I left Texas on the evening of July 8, thirteen long days ago. It hasn't even been two weeks, though it feels like it's been at least three or four. We slept in a Motel 6 that night that a blown trailer tire led us to in Hope, Arkansas.
We pulled into my brother-in-law's driveway (well, actually, he was the one that pulled US in, literally) around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, July 10th. 11 days ago. I slept on a cot in his basement to finish out that night. They started to show our house in Texas again that day, with three showings scheduled.
The next night, I started to move a few of my things into my mother-in-law's motorhome, parked right outside the basement of my brother-in-law's house. That's where I slept for the next five days, but I still went inside the house for any bathroom/bathing needs. Mike went to work with Matt, and I went driving around with Chrissy and the boys to several places. A cash offer for our home came in that day, and before we got home for dinner, Mike and I had already electronically signed a contract accepting the offer. They did not request an option period, and we set to close on July 29th.
Both Mike and David went to work with Matt all week long, while Chrissy let me hang out with her and the boys, doing fun activities every day, like riding bike, hanging out with the horse and goats, going swimming at the neighbor's house and also at the community pool, getting donuts for Matt's birthday, etc. She's an incredible mom and a great hostess. I'm super thankful for her and for how easily we connect. She loves animals and nature and works hard to take care of any living creature in her care.
Saturday morning we got up and drove the motorhome to New Song to set up camp. It took a few nights to get adjusted and make it our own, but I think we've got some kind of a rhythm going. I'm so glad that I didn't wait till later in July to move. I really needed this quiet week with nothing going on here to just relax, breathe, have some down time, explore, and take it all in. Evenings are still pretty rushed and unpredictable, as we've still spent every evening either at Matt and Chrissy's or with them visiting us. I'm hoping tonight we can finally make a bonfire and enjoy a more relaxed evening "at home".
I've found that I can get my mile walk in just by walking from the camper all the way up to the playground and back. It's a bit more hilly than I'm used to, so that should make it count for a little more, right? Walking from the camper to the classroom is about 8 tenths of a mile. The first few days I drove here (especially when I had laundry to bring with me), but today I decided to grab my backpack and walk here. My leg is finally feeling and looking like it's healing enough for me to get some exercise again. (The move really aggravated it, at least the swelling around my ankle, so I made it a point to take it easy this week).
Everyone has been gone this week except for the new office manager, who happens to also work at Matt and Chrissy's church, so Chrissy was able to introduce me to her. She's been super nice, friendly, and helpful, and I really look forward to working with her. Yesterday she helped me out with printing some things I need to start working on my Indiana teaching license, and she took some mail into town for me.
At the end of last week, we found out that the buyers of our house had interest in closing earlier, either on Tuesday the 19th or the 26th. We all agreed on the 19th, so Tuesday morning Mike and I went to a local bakery to meet the mobile notary to sign the papers for closing. An hour and a half later, they signed theirs in Texas, and the funding appeared in our bank the next afternoon after they got our papers fed-exed to them. Between the day the house showed and the day we received the funds, it all went through in a total of ten days. Not bad. Not without a headache the night before when we found out we left too many things behind and had to get them out immediately. Mike tried contacting a few people who normally would have done that for us, but they were out of town. Thankfully Juan came to the rescue for us! It's not like we weren't warned--the realtor specifically told us we needed to leave the house absolutely empty when we moved out. And in talking to a realtor here, I found that their request at the last minute is a very common and legit thing, even when the house is listed AS IS. We knew we should have gotten it all out, we just literally ran out of time. It all ended well, though, and the closing went smoothly. With the money in the bank, it will be one less headache now in looking for our new home. So far, we've seen a few that have caught our eye, either for the house or for the land, but I know God will make it clear when it's the right one. And hey, it sure is nice to have a whole crew of hard-working, experienced home remodelers ready to work together to get us into the right place. Seeing Mike and Matt (and David) work together so selflessly is pretty amazing.
I knew before I got here to New Song that the girls' houseparents were leaving at the end of July. They saw me pull in yesterday afternoon and followed me to the camper to say hi. They're super nice (and even lived in Texas for awhile), so I'm a little sad I won't get to work with them--though I know God is drawing together a new team for me to work with, one I have been praying for faithfully since I accepted this job. Anyway, I asked them where they were headed, and they said, "Warsaw, a little town up in northern Indiana." LOL. They were pretty surprised to find out this Texas girl used to live there and that my husband's family all still lives there. They're headed up there for the same reason we left Texas, to be closer to a widowed mom. Anyway, they'll be around for another week for the last week of camp this summer, so I will probably see more of them next week before they leave. We exchanged cell phone numbers, and they told me to holler if I need anything at all.
Today I didn't have a thing planned, so I've been taking time to just sit and be still and realize all I have to be thankful for. I remember my first days in Texas, standing outside by my portable classroom, breathing in the warm Texas air, so in awe of how God got me there. I can honestly say I feel the same way now each day as I walk around this campus. I'm really here, I feel so at home, and I'm truly in awe of how God led me here. I can't believe all I left behind and the peace that I still feel despite that. I know it's not all going to be fun and games, that a lot of new challenges await me that are different than I've experienced in public schools, plus challenges with being so far away from my boys, challenges with finding a house, moving, remodeling when needed, figuring out a new financial rhythm, finding our church home and community, driving on country roads without getting lost, going through a not-so-Texas winter, dealing with cold temperatures for longer than a day or two, etc. There's a lot of challenge ahead. But I have this incredible peace that I am right where I was always meant to be in this moment.
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