WI to NC: the full scoop on our move

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Written by Amber -

It's crazy to think that just over a month has gone by since we've been living in Raleigh. Within the first two weeks, we unpacked, got settled, shot our first Raleigh wedding, went to our new church, shot a high school senior portrait session, had meals with new people (and some we already knew), got our new driver licenses, found & bought a car to get around in, and even managed to take a nap in there somewhere. The following two weeks held a couple other Raleigh shoots, networking events, some more friend-making and a work trip to DC. To say we feel like we've been living in a whirlwind would be an understatement.

On social media, we had been documenting our travels from WI to NC in real time, but we haven't updated much since we arrived, nor have we documented this adventure on our blog. Now that we've had a chance to get here and breathe, we want to say, "Thanks." So many close friends made this cross-country transition much easier for us. Their endless encouragement, hugs, dinners and prayers mean SO much to us!

As we merged onto the Interstate in WI heading south in our 14' U-Haul, it hit us. I'll never forget it. "This is the first road trip we've ever gone on where there's no return trip," Chad pointed out. "We don't have to pack up and head home a few days after we get there because we will be home." We were both giddy with anticipation and excitement at the thought. Months of mental & physical preparations had led to that very moment, and all at once, the emotion released from me in the form of the most joyful tears I've ever had. Neither of us could stop smiling or laughing. We even laughed at the shout of our echoing voices in the noisy cab as we reached our cruising speed of roughly 65mph, cars whizzing past on both sides. "Here we gooooooo!" I exclaimed. "We're actually doing it! This moment has finally arrived!" The 2-day drive was safe and smooth—well, you know—as smooth as a U-Haul ride can be. (Which is "not very" if you were wondering.)

We are really enjoying Raleigh so far—it's a wonderful place to be with TONS of potential! Currently, it's the second fastest growing city in the U.S., so it's neat to be a part of that statistic. Everyone we meet says, "Welcome to Raleigh. I just moved here from ________. You're going to love it here." 

As true as we KNOW that is, there are still days we wake up and think, "What are we doing? Did that really just happen? WHY?!" Of course our excitement for being here far outweighs the doubts, but we're human—thoughts creep in. We think it's healthy. We never want to be in a place in our lives where we're so comfortable that we have no fears at all. It seems like the amount of fear/doubt we have parallels the size of the risk we take. Without risk, there are no rewards and no new experiences. Also, we know there is great potential for us here—in life, ministry, and business—so there's a certain Enemy who's working overtime to convince us otherwise. We are pressing on.

Every day here starts with individual time in the Bible and in prayer to keep us focused. We believe we're right where God wants us: in a place where we cannot lean on our own understanding and cannot steal the credit for anything amazing that happens—a place where God guides, God gets the glory and we grow. It's perfect. And not the "tied up in a pretty little bow" perfect, but that "ugly, no expectations, we're going to roll with it and just trust" kind of perfect.

I can't wait to look back on this post (and my tear-stained, scribbled-upon journal pages) in the future and smile at the adventure we boldly walked through as a couple with the knowledge of what it leads to. Until then, one day at a time, with God's presence, we will live with no regrets.

"My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong… No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God." -1 Sam 2:1-2 (NLT)

SNAPSHOTS OF OUR MOVE
Ode to WI, travel pics & our arrival to NC

(We're missing a few undocumented friend dinners right before we left WI... This slideshow is not all-inclusive. We love and miss you each so much—you know who you are!)

Mitch, Jenna and Amy are 3 of our closest friends and best encouragers. 

Little Brigham needed a few last grabs of Chad's beard before we left.

James & Mike are great friends of Chad's that he originally met at Snap-on.

Katie left around the same time we did for an adventure of her own—Texas!

Amanda and I were college roommates all 4 years and have remained extremely close ever since. This was a tough goodbye!

Amanda, Charlie and their family mean so much to us. SO many memories together over the years!

Sam and Kyle have become very close to us over the last year or so. SUCH great encouragers & loyal people.

An impromptu beach day at North Beach in Racine over Labor Day weekend was perfect: bocce ball, sand castles and picnic food with silly friends.

Aaron and Elizabeth... We love them dearly and enjoyed soaking in some relaxation with them.

Dear Laura is a college friend of ours who we get to see every so often. Her ministry, prayers and love are so meaningful.

Lew and Carol have been great friends from our church. A surprise Brewers/Cardinals seat-upgrade from them made this night extra special.

Jeff and Cheryl are more than mentors to us. They are prayer warriors, cheerleaders, wisdom-givers and true friends. 

Chris and Stephanie are inspirational in our lives. They empowered us to start our business and have remained friends since we've known them.

Amanda, Kaylee and tiny Ellie stopped in for some final hugs before we left :)

Steve was Chad's boss at Carthage, the photographer of our wedding, design conference companion, and has been our longtime friend. 

Hannah surprised us! She was a student in our first youth group in Kenosha. We realized Chad & I were actually younger than Hannah's current age the last time we saw her! SUPER special.

We have gotten to know Nate pretty well in the last couple years and will miss him lots.

Adam and Melissa are two of the best people we met in Racine. We became fast friends and loved walking through life with them. (Baby Emmalin was still cooking in this pic! She's a month old now.)

Josh & Lizz are two past students from youth group as well—they've become friends of ours as well. We love our chats with them!

Al and Jackie are irreplaceable people. They're so fun-loving, encouraging and friendly. We've grown as people since knowing them.

Patti {and her husband, Rick} are near and dear to us as well. Infectious laughter, welcoming spirit and encouraging nature. 

These are some of our favorite people! Sam & Kyle, Bekah & Steve and Nicole. We love them all!

Before leaving, we spent as much time at Lake Michigan as we could! North Beach (and the entire lakefront area) will remain close to my heart.

We enjoyed doing life & ministry alongside Andrea, Megan and Leanne over the last few years. Community has been so important to us!

It's all fun & games until you actually have to finish packing...

Mark & Raquel sent us this pic on the way to their honeymoon, just letting us know they were thinking about us as we were heading out. <3

We packed our material lives into this 14' U-Haul.

And we couldn't have done it without Chris! He helped us pack up the truck! HE'S THE BEST!!!

Ridin' in style... Let the adventure begin. Since we sold our car, the U-Haul was our "get around vehicle" for another day.

Inspection went smoothly—here's the last look at our apartment after we handed off the keys.

There were a couple important stops on our way out of WI.

11 years in Kenosha were SO good to us! 

I mean.... since we had the U-Haul ;)

It certainly was a beautiful drive!

Misty mountains on day 2 of our drive.

Miles of open road at sunrise.

Scenic & serene.

This tunnel through a mountain was the coolest! (Said the flatlanders from the midwest.)

Last chance to decide... return to Racine or continue on to the Carolinas...

Lake Michigan is irreplaceable, but I'm thinking mountain views may be our new go-to.

The state line!!!

YAY!

"Home stretch" to Raleigh. At this point, we were beyond excited!

We made it! Our roommates picked the most beautiful home to rent.

And we thought we got rid of a lot of stuff... Now the unpacking begins. Yikes.

Our friends / roommates left us the sweetest welcome in our new bedroom!

Car shopping is exhausting... We were delightfully surprised to stumble upon this cute little Suzuki hatchback, though. Victory!

'S' is for "south." And "Suzy"—our wheels to get us around in NC. 

The cutest little, cartoon car ever.

As we find new routines and take in new scenery, this view from the screened-in porch will never get old.

We're also loving our new home church at Elevation RDU where our friend, Jacob, gets to help lead worship.