These little girls are our world and we sure love them.
I have an old globe in the girls room and thought it would be fun to get some pictures with it...cheesy, I know, but we had fun playing with it.
We had a fun and simple Valentine's Day. Abby had preschool, which was filled with all kinds of parties/sugar and we made cookies in the afternoon. The girls loved rolling out the dough and it was pretty mutilated by the time they were done. (Don't worry, I don't give away those cookies.) There were plenty of sweets to be had. Daddy even surprised the girls each with a rose and a little note. Bedtime was a little wild with the sugar high but sleep finally won.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
I think their reactions to the flowers show their personalities quite well. Ha!
We are really enjoying Austin! It's a beautiful place with awesome people. As we've talked about all we have seen and done in the last few weeks, we have come up with a 'Top Ten of Texas'...so far:
Top #1: The people.
We love living near family and everyone has been really good to us. Even the random people I meet at the grocery store will wait in line and talk to me like I'm their neighbor, (that has happened almost every time I go. )
#2: Brett's job.
He loves his job and has been able to be home more, which is heavenly. This job is a huge blessing, really, you have no idea.
#3: The food.
Ok, I have to admit, the BBQ here is insanely good and I'm not a meat person.
#4: The stars.
One of the first things that Abby noticed at night was the stars. Our first night in Texas (Dallas) she said: "Wow guys, look... My first stars, they're really pretty and sparkle. " They weren't really her first stars because she has seen them before but they sure do shine extra bright in Texas with the big sky and we love it. We like to look at the stars at night.
#5: Traffic.
There is hardly any traffic back-ups during the day. Brett is also loving that his commute is now only 20 min. vs. an hour each way in DC.
#6: The prices.
Things are so much more affordable here, it's nice.
#7: Sprouts
There is a grocery store here called 'Sprouts' that I absolutely LOVE. They have tons of good produce for great prices.
#8: Bluebell Ice Cream
Yum, that's all I have to say. Can you tell we like to eat since it seems half of this list is food. Ha!
#9: Running Trails
There are some great running trails around the area that I love. It reminds me a little of the trails back in Virginia, but with a definite Texas twist...a little more cactus. :)
#10: Winter weather
The weather in the winter has been amazing! I have to laugh though, because when we go to the park everyone is wearing jackets when it's 70 degrees outside. We went on a playdate outside with some friends from church and they were all freezing in coats while we were basically wearing shorts...it was a chilling 65 degrees. I know I will change my mind about the weather in the Summer, but until then I am sure going to enjoy what we have.
A couple other random thoughts...
-I have never seen high school football stadiums that are basically the size of a college stadium...with turf.
-It's strange that we have literally exchanged ambulance sirens (that constantly ran across Lee Highway)... to trains. The girls were use to the sirens since they were there from birth. Now we need to adjust them to the trains that run past our apartment all night. Sirens for Trains.
We are the type that like to see everything we can in an area that we live. Life is too short to not live it up. Since we had never really been to the Eastern Market, we decided it would be good to visit before we moved. I think the biggest hit for the morning was the giant dead pig heads. Abby's reaction was priceless. Dillon also introduced us to a yummy pancake joint inside that apparently is pretty famous. One of my favorite moments of the visit was when we walked outside to pretty snowflakes falling from the sky. I love a good snowfall. Such a fun time. We love all the opportunities and sights of DC.
Back in December we went to check out the Zoo Lights. It wasn't too cold, which made it nice and the girls enjoyed running around to all the different sections. I must say I wasn't super impressed but we were in good company so when you have great company, it makes any trip worth it.
This past month has brought on a whirlwind of change. It was surreal as I stared blankly at our empty home in Falls Church when we finished the final preparations. All of our belongings were loaded and we were going. How did that happen so fast?! It still doesn't quite feel real that we now live in Austin. We were blessed to have a lot of help as we moved. There are so many people we are grateful for that helped us pack, unpack, housed us, and made us feel so welcome as we entered a new area. Friends and family made this transition much easier, thank you!
Our first stop was to Southern Virginia to stay with the Ashton's. We were lucky to live fairly close to my cousins during our years in Virginia. We made some fun memories with them through the years. It was great to be with them before we left the state because we are sure going to miss having them close. The girls had a blast wrestling with all the kids, playing blocks and had an intense game of Kids Cranium. It was the perfect outlet for everyone to wear out energy before a long drive.
