Making a Move

So we have finally done it. We are making the move. After much prayer and talking and soul searching and tears and laughter and on and on we have decided to make the move back to St Louis. Sue and I have moved a lot (that's an understatement) in our almost 12 years of marriage.

Just for fun, let's retrace our steps. Prior to marriage Sue was in Houston teaching and I went there for student teaching. After graduating, we lived in Story City, Iowa. We moved from there to Nashville, TN. We then went to Cedar Rapids, IA. Parker, CO was our next stop. From Parker to St Louis, MO. On to Charlotte, NC and now we are loading up for a trip back to St Louis.

You may think we are crazy (and you'd be right) but I stand here today and say I wouldn't trade it for anything. The most important thing we have in this world is relationships. Sue and I have friends all over the country. We look back on our moves and in every city we've lived in we have memories of close friendships. We are blessed with the chance to look at each move and see an impact that God allowed us to have in someone's life.

As great as it has been though, we are ready to settle. We are ready to settle for our kid's sake (Will starts Kindergarten) and for our sake. Sue and I look forward to forging strong friendships. We look forward to investing in an area and having an impact.

St Louis has it good and bad aspects (every place does). Those good aspects though are really really good. We love being close to family. We love the fact that Grandma is right there and Uncle Greg and Aunt Kerry (and of course Thomas and Colin) are close. Iowa is less than a days' drive away for all of my family.

We have close friends in St Louis. Sue's friends from years ago (KHS days). Sue's aunts, uncles and cousins. Our friends from Trinity. Our fellow dog lovers.

We Love the Cardinals, the zoo, the spring, summer and fall (winter stinks). We love the friendliness of people.

Overall it is just a great place and we are excited to be moving there (again).

As we pack up and leave Charlotte, we are sad too. We were here a little over two years and we will miss our friendships. We'll miss our small group that has met nearly every week for the past 14+ months. We have gained friends for life and for that we are so grateful.

To those of you who think we are crazy for moving so much, most likely you are a friend because of our willingness to move. We wouldn't trade our friendship with you for one less stressful move.

Thanks for loving us. Thanks for your prayers.

Barry, Sue and the Boys