North Carolina. One Year Later.

We have surpassed our one year mark living in North Carolina. This year has been nothing short of challenging. We have been feeling all the military life in a short 365 days. Relocation, transition, adjustment, deployment, reunification, and now switching squadrons one year later. Then we have to factor all the normal life stuff that happens. Eek! It has been one heck of a year! 

But these guys make it seem like a piece of cake!

They just go with the flow and look for the positive.

That is all my husband's qualities right there ;)

The one thing I have loved more than anything is the beach. I remember posing the 'Best Coast? West Coast' question. My long time East Coast based military friend promised I would convert to East Coast beaches once we arrived. I always loved the fierceness of the West Coast waves. However, the East Coast is more user friendly. It's warm in the summer, the waves aren't gigantic, the beach area is huge, and there aren't nearly as many rules. Carolina beaches are the best.

Second, I love our location on the East Coast. North Carolina is pretty much the midpoint between the tip of Maine to the tip of Florida. We are in the prime spot to travel. In our first year, we travelled to Virginia, South Carolina, and the ultimate...Florida! It was so easy and I can see us going to all those places again. This year we plan to travel to add Washington DC and New York to our travel list. 

Third, I love how my introverted child has thrived here. It honestly broke my heart when we told our kids we were moving to North Carolina. Moving tweens and teens is much harder than moving littles. It is. When you have a introverted child, it adds much more stress (for child and parent). One honest truth, my child did not fit the mold of a California child. He had a small group of friends who he didn't have many class periods with. So, he spent every lunch period in the library. Heart breaking. In NC, he still has a smaller core group but a broader group he interacts with. I can't drop him off or pick him without someone shouting out to him. I love that for him.

All the other little things I love here: Spring, Fall, wildflowers, fresh seafood, and Carolina BBQ. I'm sure I love other things but today this is my short list :)

I've been open and honest about our adjustment; however, it hasn't been all bad. With one more year left, we will continue to enjoy the good things about North Carolina.

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