We do a lot of this lately...

Madeleine on speaker phone with her daddy. We are gearing up for our next big adventure in life. Andrew already left last week and we miss him, a lot!

Our family will be relocating to Maine for several months to build a house for one of his closest friends who has relocated to Maine as a professor there. Andrew went up in February to assess the situation and learn more about the project and he was mesmerized by the beauty of Down East Maine. It is a great opportunity for him to build a home from the ground up and to be in such a new interesting place is exciting for him.

Me, I'm terrified!!! I'm used to having all my family and friends all around. I'm used to having a big ward to go to on Sunday. I'm used to having several stores at my choosing to shop at - goodbye Hobby Lobby - you'll probably be one of the ones I'll miss the most. This will all soon change. We'll be staying with our friends in Maine until the project's completion, and I'm sure there will be the opportunity to meet new friends. Our family's will be a short phone call away, but we'll miss celebrating birthdays with them. Andrew went to church on Sunday that we'll be attending and he said there were about 15 people there - WOW!!! There is some decent shopping, but it is at closest an hour away. It will be an adjustment.

I think you are given opportunities in life to learn and grow and I know our Maine experience will do just that. I look forward to the closeness our little family will enjoy as we are away from our extended families. I hope to get some scrapbooking done and some fun projects completed without other distractions. My photography will be expanded to more scenic images as I plan to visit as many light houses as possible on the north east coast, and I've heard Acadia National Park is just breathtaking. Heck, maybe (just maybe?) I can drop a couple of lbs with the pull to more outdoor activities (here's hoping anyway). Andrew's (I'm sure) hoping we'll save some cash by being a little further removed from shopping - then again there's always internet shopping. I've learned there's not a Costco in Maine so we've already done some stocking up on diapers. Madeleine will have more kids to play with on a daily basis, our friends up there have four kids so that will be lots of fun for her. Although it will be cold, we will be right on the coast. I love the water, I'm definitely a coastal kind of girl so I look forward to having that closeness.

So this southern girl will be in for a northern surprise. Andrew has already left and I will soon follow shortly. I'm nervous, a little scared, but a little excited to get on with our next big adventure.