Best Day Yet, Which Could Have Been Better

Texas did not start out as overly kind. It put crickets in the ceiling, and no furniture in the house, and confusing one way roads with bored police officers. However, we are settling in, and things are looking up.

We found a zoo. This was a good day.

We decided to buy a membership because thus far besides parks and walking around the mall, Texas is dull. There is a park by the lake where we can go swimming... I'm sure it will be lovely in July... When half of it isn't under water.

Back to the zoo. There will be more of this...

And more of these guys...

And maybe there will be more of Jennifer. Grrr.

We were leaving the giraffes. This is not as easy a task as it sounds. (On the way home I asked Noah four times what his favorite part of the zoo was and I got four different answers from bears, to fish, to yee-haw horse [my son is becoming a Texan, see above photo]. However, when I asked Hannah four times what her favorite part of the zoo was, she responded exactly the same each time: "Gee-Raff.") As we headed down the boardwalk a young mom with a boy in a stroller passed us, she smiled politely and I said hello. We proceeded toward the elephants.

But a moment later the same young woman came jogging back to us. "Hey, I just wanted to ask, do you live in Waco?" I shook my head and told her we are in Temple. "Oh," she said disappointed. "Our church is having a Harvest Festival with candy, games, and rides, and I thought your kids might love it. You'd be so welcome to come." And, at this moment, I considered moving to Waco. We talked for about ten minutes about us moving here and struggling to find a church, and she said she would definitely pray for us, that we would find a home soon. We said we would pray for her neck and shoulder that she would get relief from the chronic pain (which means her church doesn't believe in the gift of healing, hurray!). This was the first conversation I've had with an adult other than Justin since moving here. Noah started getting antsy to see the rhinos, so I apologetically said farewell. She helped her boy say goodbye and Jesus loves you.

And my half desperate brain thought, "Yeah? Well, I hate you. (yes I am devolving in maturity) How dare you be the only person in this state you has shown a vested interest in our well-being, while living over an hour away from us. How dare you be nice and kind and saved and live in Waco? Curse you, potential friend, who lives in another city.

When I got home Justin asked if I got her number. ... Curse me and my years of awkward, anti-socialness that has made me too culturally illiterate to realize I can ask for a freakin' number.

But other than missing out on a friend, the zoo was a good day.