We're going west!

My emotions are so all over the place right now it's not even funny! Seriously, one minute I'm excited about this adventure then I start thinking, "what in the world are we doing?!?" I find myself praying a lot! A little piece of my heart will always be here-that's for sure! Chris's heart was touched tonight when the precious 5 year old little girl of some of our bestest friends looked at him and said, "I don't want y'all to move." That got to him!

There are many things that will make this a hard move, but it also feels right in a lot of ways. Texas, although not specifically Houston, is where Chris & I met and first lived as a married couple. I never really expected to move out of the Southwest, but we did. Living in SC has been fantastic for so many reasons, but moving back to TX really feels right for more than one reason. That doesn't make it not hurt to make this move though because my heart is tied to many people & many experiences here. My children have roots here so this will be hard on them-Gracie more so than Katie of course. If not for wanting to savor these times with friends and wanting to savor this last pregnancy, I'd like to push a "fast forward" button for a few months to where we'll be settled in our new home.

This new home will be almost exactly half way between our parents. I mean, when someone from New Mexico marries someone from Georgia, it makes for interesting issues. We'd either have to live near one set but really far from the other (which we've done before on both sides) or far from both. This will put us about in the middle-a day's drive from either. A long day's drive, but a day's drive nonetheless.

We have soooooooo much ahead of us to do, including putting a house on the market and praying for it to sell, finding a place to rent in Houston, finding a new school for Gracie for about a month and a half (yikes!), finding a new doctor to finish the pregnancy, etc., etc., etc. Thankfully, the company will pack and move us so I won't find myself packing boxes, but there will still be plenty to do.

There are so many friends here we will miss. More on that later I'm sure-I don't need to get started on that tonight; I'm too tired! I am so thankful for email, unlimited long distance, lots of cell phone minutes, and text messaging! We are going to miss our church family and I've already begun praying about finding our new one. I am also so thankful for the bond Christians have, no matter the geographical location. I think having faith in that bond will get me through lots of uncertain moments during this move.

*sigh* Part of me just wants to cry while I'm also anxious to see where God will take on this adventure. He has a plan for us and I've been praying that He will lead us & direct us. Hopefully we're following Him as He wants us to. I feel like I have to explain ourselves to some who don't seem to understand why in the world we'd move. I'm not sure what to say. The opportunity arose and career wise for Chris-it's a great move. For a lot of reasons, it seems to be a great move. We've made a decision that we feel is good for our family-and not solely based on the career issue although that is part of it. Too bad our hearts get so connected to people because that's the part that hurts. Of course, it's not actually "too bad" that our hearts get so connected to people. How much sadder would we all be if we didn't make these types of connections?!? The relationships we form with our friends are a large part of the happiness we have in our lives, and I'm so thankful that God gives us friends.

Anyway, now the practical part-if any of my blog friends have recommendations for the "best" church in Houston to go to, the "best" Houston suburb to live in, the "best" school district to attend, yada-yada-yada-please leave a comment! We know this move is going to be a huge change. We're going from a "smallish" town to the 4th largest city in the U.S., so we'll appreciate any suggestions that could help us narrow down our search.

And-please keep us in your prayers for all the things we have to do between now and whenever we leave (probably sometime in April) and also for all we will have to do once we get there. It's a huge move but one we feel God wants us to make. He has a plan, and we look forward to serving him in a new state! God is full of surprises and the timing of this move is certainly a little surprising (have I mentioned I'm pregnant?!!? LOL) but we're trusting Him to be with us.