut to crack but once you do they'll do just about anything for you...

8:  Lots of fun family stuff to do, we've visited Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory in VT, gone apple & blueberry picking, forth of July fireworks, old home day, days at the lake just relaxing, skiing/snowboarding for the kids (adults too if they wanted but these adults don't!) Bostons science museum, freedom walk, harbor museum and the ships old and new to go through and see... I know GA will have just as many (if not more) things for families to do but we have had a blast seeing all there is to see and do in NH (and surrounding areas)

7:  I know this was mentioned in the last post but it REALLY needs it's own, Skiing and snowboarding... why do you ask I put this on the top 10 list when I myself (or Ben) do not do either... because we moved here the week after Thanksgiving when Brad was in 4th grade and Hunter was in 2nd we enroll the kids in Bradford Elementary and with our we...

6: Lake Life, Thankfully GA has lots of lakes but I cant deny that NH has the best lakes I've have ever seen (yes even better than CA sierra's) have lots of memories of hanging out at the dock of Lake Sunapee with the kids swimming and having fun! I will definitely miss Lake Sunapee Dock!!!

5: History, The History of the North East is fascinating, funny at times and just awesome.  from going to Fort #4 (Google it!) or the Indian Museum (there are several but we have gone to Warner NH one).. every little corner of New England is packed full of History and lots of fun things to learn about the birth of our Nation.

4: Fall Foliage, I had heard of the New England fall foliage before moving here but until you actually see it face to face in no way can you appreciate it... it really is probably my most favorite season and I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it before..

3: the People of NH, they are a no nonsense people who work hard and tell it like it is... I know I'm going to have to go back to makeup wearing doing my hair Georgia but here in NH especially in the winter I felt just as at home with my hair back and not a stitch of make up on... so thankful for this place that has welcomed us!

2: Our church family.  I don't know if it was because it was NH and on a whole it is hard to "crack those nuts" but it took us a while to find our groove but we did and I will miss the Concord Ward SO MUCH!!! it is a unique ward with a big Student group that rotates out every few years but I have learned so much from the people here, I have had the pleasure to serve with cub scouts, Young women (camp!), Young Men (scout merit badge stuff) and of coarse the Primary I can not say enough how much I have loved serving and working with this group of people it has taught me so much  and we will miss YOU so much.

#1:  I know that the people I have met and love so dearly that we are grown ups we can visit and call and keep in touch but there is going to be a huge void when I can't just go over to my best friends house or her mine.. She has been with me through some of the most extreme moments I have had in the last 6 yrs.  we have laughed, cried, vented, asked opinions and advice we have had deep discussions and had very light hearted exchanges.. we have cheered for our kids from the side lines and have hiked through the muddy turane of Cub Scout Day camp AND Girls camp.. day trips, movies you name it our kids have grown to love one another and each consider the other their 2nd Mom, I am not only leaving my best friend I am leaving someone who I know would step in for me in a moments notice for my kids and THAT IS HUGE!!! any one reading this already who knows me knows who I am talking about so I won't mention names in this public forum just know I know what a void will be left in my and my families life!!! and YES we will keep in touch visit back and forth and phone calls for sure so I'm not disappearing ever but I'm not looking forward to this change AT ALL!!!

ta ta 

our new home

So Ben finalised the deal on our new home and it will be ours on February 1st! He is quite the trooper and did good! I asked him to take some pic's so we could see it all and those are great too only he didn't take any pictures of the kitchen (he says its small)... We are leasing it for a year so if I end up hating it we can always find something (in the same area etc) then we'll move in a year.. I am so happy we don't have to move into an apartment and that things are a little more settled!
here are some pic's

front of house yes it is VERY BLUE the landlord actually offered to paint it we shall see..

back deck more than enough room for bbq patio set etc.

back yard and shed

master bedroom has a loft one possibility is the boys get this room and one has the loft but I'm on the fence!

living room

this is actually another bedroom, not the master so we shall see how this all works out I think this would make a fantastic Den but I haven't seen it in person to decide yet we are reserving all decisions until I have seen everything with my own eyeballs!

So I didn't post every picture but it's clean has hard wood throughout (thank goodness I didn't replace the carpet cleaner that just bit the dust!) and has all the appliances (we'll be moving our washer and dryer and putting it in the shed..)  anyway we are getting excited and really feel good with the direction this is all going...
we are trying to schedule the move for Jan 26th and 27th (they'll pack everything up the 26th and then load the truck and take off the 27th.  fingers crossed that end of it will work out well... we'll probably leave NH Monday the 30th... but the moving company will have more to say regarding those dates than we will but that is our ideal plan!!!
ta ta

Peachtree City GA here we COME!!!

So although we don't have a house to rent secured yet we have found where we are gong to live...
PEACHTREE CITY. it is a lovely city with an EXCELLENT high school, middle school and elementary schools which I have to say was the deciding factor. 

So when we went down to check things out the week after Christmas we had narrowed our search down to a couple of cities Peachtree was actually on the bottom of our list because when we were doing searches it seemed to be the farthest out from the Airport BUT when we arrived and immediately went down to it it actually wasn't as far as we thought and we really fell in love with the city!

 Peachtree is a "golf cart community" which means their are 100's of miles of golf cart trails (that you can also walk, and ride bikes on) Kids who have their learners permit (which you can get at age 15) can actually drive the golf carts with out an adult with them.  above is a pic of the high school parking lot they actually encourage the use of the golf carts because there is not allot of space for parking.

 I have to say we first encountered the golf carts when we stopped in a shopping center to pick up a few things, we first noticed the signs "cart crossing" or "yield to carts" we figured there must be a senior living center somewhere close when we did some further investigating we got the low down on the "golf Cart community"... we think this is kind of neat and have already started looking for a golf cart.. there not too expensive!

not that we are golfers or anything but there is 5 award winning golf courses in Peachtree so my brothers should want to visit!!!

So all in all we feel good and the more we do research the more we find we probably have made a good decision Peachtree City has been consistently in the top 100 cities to live in for the past few years here is the most recent article I could find where peachtree came in 91 in the top 100 in 2011. 

So Ben leaves on Monday he's driving down because he didn't want to be with out a car for any length of time He has some leads on a couple of rental homes (fingers crossed one of them will work out!) if not we do know of an apartment complex that has 4 bedrooms available that we can hopefully not sign a hugely long lease while we look for a house to rent... we feel good about all of this.  My last day of work is next Friday the 13th (yes I know I'm asking for trouble last day being Friday the 13th).  we are actually thinking we are going to try to be out of here by the 1st of Feb if we can get everything to fall into place...

Brad I think is coming to terms with the change, not happy of coarse but not actively miserable either.. Hunter seems to have glimpses of being excited and KayLea is very excited so we have the whole range of emotions.. we certainly are going to miss NH but know this is whats right for our family now...
we love you all and appreciate so much your support and prayers through out this time please keep the prayers coming they are obviously working!
ta ta