4 Years Ago

Four years ago we were starting our new life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It was a scary and exciting time. I will never forget sitting in front of our old house in Jordan, MN that we designed and built and all the memories we had made. I sat crying tremendously in the driveway in my dad's truck. I was about to pull away for the last time but I had to take a moment to myself after Charlie drove away. All of our things were packed into a very large semi truck heading south with so much uncertainty and at that moment watching it drive off, I took a deep breath and prayed to God asking for his guidance and strength~ wondering did we make the right decision.
We met my parents at a local hotel to stay and then headed to Byron to stay for the rest of the weekend. Charlie would pull out of the driveway on a Saturday morning and drive his truck to NC and pick me and the boys up at the airport on Monday afternoon. We laughed, we cried, we sang, we danced. One last party in the Bode garage as I didn't know when that time would come again.
I cried all the way to the airport. I didn't remember the ride from Rochester to Minneapolis being that long before. It seemed that it took all morning! My parents drove me and the boys to the airport that day. The boys were excited and a little scared to be moving. Braedyn had started preschool there when he was 2 and had a good group of friends and neighbor friends. I told him he would meet new friends. They were just excited to be moving back in with dad! We had been living apart for a two months.  Charlie had started work in July and we did not move to Raleigh until the last week of September.
We got to the airport and we thought maybe they would let my parents both go back with me since I had carry-ons, two kids, a stroller and two car seats ~but they didn't. They would only let one of them go. So dad told my mom to go and I melted in my dad's arms and tears started to flow down my cheek as I gave him a big squeeze and kiss on the cheek and we waved goodbye as we waited to go through the security checkpoint.  We waited and colored and played games and the boys watched the planes go by. It was time to board. I had a knot in my stomach but thought I can't let the boys see my cry as I waved at my mom as we walked down the gate to the plane. We got situated on the plane. It was Cooper in his car seat next to the window and then Braedyn, then myself on the aisle. We started to take off and Braedyn saw my eyes fill up with tears and he asked, "why are you sad mommy". I will never forget that! I just told him that we are starting a new life in North Carolina and I have never been that far away from my mom and dad and it kind of made me sad and I was going to miss them. He rubbed my arm like only a little four year old boy can and looked at me and said, "I will miss them too." I started to wonder if we were making the right decision. In my head I knew we were it was just that my heart was somewhere else that day in the airplane.
The plane ride went excellent with two little boys. We landed in Raleigh in the late evening.  We all were so happy to be reunited with daddy and to be together as a family again. We drove to our apartment in Raleigh in Brier Creek where we would live until we found a house. Looking back now that little apartment we stayed in for two months was great! We only had two little boys then so it worked. It was a two bedroom furnished apartment on the third floor. The people below us I am sure loved it too! The first night we were there, we had a knock on the door, I think they were ready to chew somebody out but when I opened the door and Braedyn and Cooper came running to the door they realized there wasn't a raging party going on but two toddlers running around! The boys shared a bedroom and and we had the other. It was only 10 minutes from Charlie's work. He was home for dinner every night! It had a pool, where we spent most of the days and across the busy street was a Barnes and Noble that had story times twice a week! We had made friends that also moved the same time from Chicago and they were living there temporarily while looking for houses too. We got together with them quite frequently as they also had two children. We made it work and settled into a routine. We looked at houses while Charlie was at work. That was a fun with two kids!  That little apartment worked perfect for the time we were in it. We also had a little surprise after being there a month, we found out we were expecting a third little Jacobson. I didn't even have a Dr. yet.
We finally found a house that we fell in love with in Chapel Hill and moved in in October of 2008.  We had found a Dr. and a preschool. We were all set.  We were so excited. The semi came and we got moved in slowly. It was a process. Our living room had blankets and lawn chairs as our "recliners" for awhile until we got furniture. We had to get a lot of furniture since this house was a bit bigger than our last because I did not want to move again and wanted a house we would grow into not out of. We couldn't do it all at once, I was reminded of frequently. It all worked out and we have grown into the house quite wonderfully. I love this house! I love the area. We have really made this our home. In four years, I can really call this home. A piece of us will always be in the Midwest, mine in Minnesota and Charlie's in South Dakota. This is our life and our story that begins in North Carolina. I am so thankful to Charlie for also taking the risk of changing jobs and moving the family. Taking risks can be a good thing! This risk was definitely worth it. The boys love it here and they don't really remember being in Minnesota. This is their home and they adapted quite well!
We are Midwesterners at heart but love the life we are living in North Carolina and the opportunities and experiences that we have had. We plan on having many more!

Our last weekend living in Minnesota.