With every step I take I know that I'm not alone

Wow, it's been a month since I've written on here, and even then it was the CMA awards blog. Well, a lot has happened since then as you know. I went to NYC, quit my job to move back home, down over 40 pounds, lots of stuff.

Yes, I'm moving back to Alabama. This was not a quick rash decision. This is something I've been thinking about for months. The main reason is, even though I've lived up here for 2 years, my life was still in Alabama. My family & friends are all in the south. My visits home were too few and too brief. I felt like I never got to see everyone or do everything when I was home. I didn't spend Easter at home for the first time ever this year. My dear friends had a baby in July (my sweet Caroline) and when I went to see them at Thanksgiving, I couldn't believe how grown up she was in those 4 months. I lost 40 pounds and didn't get to rub that fact in the face of friends & family. I wasn't able to go to Arkansas with Daddy. Every night after work, I'd come back to the apartment and just turn on the TV. Or go to the gym first then come back and turn on the TV. I didn't have the family, friends, & support group I had back home. I've had many people tell me they could never move that far away from home, for that long, with no friends or family around. Apparently, I am brave! I like the thought of that. I sometimes wondered if I dropped dead on a Friday after work, would anyone notice before I didn't come in to work on Monday hahaha

So after much prayer, thought, advice, and job searches, I decided to take a leap of faith and move on back home. I'd come to discover that if you are looking for a job in Atlanta (or Birmingham) and you have a Pennsylvania address, it's tougher to get noticed. No, I don't have a job right now. But I have a peace about it and I have faith. Even more than that, I have a TON of contacts in TV in Birmingham who know me and love me and are helping me by looking and recommending. So on that, I'm not worried, and nobody else should be either. Just keep me in your prayers, and if you have contact in Birmingham (or even Atlanta, that's close enough but far enough haha) see who's hiring. I've already had contact about 2 different jobs. I wouldn't come back COMPLETELY unprepared.

I've had a great 2 years here. It was a great experience to live in (well, actually just near) the big city. I had a very good job. One that actually changed about 8 months in, but gave me valuable experience and led me to meet more great folks. I found a church up here as well. A southern Baptist church even! They are fantastic and I love them dearly. They are a great church home and I will stay in touch. I did a lot of traveling here too. I went to NYC (twice), Philly, Hershey (twice), and San Diego. I had people jealous of my travels. But I did these alone, well except for Hershey last year & NYC this year. I had snow up here too. Snow is very pretty when it blankets the city and you can sit and look out the window and see life in a peaceful white slumber. But then you have to get out in it, drive in it, shovel it, stay in a hotel and walk across a blizzard hit parking lot to go to work. Then, it's a hideous white demon. I'm not made for snow & ice & shoveling & getting my car stuck.

So now, I'm coming back. Back to my family & friends. Back having movie night with the Busbys. I'll have lunch with MaryJo and catch up on everyone. I'll get to see Caroline and be around to hear her call me "Uncle Eddie". I'll be here for women's basketball season. I'll see my Gilgal family, I'll see my Union Chapel family, I'll see my actual family more than just at Thanksgiving. I can drive over and see Brandon & Adam in Atlanta when I've had more than 3.5-4 hours of sleep and walking around NYC all day...

Which was fun. I love NYC and I will go back again. It's an amazing place to be. So much to do, so much to see. My friend Brandon (who I think I talk to as much as if not more than I talk to my parents) was going to NYC for his birthday with his roommate. I joked that I should come up a day since I'm just a few hours away. So we agreed I would, and I did. NYC in a day is a lot, but I made it. We went to Rockefeller Center, saw the tree, saw the rink, ice skated in Central Park (I didn't fall!), ate pizza, saw snow flurries, took pix in Times Square, charged our iPhone back at their hotel room, took pix inside Grand Central Station (which is AMAZING!), and I had a great time. I hope I didn't come across as too tired. They had more sleep than me. haha. And now, if they'll have me, I can come over to ATL to hang out on more sleep. See, it's good having friends around.

So now, I start the process of packing up and moving back. A little sad to leave folks behind, but very excited at what's to come for me. I know it'll be great. Some are shocked, some can't believe I'm doing it without a job, some are wondering how I could stay gone so long haha. I think Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles sang it best "Who says you can't go home". Some things are just more important.