Welcome to Georgia.

So we left Charleston at 8 pm on Saturday, May 26, 2012 and we arrived at our humble abode in Fortson, GA around 2 am on Sunday May 27th. Alex started the drive and right passed Savannah, I took over and finished it out. When we got to the house, we checked it out quick, blew up the two blow up mattresses, and all of us hit the hay. It had been a TERRIBLY long day.

Sunday morning our little alarm clock woke us up :) I will give you 2 guesses as to who that alarm clock was :)

We got showered and ready and went for breakfast at IHOP. DELICIOUS. The movers were supposed to get there at noon. I KNEW they wouldn't make it by noon. There was no way. Turns out they finally showed up at 2:30. So they had to drive the big truck and pull a 12 x 6 trailer behind it. When they got to our house and took a long look at our driveway, you could tell that they were NOT excited about backing into it. Luckily Alex and dad were outside. Alex took over as traffic director. Finally, after MULTIPLE attempts at backing it in, the moving guy got out and let my dad take over. Dad backed the truck up NO PROBLEM. It was beautiful... and kind of funny. Dad made sure to tell them that a "pig farmer" was able to show them how it's done.

It only took like 20 minutes to unload the trailer bc dad and Alex helped. When the movers went to move the truck down the driveway to get rid of the wagon, it wouldn't start. They worked on it for 30 minutes. We were all a bit on edge about it. FINALLY they got it to work. FINALLY. We were ALL sweating bullets. It was to the point that we just wanted it to all be done.

Here was our staging area... the garage. I paced around and pointed from in here.

Here's our truck that was packed to the brim with a trailer packed to the brim...and we still left stuff behind.

Last bit of crap to unload.

Mom took Charlotte on a walk when the movers got there. She fell asleep on the walk so we left her in her stroller. She slept the ENTIRE time the movers were unloading. She finally woke up when we were finishing up paying them and when they were enjoying a cold beverage.

It may have taken 6 hours to load everything into the trucks but it only took 2 hours to unload it. We were able to make the house liveable enough for the night. Monday we got up and worked on the house. We got more stuff unload, everything where it needed to be placed. The cable and internet were installed and working. Monday was a SUPER productive day.

We then got ready and ran to Columbus for a drive to show mom and dad the city and then get some dinner.

Here is the front of our home in Fortson...

We live in a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath ranch in the woods of Georgia. It's an all brick home and is only a hundred square feet small than our home in Charleston that we left behind. It's a beautiful home :) It was a great find... great job, Alex :)

After dinner we headed back home and we all hit the hay. It was another busy, tiring day. Mom and dad got up and left for home around 4 am so they could stop and have lunch with some friends. They were amazing. Words can not express how helpful mom and dad were. We couldn't have done this without them, that's for sure. They helped with Charlotte, helped the movers, cleaned like crazy, and did anything and everything to help out. Thank you, mom and dad. You are fabulous. We owe... we owe you millions for this. We will just subtract the IHOP tab from the millions we owe you :) We love you and are so lucky to have you.

So, here we are. Georgia residents. Georgia on my mind.

It's Been Real, Charleston

On September 1, 2005, I took up residence in Charleston, SC. I had recently turned 23 years old. My closest family member was my uncle who lived in Newport, NC. Other than that, the rest of my family lived in Illinois. I left behind every single person I had ever met in my life. I left behind best friends, enemies, ex boyfriends, my cats, etc. I left my hometown and my college town in hopes to start a new life and try to do it all on my own. I needed to just leave the past behind and move towards a different future. 

Charleston, you gave me one of my very best friends in this entire world. She knew when she interviewed me that July in 2005 that we could be friend. Who knew that we would grow to be the type of friends that we are. Very rarily is your very first friend anywhere, still one of your best friends seven years later. Charleston, God and fate gave me Alysia. Had I not had Alysia, I don't know if I would have made it in Charleston. She actually became my everything all rolled into one... my best friend, my sister, my family, my soul mate, my link to Charleston.

And she gave me her family too. Charleston, you gave me more family. More and more family. You gave me these fabulous people that took me in as one of their own...as their third daughter. After only being in Charleston a few weeks, they invited me into their home in NC for the weekend. 

Charleston, you gave me an amazing group of friends. I celebrated many birthdays in this city with many different people at them. Charleston, you brought a bunch of fabulous women into my life... and a few stinkers... and I thank you for giving me time with these amazing people...and the stinkers. (The stinkers taught me quite a bit about myself and I have since deleted any stinkers. I don't have time to waste on people that aren't worth my time.)

