Read the first part of our story here.

When we moved to South Carolina, I was scared and nervous. Yet, I was clinging to the hope that God had brought us to it, and He would bring us through it!

I encountered culture shock when we moved. While in Georgia, we had really cut down on our shopping habits to pay off debt. But I could still window shop, and generally be involved in society. This just wasn’t possible in our sleepy South Carolina town. We could count on an hour one-way drive to get just about anywhere, other than Walmart.

The Lord used this time in a huge way, ladies. He pulled me away from so many comfortable things, and I clung to Him. I really began to see the beauty in simplicity during this time frame. I believed with all of my heart that this was the way we were called to live.

There were times I was sad, of course. I did what I could to look at the bright side of things. Blog posts from September 2017 through May 2019 were all written while we lived in South Carolina.

We built a bigger garden and chicken yard. We bought a Great Pyrenees puppy as a livestock guardian.

Our debt payoff was on. We sold our house in Georgia for $316,000, and bought our home in South Carolina for $255,000. We paid off the remainder of my student loans, and put the remaining $40,000 profit on our mortgage. We were debt free except for the house!

I worked super hard on Etsy orders, and I begin to see our home loan balance go down quickly. We camped, hiked, and spent a lot of time at home.

I started my Mary & Martha side business, and really dug into the beauty of homemaking.

So, why did we leave?

Well, for a couple of reasons.

I found such beauty in South Carolina, but my two oldest daughters hated it. After a few experiences in the community, I didn’t believe it was the safest place for us, either. We had a beautiful safe haven at our home, but I wished we lived in a different area for them.

Also, when we moved, my mother in law said that she would put a tiny home on our land during her retirement. That never happened, and this was a huge bummer for me. One of the reasons I was okay with moving in the first place was because I thought she would be following soon after. I wanted my children to be able to see her more often than they did.

Finally, I became pregnant with our ninth child in 2019, and pretty much all rational thought flew out the window. Kidding, not kidding, ha! I felt so sick, and so alone, and all I cared about was moving back to Georgia. Living simply? I could care less about that anymore. I was ready to get back to civilization. Surely that would make me feel better, right?

My husband accepted a job in the north Georgia area. I was so happy to be moving somewhat close to where I grew up. At the same time, we would be out of the Atlanta metro area, which was a must for me. My older girls were ecstatic! But once we got there, all I wanted to do is simplify once again.

To be continued…

Read the third part of our story here.