I have to say, that though a big move is very stressful, tiring, and hectic---it takes awhile to recover from it--this has been a REALLY good thing for my family. For reasons, some of which, some of you are aware of, we truly needed that fresh start. There will always be things in Wisconsin that I will miss: pumpkin farms, apple farms, rail trails, my community bands and the friends I've made there (true community bands), snow at Christmas-time.....(but that's about it for the snow for me:), my solid, well-built house up there---we did a lot to it, where it truly felt like our home--unfortunately the neighorhood was never home to us...if only the movers could have brought the house with:)
The house we are renting just isn't home to us--we're grateful for it, have learned a lot about what we want and don't want when we go to buy again (for example, we have an inground pool here, we don't want one:), and we realize, because we're right on the coast, and there are no basements, we will need a lot more square footage---we need this for a comfortable home-schooling environment (I want a dedicated, play/classroom/exercise room, etc) and we need additional square footage, as I want larage private guest space; ideally a finished bonus room. I want people to feel welcome and comfortable when they come visit! I'm not so sure I want a two story house----most of the homes in our area are newer, and I have concerns about the energy efficiency with vaulted ceilings and a second story. I know the home we're currently in is new, but not super well built (for example---NO INSULATION--brrrrr, I'm as cold in this house when it's in the 50s as I was up north in my old when it was below zero; actually when we put the window quilts up, that house was quite cozy and toasty!).
Then there is the issue of, where the heck do we buy a house? We live on an island--for real---it's called a barrier island, as we are surrounded by the intra Atlantic coastal waterways---the entire low country is pretty much like this--so there are a lot of islands and a lot of bridges---which means the commute from point A to point B can take awhile. J works not far from where we are. But, we're not sure it makes sense to buy a house in the immediate area. If he were to ever have to seek other employment, Charleston or Savannah would be a heck of a daily commute for him; not to mention, Little Miss Angel was hospitalized once, soon after our arrival (minor thing), but taught us, I'm not overly comfortable with a small town hospital (we were very blessed, knowing Children's Hospital of Wisconsin was nearby). So, we've decided it makes more sense in the long-run, to live in a town that is closer to Savanah (about 20 miles from downtown), just a few miles from Hilton Head (bike trails there!) So, the househunt shall commence, sometime, when we have time--actually not looking forward to the house hunt believe it or now:) The neighborhoods here are not traditional, you pretty much will wind up in a planned or gated community (heck, we're planning for this to be our retirement home anyway, so we may as well get the comunity pool, walking trails, fitness center, etc:)
Ok, I digressed, I think this started out as a post about Habersham Park. We have BEAUTIFUL parks here--I mean BEAUTIFUL! And we finallly found the Habersham neighborhood and fell in love with it and its park! We also had a fun time walking around the cutsy market area and talking to the owner of a local pizzaria who gave me wonderful tips on three particular communities where I should focus my home search:)
