Texas Anniversary

At 4:00 am on September 30, 2015 we rolled into T. Texas after leaving everything we knew, sending our belongings along to some unknown residence, calling two locksmiths, being stopped by two police officers, breaking one AC, nearly hitting several deer, and Christian-cussing-out a paper, fold-it-up Texas map that tried to send us to Mexico. The journey entailed 35 of the more miserable hours of our young lives. But there we were.

And here we are. One year later.

In some ways, it feels like the construction of a new life has been a much speedier process than 365 days. In other ways I can't believe it's only twelve months later.

In the last year I have had to be an adult, and make big adulty decisions, and kill big adulty bugs that I didn't have to kill when I was a kid.

In the last year we bought a new house, a new chreuck (as a Hannah with a rapidly colonizing Texas accent calls our Ford), and an antique store's worth of new old furniture and decor... including a chicken box, which still sits ever-so-judgmentally on our breakfast table.

I've visited 15 different churches, found one to call home, and made sweet friends there, who challenge me, and forgive me, and love me. Which mostly makes up for the three months of ridiculous theology I endured in every whack-a-doodle sanctuary in central Texas.

I wrote a Bible study. I attempted to get said study published. I baulked at the soul-crushing horrors of the modern Christian publishing market, and ate lots of chocolate to get my mojo back. And then I wrote another Bible study. Because maybe it would be better the second time?

I drove myself to an unknown city, navigated through said city to find an unknown zoo. Watched my two minions fall in love with said zoo, and drove back twenty more times. For a woman both horribly shy and directionally challenged, this was quite the feat.

 Justin gave CPR to infants. So I fell in love with him again and more.

I put my flipflops in every water feature in central Texas. This was the summer of wet sandals. Splash pad, water park, river, lake, pool, water guns... you name it, it soaked us. Sounds fun? Sure, as a necessity for survival in the Texas summer. It was fun in the same way that breathing is kind of a gas.

We played at every park in central Texas. We walked to them; we drove to them. We played in the rain, in the wind, and in the sun. We played in a house, and yes, with a mouse.

We spent over $4000 on car repairs. I had inexplicable excruciating headaches for a month. Justin had heart palpitations. Hannah got some weird Texas disease. She was also cured of all her allergies except peanuts. Noah started school. We bought a grill. And a truck. And a chicken box. We lived life.

I loved my God, who does not abandon His exiles. I loved my kids, having the opportunity to be with them all day, every day... every day... all day. I loved my husband, who I see anew and all the more amazing every day. I loved my church, though probably not half as much as she has loved me.

All in all, we could probably do another year.