Okay, so it's been what, a year, since my last entry? So many things have changed since then, SO many. I met and married my husband Derek (you can read our story here) and moved to Austin, Texas. Yep, I went from a small (and I mean tiny) California town where everyone knows everyone (and their brother) and you really can't go anywhere without running into someone you know. I'm slowly (maybe) turning into a country girl in a big city (weird, I know, but weird is kind of a big deal here in Austin).
I'm adjusting to pretty much new everything - home, freeways, friends, weather, stage of life, grocery stores (HEB - no Winco or Ralph's here #sadface), new job at a *gasp* public school, new church (that I love but it's still different and I still deeply miss my church back in California). I'm learning that it's pointless to even own a hair straightener because at 6:00 in the morning the humidity is at 90%. I've learned to not take sunshine for granted because I may go without it for up to 2 weeks at a time (and may be woken up by 60 MPH winds outside my bedroom window). There are no mountains here and I can't just hop on the freeway and head to the beach.
Let me tell you folks, it's been hard.
I had an expectation coming out here that it would be rainbows and butterflies (okay, maybe not) but it has been different than I anticipated. I know it's good and God is good and He has definitely been using us out here but for me that is separate from the longing I have to be in California. I don't know if I'll ever actually get to move back, but I am thankful for what I've learned in this season so far. I appreciate Austin because it's huge and nearly impossible to run into people you know (not that it's a bad thing - but sometimes the fishbowl lifestyle gets old). I'm thankful that my small group at church consists primarily of people who have moved from Southern California to Austin and they totally get it. I'm thankful for lower rent and no income tax and extremely low gas prices.
I never want to concentrate so much on the difficulty that I miss out on what God is doing with my husband and I here.
I am thankful for opportunities we have to go out and explore. Although it's been hard, it's also been an adventure and I'm thankful for it. It has caused me to long for eternity with Jesus, where I will ultimately be at home and no longer be in a state of longing. I constantly think about Paul in Philippians 1, who longed to be with Christ but was hard pressed between longing to be home and longing to be on earth to help advance the Gospel.
Here are some pictures from a trip my husband and I took to San Antonio on Memorial Day. It was quite the adventure and as silly as it is, visiting new places has been a good distraction while we've been out here because it reminds me to enjoy our time here and to be thankful for the new season of life.
