thursday morning thoughts on texas

well, we are officially at the three month mark of living our new life in texas.  to say that it has been a tumultuous, emotionally charged and regretful decision would be a ridiculous overstatement.  because it has, in fact, been an eerily smooth transition.  that isn't to stay that there aren't moments of angst and regret, blended in with worry and homesickness...because if there wasn't, i fear that meant our life back in utah wasn't as great as we thought.

our life back in utah was beautiful and predictable.  we went about our life day after day, enjoying the repetition, fussing about sometimes insignificant things and occasionally taking for granted the comforts that come with only knowing one place and its people.  it only took one weekend visit back home to make me realize how lovely cache valley truly is, how much i love so many people there, but how it doesn't quite feel the same when your nucleus is now 1600 miles to the southeast.  i feared going home would set me back, but the opposite took place.  my earlier predictions were correct and my heart has transitioned to where my little family resides.  this is now home, and no amount of fall leaves or friendly faces can change that.

plus, we have two little ones who show you how easily life can go on.  they are thriving here.  E has a renewed love for dance, is shining on the soccer field, is part of a tight knit 5th grade girls only club, excelling academically, a member of the coveted safety patrol and running for class president.  she is learning how people are very different outside of the bubble she has been raised in, both good and bad, and how to navigate these choppier waters and her own feelings about it.  she talks candidly with us, which brings us all comfort.

the pill is torn.  he misses his friends and the mountains dearly, but 'loves Texas!' at the same time.  lizards, frogs and snakes, oh my!  although not quite as socially outgoing as his sister, he has made some good friends and won the heart of his teacher, who quietly told me one day that she would love an entire class of will's.  he is playing fall baseball and has the positive coaching that has helped renew his love for it.  ask what the best part of moving to texas is and he won't hesitate to say that it is having his dad home with us every night.

those days when ripp and i are struggling, we only need to look to our children for guidance and reassurance.  they are perfect examples of the small things in life mattering the most.  we are also learning to be grateful for what texas has to offer that utah can't.  although there aren't any mountains to bike in, or hills for that matter, we can ride our bikes places that we couldn't before.  to the store, for coffee or on a new path to spot a gator in the bayou.  perspective.  that's all it is.

the pill(2nd) and e(5th) on the first day of school.