Well, we're movin' on up...

... to the east side... Well, northeast side anyway. It's official, Kevin, Addison, and I are moving to Dahlonega, and we could not be more excited! :)

Most of you know that Kevin has been working on getting his doctorate for the last couple of years, so he has not been coaching football. The Lord works in wonderful ways. We've been able to get a great foundation for our marriage, and start our family in those 3 falls when, typically, he would have been coming home late and putting a lot of time into coaching. Not that he hasn't done his fair share of coming home late and putting a lot of time into working on his doctorate (especially now that he's writing the dissertation), but it has definitely been nice having him to ourselves for a while. And, we have had a blast traveling all over the state watching his self-proclaimed "game of the week" every Friday night during those 3 falls. Anyway, I digress...

So, Kevin figured 3 years was long enough to be away from something he loves so much (and believe me, he was getting pretty itchy to get back into it!), when God opened up a wonderful opportunity for us, and we were more than excited to jump at it. Kevin has known Tommy Jones, the head football coach at Lumpkin County High School, for a long, long time. They both played football at Furman, they coached together for 2 years at Oconee Co., and their dads have been highly touted football coaches in their own rights in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties for years. So, there is a very strong history between them. Anyway, Tommy offered Kevin the Offensive Coordinator position at LCHS, and we believe it really will be a perfect fit for him. He and Tommy talk all the time about how similar they think as far as football goes, so I think it will be a lot of fun for them to coach together again. Not to mention, I am lucky enough to come away with another great friend out of the deal! Tommy's wife, Cory, and I have gotten to be good friends, and they have two of the most adorable daughters ever - Avery (almost 9) and Sydney (6) - who love Addison like their own sister. So... I have no doubt we are going to have a blast with them!!

Dahlonega was the site of the first major US gold rush and is known for its beauty. It is nestled right in the mountains of North Georgia (do I sound like a travel brochure yet?!). The campus of North Georgia College is right downtown. It has a quaint little square with all kinds of antique shops, boutiques, restaurants, and hobby stores. The Smith House is right off the square (like the Dillard house - family style dining). The Etowah River flows right through, and it is about a 15-minute drive to the north end of Lake Lanier. Can you tell I am SO EXCITED?!

When will all this happen you ask? As soon as possible! Our house is on the market now (for a good bit less than I actually paid for it unfortunately), and as soon as we can get it sold, we are heading to the mountains. We've been up there a couple times looking around at neighborhoods, and actually found a house this past weekend that we both really (really!) liked. So, we'll just hold our breath and say our prayers that the perfect people come along and buy ours. Until then, Kevin will be driving the triangle for spring practices and coaches' meetings (Loganville to Oconee for school, Oconee to Dahlonega for football, then Dahlonega back to Loganville at night) - yikes! So, we are asking for prayers that we get our house sold quickly, and can get moved and settled before football REALLY starts in late summer.

Anyway, we are so very excited about beginning this new chapter in our lives. We really feel like Dahlonega will be a wonderful place to raise our family, and it makes me thrilled to know that Kevin will be so happy doing something he loves so much with someone he gets along with and respects as much as he does Tommy.

I will keep you updated on any news on the home front (ha, get it? "home" front? - yeah, OK... that was bad). Just as soon as we can get up there and settled, we'll be expecting visitors to come hang out in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia with us... we might even go dig up some gold!! :)