This Christmas we got to spend an entire week in Chattanooga with our families. It was a fun week full of Christmas celebrations and just having fun! The celebrations began on December 19th when we celebrated with Will in Nashville and ended with the big Dixon celebration on December 26th. Below are a few (50!) of our pictures from the week. I hope you enjoy!

Today we had a winter surprise! Almost 3 inches of snow. Will and I were at the mall and did not realize how wintery it was getting outside. Then, we called Bill to tell him it was snowing – he said it’s no big deal, it’s not going to stick. Boy, was he wrong! If it’s still around in the morning we’re going to build a snowman.

The front of our house.

Will & Dadddy playing in the snow.

Will’s snow hat kept his head nice and toasty.

We have found a place to live and are on our way to homeownership!

So, for anyone who knows us well – you know that we don’t buy a candy bar without analyzing the cost of the product, how it relates to our budget, and making sure the candy bar is in optimal condition. But, we are buying a house – the biggest thing we’ll ever buy in our entire lives – without seeing it with our own eyes! We have only seen pictures and heard descriptions from our parents. Good thing we think they have good judgment (Well, we hope they good judgment!)

It was a bit of a frustrating process – it seemed to drag out forever (3 whole days)! It was a lot of waiting and I wasn’t too patient about it! Plus, it was an emotional roller coaster and my hormones seemed to be in full swing It probably scared Bill! Thank goodness he’s patient and worked out the deal – I was ready to tell them to kiss my a$$ (in the words of my father)!

Now we just have a few details to work out – like which mortgage company to go with, closing date, and how we’re moving our stuff from NYC to Tennessee. We’ll be asking for volunteers to help us unload in Nashville – date TBD

Now I can concentrate fully on finishing up the school year – 1.5 weeks left! I think I’ve been operating under Maslow’s hierarchy – how could I concentrate on learning if I didn’t even have a place to live!

And it shouldn’t pass with out notice – yesterday was PepperAnn’s birthday. Happy Birthday PA! She’s four years old and we bought her a house for a present – aren’t we the best parents

CHECK OUT THE PICTURES!

This announcement will come as big as a surprise as Amber being pregnant for some. After several weeks of thinking, praying, and making lists of pros and cons, Amber and I have decided to move back to Nashville. We have loved our time in NYC and have made some wonderful friends. It has been a dream come true for both of us, but living in the city is quite difficult at times and is very expensive. I can only imagine it would be more difficult and more expensive with a baby.

Our most significant reason for not leaving the city was because of the great job I have at GCI and the benefits that go along with it. A couple of weeks ago I began to talk to the senior staff at work to see if working remotely from Nashville was a possibility. They have agreed to let me work remotely. The process was too simple, which helped confirm to me that moving was the right thing to do. I will work from home and about once a month GCI will fly me to NYC to work for 3 or 4 days so I can stay connected with my team. This job setup will truly be a dream for me. I have always wanted to work from home and get to travel. I must say, GCI is truly a great company to work for. Also I’m sure there will be times when Amber can tag along with me and we can make a long weekend out of a business trip so we can still see our friends in the city.

Amber is very excited to be moving and has already begun to look for jobs in the Nashville area. She has lots of contacts that work for the state and nonprofits so I think she will be able to find a great job. She’s also looking forward to trips to Walmart again, where she can find anything she could possibly want.

Again, we’re going to miss the friends we have made and our church, but we are both super excited about being close to family again, owning a house, and living out our next round of dreams. One of the things I’m personally most excited about is being able to landscape my yard and getting my hands dirty.

We’ll be moving at the end of May, so if you were planning to visit us and you still really want to come, just pick a weekend in the next 2 months and let us know. We’ll be glad to host you.

Check out Bill’s post on babydixon.com! We found out today that it is going to be possible for us to move back to Nashville and for Bill to keep his job! So, for all the details check out his post.

That said – we are sad to be leaving all of our friends here in NYC. But, the bright point is that Bill will have to travel back quite often and I’m sure I’ll tag along a bit!