Goodbye Knoxville

We moved to Knoxville in March of 2003. I was pregnant, due in July, with my second child and had an almost 2 year old little girl, Olivia, at the time. We drove cross country in our '89 Ford Tempo, over 1000 miles, which broke down only once in Kentucky, where I had trouble understanding the local, (Elvis look-alike), tow-truck driver. John had to translate for me.....which I found funny.....I'm more of the linguist type!

We moved into an apartment off of Ball Camp Byington road in the Forest Ridge complex. John's job consisted of a 1 year appointment to Oak Ridge National Lab Metals and Ceramics division. Our first son, Oscar, was born in our bedroom of that apartment. Our first out-of-hospital delivery was incredible....we both agreed we'd never go back. John's appointment was renewed for another year at which time we decided to search for our first home. After wearing out our realtor we found a quaint little cape-cod with an awesome back yard with only trees behind us. With no money down, a non-permanent job, and 2 children, we bought it and moved in on June 1, 2004. (Credit was much more easily obtained in 'those days'!) It became our dwelling place for the next 4 1/2 years.

We had a baby in that home before we had even lived in it for a year. Vianne was born in the living room near the fireplace.....what a warm and beautiful birth. In May of 2005, John was hired on as a permanent employee of the lab. Olivia started preschool at Montessori International School. That fall, soon after Vianne turned 7 months old we found out we were expecting baby #4. Gabrielle was born upstairs, in our bedroom at the time, in the middle of the day....our littlest baby was the toughest delivery....she was born 'sunny side up!'

That fall Olivia started Kindergarten at the same school. I (we) decided in January of that school year (2007) that I was going to homeschool the following year. Our first year homeschooling was wonderful. Even better than I had ever imagined. The day after Christmas 2007 John & I went out for a 'date', I took a pregnancy test, and found out what I already knew in my heart.....we were expecting baby #5! We decided that night that our next vehicle purchase would be a suburban...we would need space for 5 children in 5 car seats!

In March of 2008, better opportunities presented themselves for employment for John, and after receiving 2 offers from 2 different companies we decided that the best move would be for us to go to Charlotte, NC where John would work for EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). He started his job in May of 2008. In June we decided to build a new home in a neighborhood.....(slow markets can work to your advantage in this case!). In late July we put our house on the market. August came and Levin was born in our downstairs bedroom, in the middle of the night.....my midwife said I was a quiet laborer. The Lord knew just what I needed for his birth....peace & quiet in the stillness of the night.

At the end of Sept, beginning of October, my Grandmother Stacy passed away, we sold our house, and Levin was baptised, all within one weekend. Today we closed on our house. It is officially not ours anymore. We met the nice family this morning & I'm very excited for them. I hope they will enjoy turning this house into a home as much as we have.

As we approach this Thanksgiving tomorrow, I have so. many. things. to be thankful for. I'm overwhelmed thinking of them all. God has been so good to us, and so good to me. I want to thank all the friends I've made here for making my/our time here so wonderful....you know who you are. You will be missed......tremendously. I've learned so much and will carry all these lessons with me to our next dwelling place in North Carolina. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you, I love you, I love you.

To All of YOU: "May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord who you His favor and give you His peace." - Numbers 6:24-26.

God Bless,

Jen