We then continued our journey to Nashville. The road through Tennessee was a foggy one with lots of rain the whole time. I wish we could have seen the Smokies, but I could faintly pick out the silhouettes of the rolling mountains as we passed through. We were just glad we made it through safe. Phew! My cousin Carrie and her cute family were kind enough to take us in for the night once we arrived there. It was fun to meet her kids for the first time. Abby abosolutely idolized Caroline and loved reading with her. I had a great time chatting with Carrie about food and recipes all night. Yum! Carrie is the best cook. She even spoiled us with a home-cooked Texan meal when we arrived. Thanks Carrie, you were way too nice! The girls spent the next morning with Devin and Graham and they were in heaven. Abby kept talking about how Devin was really cool. We were able to play at Chick-fil-A for a bit and let the kids go wild. My favorite part of the morning was watching Graham taste his chocolate milk at the restaurant. He looked at us with big eyes exclaiming, 'Wow. I lub this stuff!!' I'll get him chocolate milk anytime for that reaction. It was tough to leave when we were having so much fun but the open road was calling. Hopefully we can see them again soon.
I started to realize we were actually moving and not just vacationing as we left Nashville and it scared me a bit. Everything was so rushed as we packed, and loaded that my mind never really had the time to digest it all. We felt good about the decision, but the further we got, the more moments of fear would creep in, like "What are we doing? Um...are we sure about this?" Gratefully it helped to have family along the way and Brett would continually assure me of how we felt when we made the decision and we needed to keep going. (I am such a project for him, he is a patient man...my perfect match.) I especially had moments of question when our van broke down in the middle of no-where just past the Texas border. Ironically, it was right next to the fields of longhorn cows, which I had been joking about weeks prior. Ha!
Of course, I started to wonder if "it was a sign" and Brett just shook his head and laughed. "We just need to keep going, it will work out" he said. That statement was repeated several times as the day pressed on and I would give him the look of "we're crazy to do this." I must say that drive ended up being very memorable and quite entertaining, definitely an experience I will look back on and laugh about.
To paint a picture of the event, we were on a road that had a 75mph speed limit and suddenly the van dropped to 10mph. Brett was driving the other car behind me so I was glad he could slow down and 'catch my back' as I weaved to the side and tried to figure out what on earth was happening. We tried to go faster, but to no avail. Since we weren't close to any sort of civilization we made the decision to ride the emergency lane going 10mph to the next town, which took quite a while. Probably not the most brilliant thing to do as we look back on it but hey, we're alive. All this time the girls were asking, "Mommy, what are we doing?!" Good question ladies...'I wish I knew.' :) If the van was going to die, it was a really good thing it happened in Texas because, like they say, "Everything's Bigger in Texas" and they are right. The emergency lane was like a whole lane in itself so we had plenty of room to drive it a while. I was also glad it happened where it did because we had hit freezing rain, hydroplaning and fog for 14 hours straight going through Tennessee and Virginia. It was much better to have it die in sunshine. The van finally quit on a hill just off an exit, so we had it towed to Mount Pleasant to 'Billy Craig's' to be tested.
Things work a bit slower in these small towns to we needed to wait for a while as the staff finished their 'lunch break' before we could figure anything out, which was fine. Gratefully there was a McDonald's with a Playland nearby so I stayed there to entertain the girls while Brett took care of everything else. I am not a huge fan of McDonalds, but it saved my sanity in this moment. I am also now in their debt because Kate reacted badly to some food and puked all over their restaurant and all over me. Soooo embarrassing. They were very kind to us despite the disaster and helped clean it up. I felt awful it happened in their restaurant. It's bad enough to clean up your kids throw-up, let alone a strangers. What nice people for not hating me, and if they do hate me at least they won't have to see me again. We of course immediately left. Since all of our clothes were in the van, Kate got to wear a diaper and boots the rest of the day and I just did what I could with the lovely aroma on my clothes. Thank goodness for body spray. Oh boy!
Brett then called and said we were headed to Dallas via tow truck because they couldn't fix it and we needed to take it to the dealership. He then piled in the tow truck and I followed in the car. I will never forget the 2.5 hour drive to Dallas. The tow truck driver was obviously not focused at the wheel as he weaved into lanes and would suddenly brake out of nowhere. It was a miracle I didn't run into him.
