I'm not sure Hubs ever felt like Savannah was the FOREVER home, although I saw myself being here longer than 3 years. There is so much to LOVE about this city, but also concerns we have, too. Mainly schools. It is no secret you really can't send your kids to public school in Savannah for all of K-12. There are some pretty good elementary schools here, and of course excellent private schools, but when it comes down to it none of them are a great fit for our family.
So, Hubs and I had some time to kill on a car ride at the end of April when we went to see Neil the man Diamond in Charlotte. Somehow the conversation went from where Evans will go to pre-k, to where would we move in Savannah if we had a million dollars... to which my reply was-- if I had that kind of money I'd be living on Lake Murray next to my parents. Then our wheels started turning and haven't stopped.
I had kind of hoped that when we came to Savannah, my parents would move here. I think I always knew in the back of my mind that they wouldn't be able to leave their lives in Ballentine. I mean, they've been in Columbia 40 something years. That's a LONG time to just pick up and go. Plus, my dad's side of the family lives in Columbia area as well, and I know he would have a hard time picking up and leaving. So, I understand completely.
We never thought we would move back to the Columbia area. Like ever. It's not that we didn't enjoy our childhoods. We did. Columbia area just never felt like an option after leaving for law school in 2007. Hubs moved to Atlanta in 1999, and we lived there until we moved to Savannah in 2014. So, Columbia is kind of foreign to us now. The only way I could get Hubs to move back was to promise him the lake. Ha. SO.... we started looking at different neighborhoods in the Ballentine/Irmo/Chapin area just to see what we could get for the money, etc. This was in mid-May.
You can get so much house for the money! We were both shocked. I guess after living in Atlanta and Savannah, we were just used to bigger stickers. When we got back to Savannah after looking in SC, I called our realtor and told her we weren't quite ready, but if she had someone that wanted to see it let me know.
Well, someone wanted to see it. And as fate would have it, that person is buying it. It happened SO fast, like almost to the point we had zero time to second guess anything. God has a way of orchestrating things, doesn't He?
So, suddenly here we are, no plans and a house under contract in Savannah. Crap. Where to? We prayed about it, talked with our parents, prayed more... and ultimately we have decided Chapin is the place for us. We know we want more space, excellent public schools, and the lake, so Chapin is definitely the answer. We want our kids to be able to see their grandparents everyday (which Hubs' and my parents live in the area!). We don't want to pay private tuition. So:: Chapin.
A buddy of mine is a realtor, so he helped us navigate different neighborhoods and areas and let us know about the different school options. We ultimately decided we still wanted to be close-in, but still have the lake and Chapin schools. Our priorities landed us on a search in Lakeside at Ballentine. I've always liked that neighborhood (and the fact that it is DIRECTLY behind my parents land!).
After looking at houses in there, we liked two of them. Unfortunately, one went under contract before we could offer. The other one- well, it's OURS if everything pans out!!!! I've never had to worry about timing two closings in two different cities, just days apart. Hopefully everything goes the way it is supposed to go. Fingers crossed for smooth transitions.
Houston House # 4!
We plan to do a few renovations before moving in, so we will be living with my parents for a couple of weeks while that is done. Nothing major like structural or addition wise. Just changing some flooring/paint/backsplash. That sort of thing. Purely cosmetic. This will be the NEWEST home Hubs and I have ever bought. The condo was 1995. The Roswell home was 1984. Our Savannah home is 1953. This one was built in 2002. Moving on up, HA!!
We are a mix of emotions right now. Sad to leave family and friends here. I've done the ugly cry and wondered should we really move several times now. Excited for a new adventure. Excited to live right around the corner from my parents. Stressed about packing. Stressed about wrapping up some projects. Stressed about uprooting the girls. All of it.
But, I know if everything works out that come August we will be enjoying a cold one on Lake Murray watching the sun drop.... with free babysitters.... :)