Charleston, by leaving you, I am leaving these ladies, along with many others, behind. I've share so many important memories and moments with these loves. I cherish each of them (even Brooklyn even though we haven't hung out much.) They are amazing.

Charleston, you gave me experience as a nurse. You gave me a job in Women's Health so I could work with the moms and the babies. You gave me the opportunity to see life outside of my small town world I came from. Charleston, you gave me the opportunity to move into the Level 2 nursery and work with the most sick of all of the newborns in the hospital. You allowed me to push myself into working in an environment that I would normally not have worked. Charleston, you gave me nursing experiences that I feel I could not have gotten anywhere else.

And, Charleston, you gave me amazing people to work with. You gave me women that treated me like I was one of their children. You gave me women that treated me like their sister. And you gave me women that treated me like their best friend.

Charleston, you helped me meet women (and a man) through work that I will be friends with for the rest of my life. You have brought me some really amazing women (and some really mean and crabby ones but we won't go there). They have taken care of me when I needed it. They have watched over me when my family couldn't. 

Charleston, you even allowed me to be the support person for a great friend and a fabulous person while she had her third baby girl. You gave us a chance to meet and grow close. I got to cut the cord of her sweet baby girl and I got to be one of the first ones to hold her. Charleston, thank you for that moment. It's a once in a lifetime thing.

Charleston, because of you I have actually vacationed outside of the United States. I went on a cruise with 6 other girls and it was a complete blast. The only other time I had been out of the United States was when I crossed the bridge into Canada when I was staying with my beautiful friend in Michigan. It was 10 minutes outside of the US. So, I am able to say I've left the US for vacation. Had I not moved to Charleston and met the friends I met, I might not have been able to say that...

Charleston, thank you for introducing me to friends who love the Gamecocks. Because of you Charleston, I know what the Gamecocks are and when I here the phrase "Go Cocks", I know someone isn't just being inappropriate.

Charleston, you gave me more family. You gave me people that love me. You gave me extended family that no matter how much time goes between us seeing each other, when we finally do see each other, it's just like it was the last time. Charleston, you allowed me to be a part of some of their deliveries/care while they were in the hospital...something I will never forget.

Charleston, because of you, I could brag to my Illinoisians that I lived "X" number of minutes from the beach. I could brag that I went to the beach in July or in December. I could send pictures like this back "home" and say "Wish you were here".  Living this close to such beautiful beaches, that is a once in a lifetime thing...something I knew never to take for granted.

Charleston, you gave me beautiful scenery at every glance (I'm sure there's even beauty downtown in the ghetto of the ghetto. It just might not be AS obvious.) Picture perfect, right???

Charleston, I believe that I was brought to you so I could meet so many amazing people. But I really truly believe I was brought here to live so Alex and I could cross paths. I believe that when I threw my dart at the map and it landed on this GORGEOUS city that God planned for Alex and I to meet, fall in love, and get hitched :) Charleston, thank you for my husband. Thank you for having him come to you and having me come to you.

Charleston, you gave me my own fairy tale wedding.

You gave me a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky with AMAZING scenery. Charleston, thank you for being great. It was a perfect day with our best friends present as we began the rest of our lives.

Charleston, I became a Mrs. in your gorgeous city. I married the man I had been waiting for. Charleston, because of you, I got to live out my fairytale.

Charleston, I am also thankful that I got to share you with the Weber side of my family...

...and the Schumann side of my family. I am thankful that I had my wedding in this amazing city so I could share my part of the world with my fabulous family.

Charleston, because of you, my first little man, Maximillion Pujols Jackson is part of my life. Charleston's Craiglist is to thank for him dropping into our laps on the beautiful October day. My life would not feel complete without this little furry friend.

Charleston, I got pregnant with my first sweet baby while living in Charleston. I also found out officially that I was pregnant...in a Jason's Deli bathroom with my sister and Diane listening to me pee on the stick. 

Charleston, Alex and I bought our first home within your city limits. (and we still own it...in case anyone is interested in buying it). You brought us the opportunity to own a gorgeous home to start making our family memories in. 

And you gave me this view out my back window every single day... a view I NEVER could have had in a state like Illinois. Charleston, you gave me another fairytale.

Charleston, I got to have my beautiful baby girl while I was living in your city. I gave birth to the most amazing child I have ever had the opportunity to know. I gave birth to a miracle from God while living in you.

My family became complete while I was living your city, Charleston. You gave me my own family.

A now, after 7 years and memories out the whazzoo, Charleston, I must say goodbye. I must bid you farewell.

