So Long, San Antonio

This is my last blog post from the great state of Texas!  I'm unplugging the router at 3:30 and returning equipment to AT&T.

There are so many thoughts running through my head.  Forgive me if this blog post rambles as I say my goodbyes.

If I could hug a house, I would.  

If you've followed our journey long enough, you'll recall that before Texas, we were living like nomads in Northern California for 9 months (Jay was there 12 whole months) as a family of four.  We lived with 1 family for 3 months, another family for 5 months and then we lived in a 5th-wheel trailer for a month on another family's property.  All because our house in Nebraska would not sell.  It was an excruciatingly painful year after 2 years of adoption nightmares.  Once in Texas, our daughter came home from China and we lived at my mother-in-law's condo for 6 months while Jay trained for his new career.  For a year and a half (California and Texas) we lived with the same 2 suitcases of clothes each and my kids lived with a small box Legos and a smaller box of Hot Wheels cars and nothing more.  All of our other belongings remained in storage in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Moving to San Antonio provided us a home again.  We were reunited with our things, our stuff, our furniture, things that made our new house our home -- again.  This Texas home was well loved and appreciated.  Within these walls we healed slowly from the hurts of the past and from the pain of our months of living out of suitcases like nomads.  I never took this home for granted.

If I could hug a city, I would.  

Sure, I've struggled with allergies badly here.  My husband and kids have all reacted badly too, the longer we've remained here.  But there is much to do in this town.  It is family friendly with places to go and things to see.  It's a fun place to entertain guests visiting from out of town.  This city provided us a church where Jay found healing from the ugly hurts of 2 past churches and ministry positions.

But I can't hug a house and I can't hug a city.  

I'll hug my friends instead.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank all my Texas friends.  You friends have made living so far away from family much more bearable.  My homeschool friends have been a great bunch of moms to chat with and hang out with!  Serving on the board of our homeschool group was an honor and I love the women who volunteered their time alongside me.  I love you like sisters!  The only thing that makes leaving easier is the fact that most of my homeschool friends are military families who have already moved away or will be moving this year as well.  I will miss all of you!

I've made 2 great adoption friends here in Texas.  One was an online friend who became an in-real-life friend when the Air Force moved them here.  Our China kiddos are the same age, came home at the same time and one of them has a hand a lot like Quiet Tiger's.  It does make me sad that our kids won't grow up playing together.  My other friend is a more seasoned adoption mama and her daughter loves to play with my daughter.  I'll miss these connections, these bonds of adoption-mama-sisterhood.

And I'll miss Jay's assistant and her family.  They were our family down here.  Despite it being a work relationship, I can honestly say that we had a friendship outside the office too.  Oh, how I wanted to buy a home near their's so that we could be neighbors!  I'm so thankful for all the ways they served us as my husband worked his tail off to get his new business off the ground.  I hope the whole family will come visit us!  Saying goodbye to this family brought on the ugly cry and hugs that were very hard to release.

To the scorpions, fire ants, rattlesnakes, poisonous spiders, Cedar Fever, Live Oak pollen, mold, the searing heat of summer, I say a hearty, "Kiss my rump!"  I will NOT miss you!  I have many questions for the Good Lord about your mere existence in this world.  Truth: if it weren't for you, I'd love living in Texas.

A good quote.

We let our older boys watch The Office on Netflix.  They love it!  They think the hijinks between Jim and Dwight are hysterical.  I look back to the words written in the final episode of TV's The Office.  I tried to find a YouTube clip, but couldn't locate the exact one.  Actor Craig Robinson uttered the words that are so true to me and my boys today.  Below, I added my appropriate ad lib in italics to personalize it to our story:

"Every day when I came to work [lived in Texas], all I wanted to do was leave.  

So why in the world does it feel so hard to leave right now?"

~Craig Robinson as character Darryl Philbin on The Office

I'm am thankful to God for His provision for us these last 3 years.  He brought us here, helped us keep our expenses low as Jay started a commission-based business, surrounded us with friends of all kinds, provided a house with a pool, He grew Jay's career with a company we couldn't possibly love more, He brought healing to my husband from the scars of ministry, He provided Texas as my daughter's first home, He kept us safe here in the south.  Talk about blessings!  I am thankful.

I wish Texas a tearful goodbye 

and convey my thanks.