The best part was when we got to our destination in Dallas. I wish I would have taken a picture of Brett's face as he got out of the truck because it was priceless. It was a 'deer in the headlights' expression. He was scared for his life. I was laughing the rest of the day just thinking about it. Apparently the whole way there the driver was basically using his legs/knees to steer, and talking on both a walkie talkie, AND a cell phone at the same time. He also didn't know how to drive in a city once we hit Dallas. That was a ride for our life. Phew! The best comparison I can give to this whole experience is watching the Disney Movie, 'Cars.' Mater was at the wheel. :) The people in Dallas were awesome and very kind to us, and left us with good impression of Texas. We stayed the night there. The van was 'fixed' by morning, but when we drove on the highway again it failed, so we turned right back around to do more tests. They then found that the van needed to stay in Dallas for the week until they could get the parts that were needed. Anxious to finally make it to Austin after a 1,600 mile trip, we loaded everything we could into our car and headed for the road once again. I remember looking into the backseat as we drove off seeing two little heads smiling and peering out from behind blankets and boxes. The girls were such good sports. Really, all that happened was just a minor glitch in the road, we were safe and all was well. I also have a whole new admiration for my pioneer ancestors because I never would have survived walking the distance we drove pulling a handcart with children. At least we had a car.
As we drove the 3 hours to Austin, Brett took my hand. He could tell I was getting nervous again about the change. (Typical me.) When I looked down at our hands, my mind cleared...it was all going to work out. We glanced at each other and just broke out laughing about the whole week. The goal of that day then became, 'Austin or bust!' He then hit the cruise control and we were on our way...we actually made it.
When I let my heart settle, things became clearer and at peace. I really think fear is something Satan likes to put in our way to distract and divert our path. I need to remember we will face unknown roads our whole life and I just need to seek peace, have faith and not fear the unknown. It will all work out, even if it is a difficult road. The Lord calmed the waters of the sea, He can surely calm the fears of our heart and He will.
(Sunset over Arkansas.)
“It all works out, don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers.” -President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Lasting peace is an eternal personal quest.
Peace comes to those who develop character and trust.
True peace must not be dependent upon conditions or happenings. Peace must stem from an inward contentment built upon trust, faith, and goodwill toward God, fellowmen, and self. It must be constantly nurtured by the individual who is soundly anchored to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only then can a person realize that the trials and tribulations of daily life are less important than God’s total goodness."
-Marvin J. Ashton
There was a song we listened to as we drove that I found very fitting...
"Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
Because I’m going to make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down, if you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you’re not alone because I’m going to make this place your home"
-Phillip Phillips
The girls sleeping at the Milletts while we wait for our beds to arrive. They were so kind to have us when things went unplanned.
First view of a Texas grocery store: special grill aisle. Only in Texas.
An aisle just for tortillas.
Exhaustion.
Boxes and more boxes.
Bumper sticker we saw on our drive in: "You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas."
We had a fun group of friends that we did gymnastics with on Thursday mornings in Virginia. Abby looked forward to it every week and I must confess that I did too because I got to chat with friends while our girls practiced. We would often get together afterwards and had a lot of fun. Such good times.
Here is a video of Abby being brave and dropping off the bar. Way to go Abbers!
Bar none, the hardest part about moving is leaving the people you love! Even though you know you will stay in touch and visit them, it's just not the same. We will always be grateful for the friends we made, that we hope to keep for a lifetime. There are so many people in Virginia/DC that we already miss. I wanted to get pictures of all of our friends, but sadly I didn't end up getting many in the chaos of moving. Even though I missed a lot of people, I still wanted to post the ones I did randomly get. We have such great friends and family- we love you ALL, (whether I actually got to take a picture or not. ;)
We are sure going to miss having Uncle Dude and Aunt Lissa close by. The are very popular people with our family. Now we just want to recruit them to Austin. Love you guys!
Kate, Abby, and Lily The girls adore this little girl. We even got to watch her crawl for the first time before we left.
We love Amy, Lily and Dillon. They were so nice to have us stay with them when we were homeless.
Mallory, Abby, Emily and Kate. Boy do we love these girls. Kate would always seek out Mallory at church and refused to ever leave her side.
My awesome friend Lauren. Her daughter Natalie and my Kate are best buddies as well, though they didn't hold still for their picture. Ha!
The famous Gabbi. My girls absolutely adore Gabbi and she is definitely one of Abby's best friends.
These two are really cute together.
My dear friend Michelle. She was VERY kind and took our girls all day when we moved, and on top of that sent her husband to help us load... they are awesome like that. We were so grateful for their help.
Allison, Susanna and I all taught together at Greenbriar West Elementary. These ladies are amazing and I just love them. We ended up all being pregnant at the same time when we were teaching and our kiddos have had play-dates and grown up together ever since. Our kids were only a few weeks apart, we just can't believe they will all be five years old in July. Such good friends.
