HHI: June, 2011

Bet you didn't know...

That JR Parrish doubles as Batman on the weekends! He is BIG on Batman!

Family Photo shoot, May 2011

too, too, too long

It has been waaaaaay too long since we last posted. Six months, to be exact. And a lot can happen in six months. Really, in our case, A LOT! So, I'm just going to have to give you the Reader's Digest/ Cliff's Notes version....

The spring was full of travel, and change. In February, Remsen and I went to NYC to have a fun weekend and spend some time with Remsen's cousin, Lucia. It was an amazing trip...full of laughter, sights, and food. JR was especially excited about the toys we brought home.

JR with Woody

In late February, my dad discovered his melonoma had spread to his kidney and had it and lymph nodes removed to further fight cancer. He was brave and the surgery was a success, even if he had to spend his birthday (March 29) in the hospital. Remsen and I drove down to surprise him, and I left the next day for the ACHI conference in Austin, TX, where I was presenting with co-workers about AccessHealth Spartanburg.

Austin was amazing, as was the conference; however, while in Texas, we received the news that Remsen's company, Extended Stay Hotels, would be relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina in August. This news was difficult, and it launched a full-on evaluation of our life and our options. We have lived in Spartanburg since the mid-90's, had married here and started our family. We are surrounded by friends and family, and we love our home and surroundings.

What would we do? ESH gave employees one month to decide.

Remsen was promoted to Director of Purchasing.

Should we stay or should we go?

April 29 was D-Day.

In a leap of faith, and determining that if we didn't like it we could always come back, we decided to relocate with the company. I was encouraged by the idea that Charlotte was a big city, and the big city would certainly hold some opportunities for me (job wise) and for JR (school wise), for our family (culturally, socially) and for Remsen (career-wise). And really, if we hate it, we move back. It will be our little adventure.

So, we embarked on all of the actions a family takes when preparing to relocate to another city.

House on the market. Check.

3 month notice given to my job. Check.

Research on Ft. Mill, SC and Charlotte neighborhoods (in case house sells). Check.

Research on pre-schools, and JR on a wait list. Check.

(And then we waited).

While we waited, some fun stuff happened.

We took a trip to Douglas to see dad, post-surgery, in April. And that is where Remsen killed a snake with a single shot-gun blast, and where JR caught his first fish. It was quite an adventure.

We attended (as always) Wofford Eggstravaganza, and we spent Easter with Mom, John, Emme, Clayton, Valerie, Mackenzie, and Abby....hunting eggs in the Spartanburg sunshine. It was a wonderful holiday!

JR potty trained (almost overnight), we went to birthday parties, Greenville Drive games, and hosted a ladies' cycling team for the Spartanburg Crit.

JR became wholly infatuated with Batman. And Scooby Doo.

Remsen gave me the best Mother's Day gift ever--a trip with my bff, Gina, to Grove Park Inn.

And we had a family photo shoot at the end of May with Erica Turner (see next blog post--her photos are amazing!!).

In June, we went to Hilton Head as a family, and Remsen and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

In July, we celebrated my birthday, had a memorable beach adventure with the Brannon Family, and celebrated Remsen's birthday. From afar, we celebrated the wedding of my step-brother, Marc, and his new wife, Gay. And we started the countdown to football season. I started to prepare for life after AccessHealth, and participated in finding my successor (Carey Rothschild--hurray!).

So that brings us to August. Our house is still on the market (3 months, 2 open house events, and 9 lookers, but no contract), and we have dropped the price.

I am a week into overlapping with my replacement, and it is hard work trying to explain 18 months of operations in 3 weeks, but I am really glad I have this time with Carey. My last day of work is August 26.

That said, I am in the running for a position at Omni Montessori School, and I am so excited--it is their first-ever Director of Development position, and it would be a great fit for my experience and passion--marrying non-proft development work with my love for teaching and education initiatives. I have a second interview on Monday, August 15. Fingers crossed.

JR's last day of school was Friday, August 12, and although he seemed to celebrate having "No more school, Mommy", I am pretty sure he is going to miss it (especially his BFF Elliott).

Remsen reports to Charlotte one week from today (yes, a Saturday. How lame). He is taking advantage of the 3 months of hotel lodging provided by the company but will plan to commute a bit too. If our luck changes and I (a) get a job, or we (b) sell our house, we can rent in Charotte or Fort Mill. Fingers crossed this is the course, as living on one paycheck 90 miles from each other will not be easy.

Whew. It has been quite a roller coaster, and we hope for less ups and downs as we move North (and hopefully forward).....