Autumn 2008

So Mom's finally moved, we're still here...we're trying to make a baby, and I desperately want to move the f*ck out of Jax...time to start turning those dreams into plans and goals.

I'm thinking we stick it out through the current lease, then renew for 7 months. By then, I want us to be ready credit- and family-wise to leave Jax. I'm expanding my city search to North Carolina, with an emphasis on Charlotte or the Raleigh-Durham area. Why? A couple of reasons:

• Visiting Columbia felt like visiting a smaller version of Jacksonville.
• The economy dictates we live near a decent-sized city.
• We have no desire to investigate Charleston or Savannah.

Husby's lived in Raleigh-Durham area before, remembers it to be expensive, so Charlotte's getting the closer look first. In the meantime, we have an extraordinary amount of work to do in our own place, as Mom's move meant inheriting a pile of stuff that has effectively taken over the dining area. The coming weeks will be spent tucking into our boxes and organizing and purging. Lists to come...