01/07/2010
Moving Back to Stokes County
 My wife, Becky, and I are planning to build a house about 2 miles from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. Neither of us has been involved with anything like this for a number of years. Intially, the prospect of such an endeavor was overwhelming. At first, we tried to avoid going the building route. We looked at existing houses for a couple of years but never found anything close to what we wanted. When we moved to Charlotte, we thought we had found a house that was just what we needed. It had a great floor plan with the master bedroom on the main floor. It was just in the edge of Cabarrus County with convenient shopping and easy access to Interstate 85. What we did not count on was the explosion of growth in the area where we chose to live. We still enjoy living in that house and will continue to have a presence in Charlotte for some time to come.
However, we have decided to move back to the area from whence we came. We have purchased two plus acres with a beautiful view of Pilot Mountain. My brother-in-law, Smith, told us about this property. When I drove to the property and saw it, I knew immediately that it was a place that I wanted to live. We purchased the property about two months later in November 2009.
Our new home is in the design phase now. We are waiting on the designer/draftperson to send us the rough draft of our plans. Becky and I were both nervous about making a commitment to something that was a drawing on a piece of paper and not something we could actually see and touch. However, we have overcome most of that fear and are excited about the plan we have created.
The house is about 2700 Sq. Ft. Most of the living area will be on the main floor. There will be bedrooms and baths on the second floor for our children and grandchildren when they come to visit. We will have a place for a garden and lots of grass to mow – something I am not too excited about. But, that will be a small price to pay for the beauty of the area.
Most of all, we are looking forward to getting closer to family and friends (Although, I will miss my sister and her family who lives in Charlotte). I have always wanted to live in a larger city with the excitement of sports, fine arts, and a busy downtown area. I still enjoy those things. But, we feel it is time to start the next chapter in our lives.
Stay tuned as we continue on this new adventure.
| 
