Being 8 is super great!

Dear Kaden,

I am actually quite late in technically writing this--this is the first year I haven't had your birthday letters right on time. But I thought about what to write for several weeks now, and want you to know you have been on my mind!

Kaden, at 8 you still love tomatoes! You are still my best eater. I am always happy to report on this when the doctor asks at your annual checkup. You can be so incredibly responsible and I am grateful for your example. You take being 8 very seriously. You always wear a suit to church and have been wearing daddy's long ties, tucked in to your shirt so they don't go to your knees. :) I love seeing this--it is truly one of my favorite things!

At 8 you are FINALLY a cub scout! Oh my goodness, how you have waited for this for so long! You are going to be an amazing Scout--I can tell! For your birthday daddy got you a pocket knife. I mention dad specifically because I did not want to be any part of that. :) You have taken to whittling away at chunks of wood and keep your knife on hand in case I need help opening a package or taking a tag off a new piece of clothing. :) A few weeks ago you were asked to do the color guard at the pack meeting. Oh my goodness, there has never been anything cuter! You were SO focused--you called out the orders with a loud, clear voice, and whipped your fingers in place for the scout salute at the end. My heart swelled with such pride in who you are and what you represent.

At 8 you are in 3rd grade. This was one of my favorite grades and I hope you find some of the same magic I did at your age! You just started piano lessons and I am hopeful you will grow to love this and develop it as a talent. It is a skill that is SO useful and needed in so many areas!

You are really into origami and Star wars, and love to read! Dad and you have started to play catch in the backyard and you seem to really want to learn more about baseball. You love spending one on one time, and it's something I hope we can have more of together.

I have enjoyed watching you grow up so far, Kaden. You are such a great, responsible boy and I feel like I have learned so much from you.  I also feel like you are teetering on the edge of not so little boy anymore, and entering a complicated world of boyhood. I hope you know, more than anything, that I love you and I want you to succeed. You are destined to do great things--I have felt that since before you were born.This does not mean you need to be perfect--I just want you to be your very best you. That is the you I love--always and forever.

Happy big 8th birthday--
Love, Mom

Amarillo....by morning

I can hardly have a conversation with someone discussing Amarillo without hearing that song reference... ;)

We've been here 4 days now, and are starting to settle in. I really should be unpacking boxes since the kids are in bed, but I wanted to take note of some things I've had on my mind since we moved.

Ready for this? I LOVE Amarillo--

Why?

-It is the EASIEST "big city" to get around! I've hardly even used my GPS since I got here! I feel like I have a good feel for the city and you can be anywhere in 20 minutes max. It's great!

-All around town there are these big horse statues outside certain businesses. I am not sure what qualifies someone to get one, but they are painted according to the business names, etc. When we were here looking for houses, Brandon started a game where every time we saw a horse we would yell "ZICH HORSE!" It's a tradition that has continued and has us all looking for the horses all the time. I really love this game...and the hunt! :) 

-The people. SO many friendly people! I love it! 

-The cool mornings and evenings. Oh, how amazing this feels! I love that it gets cool enough at night that the air conditioner doesn't even need to run. And the morning is so nice--fresh and crisp! The humidity has dropped significantly in this weather zone. :) 

-All the CHOICES! Need to shop for furniture? Pick one of 10 or so places...eating out? The selection is endless!Need something to do? Pick a museum..or park,..or pool. or splash pad. It's pretty fantastic!

-Our ward (the congregation from church) Literally, as we were walking in from church, the Elder's Quorum presidency was already on our doorstep to welcome us and offer any help. The Primary (kids classes) sends out an email newsletter with pictures of what they have been working on each month, etc. It was AMAZING! Everyone has been so kind--

-Our house. I sometimes walk around my house and feel like in no way, shape, or form do we deserve to live here. I pinch myself sometimes--is this real? Our rental search was EXHAUSTING and fruitless--we didn't even HAVE a place until a week before we moved. Everything was so old and yucky and expensive. And then by chance (or pure blessing) the tenants who had lived in this house only 2 months (they were the first to move in after it was built) up and moved out and never said a word about it. So it left this brand new place vacant and ready to be leased, a week before we needed to be here. We rented it sight unseen--which is a little unnerving. But there are so many beautiful things about it. I LOVE the master bathroom. It truly makes me feel like I am on vacation every day. And even though the kitchen is small and the cupboard space poorly planned, it's a nice open space and feels clean and beautiful. 

