Unsolicited Advice

Here is the unsolicited advice I usually dispense onto young couples:  

Move as a couple on your own, away from  your family. 

It will make you stronger as a team, as a new "family".  I still believe, to this day, it was one of the best decisions J#1 and I have made.  We moved to New Jersey in 2007, with no children and no plan of when we would return to Minnesota.

But having now added not just one, but two children to our family? 

NOW, I make sure to tell people to do it BEFORE they have kids.  

Once you have kids...well, as soon as we knew we were pregnant with J#3 {in 2008}, we were starting to think about how we would move back to Minnesota from New Jersey.  

I wanted him to be by his grandparents.  I wanted him to have memories that I hadn't when I was growing up {seeing as how I just had one living grandparent, my grandma, who passed away when I was seven.}  

Something about having a child made my view on the adventure of living as a couple on our own change.  So, we moved back to Minnesota.  

Fast forward to 2010, and we get the opportunity to move to Europe for a predetermined amount of time. Before our kids would be starting school. Perfect, right?   

Yes, except here we are an ocean away from our family...those exact grandparents that I wanted my kids to have memories with.  

We are away from the rest of our family. 

The people that would watch our kid's at a moment's notice, if needed.

And we are away from our very, very good friends.  

Thank the Lord for Skype, planes and the internet.  

Seriously.  How did people do this before those things were invented?

Don't get me wrong.  I know that I am extremely blessed to be in this situation.  But our trip back to Minnesota in December...where all of these photos are from...was very good for this girl's {that'd be me} soul. 

I know there are other folks who live away from their families who read...what are you thoughts?  What do you think are the good and bad parts of living away from family?