Shock and Awe

The Shock - We will be moving back to North Carolina in a mere 6 weeks - sometime around September 8th.

The Awe - To see how God has graciously provided and has already had his hand working out so many details for our speedy and unexpected return.

So let me back up and explain. 

On the afternoon of Thursday, July 7th, while I was enjoying my first full day at my Dad's house, Jason called me from Belgium to explain that he had been offered a new position, within the same company, back in North Carolina.  The position is a good fit for his skill set, a great next step in his career and also a chance to work with some folks that he has enjoyed working with in the past.  However, they would need him to start the position as soon as possible, and if he passed it up they would have to fill it with someone else and he was unsure of the other opportunities that would be available if we chose to stay in Brussels the extra 7 months through February 2012. 

With Jason 4,000 miles away in Brussels and me sitting in my Dad's living room (trying to skype with 7 kids running around in the background) we made the decision to accept the position and so the fury of activity began from that point!  Jason flew in to Raleigh on July 15th and the majority of our time was filled with house hunting and car shopping.  We did manage to squeeze in quite a bit of fun including 4 nights at the beach, a few baseball games and a great dinner out with friends - but we had to cancel some plans we were really looking forward to as house hunting was foremost on our minds.  However, knowing we'd be back in about 6 weeks we plan to spend lots of time catching up with friends this fall. 

Many people have asked us if we are excited about the chance to come back early.  Honestly, it is truly bitter-sweet.  We are thrilled to be returning to the life we had enjoyed together in North Carolina for almost 15 years before uprooting for Belgium.  However, we are going to truly miss the dear friends that God has placed in our lives over the last 18 months who have all helped make us feel like Brussels is a new home.  We are also sad to miss some special family and friends from America who were scheduled to come see us in September and October, as well as some last few quick trips we were hoping to squeeze in before next year. 

However, if I have learned nothing else from this experience beginning way back in late November 2009 when we were first approached about this opportunity, it is to be flexible, to pray for contentment in all circumstances and to try to enjoy each day as a gift.  We had many plans for the remainder of our time here in Brussels, but as my husband so often reminds me...

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.  Proverbs 19:21

and we are trusting in God's guiding hand as we make so many major decisions over the coming weeks.  

And now, on to a recap of how we spent our time between house viewings and late night sessions on Realtor.com!

Here we are at the start of our 13+ hours of travel to get to NC.  The trip went pretty well, with only a few minor hiccups including Ethan packin' a mini-revolver in one of his cargo shorts pockets.  Seriously, he made the scanner go off, so the TSA agent said to check his pockets.  As soon as I felt in there I knew it was his metal, totally genuine looking toy revolver he picked up as a souvenir in Germany.  I looked up at the agent and said "I know this will look bad, but it's just a toy."  All was well, but we had to leave the gun behind.  Good lesson for all -especially that I should ALWAYS check pockets before entering the airport!

Finally, by 5:45 p.m. (11:45 p.m. Brussels time) we made it to Chick-Fil-A for a quick dinner with Jason's family.   

Despite Ethan's expression, the cousins were all very happy to see each other.

 
 

The following few days we spent in Durham with good friends.  The big 4th of July fireworks downtown were rained out, but our friends had stocked up so they put on a little show at the end of their drive way for the kids on the 5th. 

They had such a great time!

Before heading to Concord to spend some time with my family, we headed to Dunn to meet up with a good friend who moved to Missouri a few years ago.  She was in town visiting the same week!

We were all thankful for the water as it was crazy hot in NC this July (like every July, I guess).  Jenna had a wonderful time with her friend, Aubrey.  I honestly don't think I've ever heard these two girls fuss at each other despite how much time they spend together.

Our next bit of time was in my hometown, Concord.  One of the biggest events of that portion of the trip (other than learning we were moving home 7 months early) was E-man getting his head buzzed!

BEFORE - with my Dad in the barber shop.

AFTER!  Standing triumphanty outside the baber shop.

It was during this part of the trip, that I learned we were moving back early so I spent pretty much every night contacting realtors, lenders and looking at houses online until all hours of the morning.  Unfortunately, I've always been a night owl, so given this major project my adrenaline started kicking in around mid-night and it's so tough to turn it off! 

However, we did manage to get in some great family time with the cousins on my side of the family including a day at the park, a good ole' fashioned southern dinner at Cracker Barrell, and time to catch up with people from the church I attended as I grew up.

 Jason arrived on the 15th, and hit the ground running.  We spent some time with our good friends the Winns and even watched their son's Little League All Star baseball team make a great run at the State Champ title.  The Winns were also kind enough to watch the children a few times while we had appointments with realtors. 

Then we were off to Myrtle Beach with Jason's family to collect some shells, enjoy the waves and hopefully relax at least a little.  I guess I must use the term "relax" a bit loosely, as any vacation with 9 children ages 9 and under, including 4 two year olds, is not exactly the recipe for "relaxation".  However, we had a great time and the kids had a blast!

I think this is the only photo of all 5 of us we managed to take over the course of July! 

This is a family photo of all 17 of us on the condo balcony!   We are so thankful to Jason's parents for providing this place for all of us to come together.

These nine hooligans managed to sit still long enough for a picture, with only 1 protestor - Drew was having nothing to do with this! 

One evening we fed an army of ducks, geese and even turtles! 

We also saw up close and personal grounded fighter jets, which Jason and his brothers enjoyed as they were always interested in planes when they were younger.

 

 

Upon returning from the beach, we spent three nights with other good friends in Raleigh.  My generous friend, Michelle, was so kind to watch our children twice while we had appointments with the realtor.  I'm sure it wasn't exactly what she thought she was signing up for when she agreed to let us stay, but she was so gracious to help us!

For our last few days in NC, we headed down to Concord.  My Dad treated us to a Minor League baseball game.  Despite the record high heat, we had a great time.  Thankfully, they chose seats in the shade!

 Drew quickly attached to the noise makers that his Uncle Tony brought, much to the dismay of the surrounding crowd!

On our last night in NC, my sister and brother-in-law from VA drove in with her children, so the whole family - minus my brother who is holed away for the next three years of his life in medical school - was able to spend an evening together. 

I loved this picture of Drew with my grandfather in the background. 

The 9 Nix grandchildren mischief makers!  Age range from 15 to 2! 

In the last few minutes of our evening together, the kids decided the best way to send us off was with a human pyramid.  They managed all this with only a little of my help to get Bryce to the very top.

But I think the descturction was probably their favorite part! 

We are grateful for the extended time in NC to allow our children to reconnect with family and friends, especially given our quick return.  I think saying good-bye to their friends in Belgium would be much more difficult if they had not had the chance to rekindle those friendships.  I will post soon on the progress of our move and how we are passing the last few weeks of our European Adventure!