-Our garage. We have a 3 car garage. Crazy, right? We have never even PARKED in a garage before. Until now. And our garage is in the back of the house (that's a funny Amarillo thing). Our kids have taken to riding their scooters all over the garage and out into the driveway and alley way--they love it! 

-My cell phone reception. Holy smokes, is my cell reception a BAJILLION times better here than it was before. In fact, I get faster 4g internet connection in my house than I do wireless signal from my router! THANK YOU Amarillo! lol

-The airport. SO quaint and cute--and even Southwest flies in and out of there! 

It has been interesting, really...Amarillo never ever would have crossed my mind in a million years, and yet here we are. And here are so many things that I had wanted but never thought were possible. 

Heavenly Father knows us. He does. Amarillo is proof to me of that very truth.

Life as we know it...

I don't think it has really sunk in that tomorrow is our last day in this house.

Our belongings are still scattered about, some in boxes, some not--our furniture has disappeared piece by piece as we have sold the things we won't take with us. We have eaten "leftovers" from our freezer and pantry for a couple of weeks now.

The kids are completely thrown off schedule--and they are EXHAUSTED,

I. am.

EXHAUSTED.

It's been a chaotic scene to say the least. 

We have looked forward to this day for years now. And it's like, BAM, it's suddenly here! And we are scrambling to say our goodbyes and pack up our house and be ready to close this chapter. 

It is no secret it took me a long time to adjust to living here. I felt like an outsider for a long time--I struggled to adjust to the small town feel and not being so close to all of the things that made Cleveland so great for our family. I felt alone and distanced from family and friends--since Cleveland had been a hub and we had many guests stop by. But really--Temple, Tx. is pretty much not on the way to...well, much of anything for our friends and family.

Suddenly I find myself thinking of what I will miss--fresh tortillas from the grocery store, Bluebonnets, Nami, a tremendous network of helpful people who are so willing to serve, the water park that filled our summer days every year since we got here. I will miss our house. This house took some convincing--I didn't want to come back to look at it in the first place but we were convinced we had to try when all our options fell through or looked bleak. This house felt special--it felt different. But committing to a house purchase was REALLY hard for me. Once we signed on the dotted lines, we did everything we could to make it ours--to make it better--to love it for everything it is. And we did. 

I will miss the adventures we shared working side by side,  learning how to set a toilet and lay tile and put wood molding up. I will miss the love poured into the paint on the wall and the gardening I did, and figuring out how to install faucets and fixtures. We will never again have a first house--so this is a pretty special place for us.

Living here has been filled with ups and downs--hard weeks with long hours and stress and frustration, and yet we've had the opportunity to serve and see Jason and Mindi once in a while and have our kids go to a great school where they have met some wonderful friends. This isn't a chapter I want to relive, necessarily. But it is a chapter I will look back on with fondness--despite the struggles we have really grown here. 

Life as we know it is about to change drestically--

So often when people hear we are finishing residency we are met with responses that indicate others really think we are heading for a carefree life of coasting now that this part is over. That is SO very far from the truth. :) While many others finishing residency are ready to start work July 1 and will be met with sign on bonuses and consistent paychecks, we have to wait several more months--and then will be essentially entering the world of self-employment. This is never a route we really saw taking. But we know it's what should be. As scary as it feels, this is where all the dead end roads have taken us. Gone are the days of turbo tax and simple tax filings. :) A new adventure awaits.

We are taking a step back from owning and needing to rent for a couple years. It is actually emotionally much harder than I thought it would be. And after searching and searching and being let down over and over, we finally found a place to rent 1 week before our move date. 

Tomorrow we close our chapter here--we pack our house up in a truck to be taken to our new adventure. We watch Brandon graduate from his residency program. We say our final goodbyes and lock the door to our home one more time...and say goodbye to life as we know it.