In the beginning....or at least the re-beginning

So I have been a reader of blogs for some time now; and I have learned a lot from what others have said, experiences they have shared and I have sought other like minded bloggers.  I never thought I had anything interesting enough to share about myself but something about our move back to Virginia has inspired me to share my story, our life and our adventures as we return to our roots in Appalachia.  So this is the beginning of a chronicle of the journey back to our roots.  I hope you enjoy and are intrigued by the story; we have been truly in awe of what God has done in our lives in the past 6-9 months and are very excited to see what the future holds.

On Christmas 2010 we were here: 

happily entrenched in Atlanta, GA. Life was fabulous: a great home and neighborhood, wonderful friends, great careers, good childcare, great restaurants, shopping, cultural activities and finally a church we felt comfortable with Atlanta Westside

Why change any of that?  Here the story begins...hang with me this is a little long.

Between Christmas and New Years I was at the office(what better time to work then when no one is actually working right?) and I got a phone call at 7:45AM.  Now I typically don't answer the office phone at that hour because if I am in that early there is a reason and it is not to answer the phone; but I picked it up. A company executive I have deep respect for and had some past interaction with was on the line.  He was offering me a job in Salem, VA.  The job was to lead the team I had been a part of prior to moving to Atlanta 6 years prior.  My initial response was thanks but no thanks.  To understand that answer maybe these two pictures will help put it in perspective.

10th floor office in Atlanta with skyline views:

Plant in Salem, VA, my office has nitrogen tank views.... I am giving away the punchline but you had probably figured that out by now... we said yes.



Why Yes? Well, we had lived in Virginia before for 5 years. Actually Ed and myself both went to school in Virginia.  I did my BSME at Virginia Tech and Ed received his Master of Fine Arts from Radford University.  We started our married lives, careers, and purchased our first home in Roanoke, VA.  We had a fabulous time there and fell in love with the mountains and small yet eclectic city. During our time in Atlanta we frequently pined for the mountains and simplicity of life back in Virginia but never dreamed we would return.  Boy were we wrong.... On another note in Atlanta I had experienced the best leaders of my career and the worst; when this offer was made to me it had become clear that my "worst" manager was not going anywhere so I was being offered  "an out".

I can bore you with details but saying yes was an incredible leap of faith.  So many logical people would have said no to this.  Let me share with you the cons list:  Atlanta real estate market(down 30% vs 2008 high, we bought in 2006), Ed stopping and re-starting his career, limited long term career growth for me, leaving the fabulous church plant mentioned above, less shopping choices, less dining choices, going back to a factory enviornment vs headquarter lifestyle and networking, the chaos of moving with a 3 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old, miniature airport making travel more expensive and more difficult.  I could go on but you get the point.

However the pros were very strong: a great business leadership role for me in a very intriguing growing market, albeit plagued by starts and stops due to tax incentives.

A chance to return to a simpler life: no traffic, a yard for the kids, beautiful panoramic views, outdoor recreation at your doorstep, 4 hours vs 8 from my family, affordable Montessori education for our children, and a chance to re-embrace a place we had treasured in our lives.

We said yes and the adventure began.

Stay tuned; the story only gets better from here....