Charleston, my life has changed substantially from September 1, 2005 to May 26, 2012. I came to you to start a new life and that is exactly what happened. When I moved in 2005, I had told myself that I needed to at least make it one year. I figured I could do anything for a year. Here I am, seven years later, finally saying goodbye. Thank you, Charleston, for the great experiences, the gorgeous views, the amazing friendships, my wonderful husband, and my brilliant daughter. Thank you so very much, Charleston,

It's been real. Real amazing.

Goodbye 570 Ivy Circle...

Oh, moving day. You make me so sad. 

570 Ivy Circle was the first house that Alex and I owned. It had so much character...especially for being a cookie cutter house in a neighborhood where you can still see your neighbor's nose hairs from looking out your window into theirs. The yard was beautiful. The colors on the inside were beautiful. There wasn't anything that it didn't have that we had wanted in a home. It was hard to drive away from something so perfect for us. I mean, how many other people do you know that have 7 palms of some sort in their yard??? Yep, we did!!!

Even though we didn't live in Grand Oaks long enough to make a TON of friends, we will had great neighbors and were surrounded by people willing to help if we needed it.

Alex spray painted this mailbox...one of his many projects :) 

Our fimosa tree was beautiful and completely unique... it was a pain in the butt at times but it was an awesome tree.

Goodbyes suck but they are necessary for the next chapter so start.

SO, we loaded up for the 6 hour drive to Columbus. Bc of cleaning the house for the renters and the movers not finishing up until 5:30, we didn't get to leave the Charleston area until 8 pm. Charlotte was ready for some McDonalds...and then bed time.

Getting the car loaded in a way that the items didn't fall and injure our child was quite a trick. Max rode with mom and dad. He sat on the center console the entire time keeping them company.

As we drove out of Charleston County, we left at dusk....my favorite time of the day. It was perfect timing. Goodbye Lowcountry. 

Moving Day

Saturday May 26, 2012 was moving day. We all got up and got going. The movers were supposed to come at 11. By 11:30 we were calling them asking what the heck??? But they showed up about 11:45 am. They pulled up with their large truck (not a semi) and a small trailer to pull behind it. I had ordered the trailer as back up in case our whole house doesn't fit into the truck. As they get out and take a look at the outside of the house, they asked why we had ordered the trailer. I told them that I had had a freak out moment and I called the company and ordered it as a back up. They laughed at me. Thought it was funny but they KNEW they wouldn't need it. I said, "We'll see... Better to be safe than sorry."

Let the loading begin!!!!

Max was super confused but excited about having a box spring to hang out on.

Morning nap came right after the movers did :) So Papa and Goose had some time together. She was so tired she literally laid down on his shoulder and was out.

Brittney, our wonderful neighbor that has helped babysit Charlotte and has kept me company many days, came over to say goodbye as well. Charlotte loves Brittney but she loves her dog-dogs even more. When Charlotte see Brittney, she instantly starts yelling "dog-dog". So funny. Then she barks... "woof woof"

I don't have a picture of  this but Charlotte and dad took another nap together in the rocking chair under the front tree. Her afternoon nap was taken in Papa's arms as well. Right after that, they ate about half of a carton of ice cream together. HILARIOUS :)

Naturally the ice cream truck came during moving time. Charlotte had her first real white trash ice cream truck experience. Buying ice cream from a creepy van in just a diaper. (Note our moving truck in the background. It was full at this time.)

She's so excited!

And she loves the rocket pop thing. Naturally mom was excited about getting Charlotte something that was Americana. Who knew???

The movers finished loading the truck AND THE TRAILER around 5:30. They were exhausted. I told them that they will never doubt a pregnant woman again. They filled the truck. They filled the trailer. We still had stuff left at the house that wouldn't fit. So we left those odds and ends and donated them to the Kidney Foundation. I am pretty sure they hated how much stuff we had.

Everything that's left on these counters had to fit in the already full 2 Tahoes that were going to Georgia. Julie hit the jackpot that day. She got a ton of food and cleaning products to take home and use. It was the LEAST we could do for her for all that had done for us. I really don't know what we would have done had Julie not come and spent 8 hours with us. She cleaned the carpets, helped clean the house, helped throw stuff away, she put out any fires with the renters. Julie is amazing. We are so very lucky to have her and my parents in our lives. If it weren't for the three of them, I am pretty sure I would have either gone into preterm labor from all of the work the needed to be done or I would have had a stroke from my blood pressure spiking bc of the stress.

Max had no idea what to think of his empty house...

The best realtor in the entire world. Julie Gilmore. She's amazing. I look hot. Don't be hating. This is me after a crying shower, no make up, and very little sleep.

Charlotte hates to say goodbye to "Aunt Juju"

One last picture in front of our humble abode... :(

I hate goodbyes...