The time has come.

The time has come for me to say good-bye to Dothan. I have been dreading this day. Actually I haven't even allowed the thought to really even cross my mind. Anytime I let myself go there the tears begin to flow. I can no longer avoid it. We move Monday so here goes nothing.....

If you didn't know, I don't want to move. Nothing against the town of Madison/Huntsville. I hear it is a fabulous place to live and I have experienced its fabulous shopping. No doubt that is a great town, one I may even come to love if I allow myself. I just can't picture myself living anywhere else but Dothan. This sounds partly ridiculous because I have only lived here for 4 1/2 years, not all my life, but if you know me, you know I become attached very easily and quickly and I have a lot of reasons to be attached to this town.

After a very brief 6 month stint in Nashville when we were first married, Shay was transferred here. This is our first "home." Yes, our first house, which is going to be hard for me to leave behind but our first "home" as a new family. This is where my children were born. That alone is sentimental for me. I will miss driving by the hospital and hearing Mary Selwyn say, "Mommy, you see that beautiful city? That's where I was born and Adeline was born." It is so sweet. (I think she calls it a beautiful city because it reminds her of the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz.)

We have met amazing people here in Dothan and developed friendships that will last a lifetime. I'm so grateful for those that went above and beyond for us and really became our family. I wish I could talk about each and every person but I can't. It would take years! I do, however, have to mention the Chambers once again. We literally would not have survived the last four years without Mark and Mitzi. I believe that with my whole heart. I cannot tell you the number of times I have dropped my kids off at her house, sometimes unannounced, or the number of meals she has cooked for us. They have done so much for us and we could never thank them enough. They have loved us and shown us the utmost kindness. They are wonderful. We love them and are going to miss them more than words can express.

This town is the epitome of "Southern Hospitality." That is the best way to describe my time here. I have learned so much about hospitality, friendship, kindness and what it means to truly love others. When I say love, I mean the drop everything to be by your side kind of love. The people in this town "do" whatever they can for you. They don't just say, "let me know if there is anything I can do," they say, "I'm here put me to work," or "this is what I am doing for you." I'm thankful for the opportunity to not only be surrounded by these kinds of people but to be molded by them as well. They have changed my view of real friendship and hospitality. These are lessons that will stick with me always.

I could go on forever. I have nothing bad to say about this town. I have been completely content in our life here. I think I will miss everything and everyone! I know the Lord has big plans for us in Madison and will provide us with friends and even a new church family that is just as wonderful. It is just hard to imagine. The biggest thing I have to remember is that Huntsville will NEVER be Dothan. I will have to remind myself daily not to compare the two towns or I will NEVER be happy. So in future blogs when I talk in comparison, please remind me to stop. Shay and I were talking the other day and we both agreed that we never thought when we moved to Dothan that we would love it this much. That we would truly make it our home and want to live here forever. So I'm sure I will be saying the same thing about our new town one day.....I am very excited to have my family reunited. That is the most important thing. We love and will miss this town dearly but will most definitely be back for regular visits!

Just a few faces we will miss. Mary Selwyn's best friend Owen

Mark and Mitzi

This is the Matthews. Mrs. Matthews and Shay's Papa, Selwyn, were first cousins. When Mary Selwyn was born she saw her name in the church bulliten and called me and said she saw where we named our baby Mary Selwyn Nichols and she had a cousin from Thomasville named Selwyn Nichols. What a small world. We have really enjoyed getting to know them. We will miss visiting and spending time with them.

So this picture is really old but it was the only one I had that included some of our favorite people.

The Thompsons

The Chavers