Life Lately/Coffee Date – This Ain’t Texas Edition

If we we’re having coffee, it would be iced, because it’s 120 degrees outside, even at 7am.  

If we had coffee, you might ask about my lack of blog posts recently and the all-but disappearance of social media.  I’d tell you that May was a busy month for more reasons than I let on.  KJ wrapped up school, we went on vacation, we went up to flag for memorial day weekend (including up to the Grand Canyon and Out of Africa park), but we also roped in a few other trips I had to be careful about mentioning. And since I’m a terrible liar and didn’t want to slip before we were sure and all pertinent parties were notified, I just disappeared.  But, now I can tell you! First, a couple of photos of Memorial Day weekend!

It was really windy the day we went to the Grand Canyon. As you can see in the photo above the kids really loved it. 

The did love Out of Africa in Camp Verde, AZ though (below)!  Although, I wish I would have planned better.  We kind of decided to go on a whim because we didn’t have Nala on the drive back from Flag to Phoenix (she was staying with my Aunt during some of the house stuff).  But we were really underprepared.  It’s a HUGE park, we really needed the heavy duty Double Bob Stroller not the flimsy umbrella stroller.  But the safari ride was awesome and the kids saw some animals.  So ya know, that’s a win.  

Now for the big news! No, I’m not pregnant, but we are swapping rocks, cacti, and scorpions for trees, grass, and armadillos.  We’re moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area!  Yes, I know there are scorpions in Texas.  Yes, I know armadillos aren’t just chilling on the street.  Although, that’s about all I know as I’ve been there once at this point for three days to look at schools for the kids. Prior to that, I flew through Dallas Love once, that’s it.  I had been to Houston a couple of times for my SIL wedding and nephews baptism, but Houston is pretty different than Dallas.  I will say we got initiated really quick as the day we spent driving around the area looking at schools and neighborhoods there was a tornado watch.  So that was…fun. Definitely a new experience for Mr. Hungry and I who were born and raised in Arizona.   There just isn’t much weather in Arizona beyond the heat, so it’s a new experience.  To say the least,  ha ha.  

How do I feel about the move?  You may remember we moved into what we thought would be our forever home, two years ago. But have you ever heard the saying “if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans?”  

To make a long story short, there was some restructuring at Mr. Hungry’s work that prompted him to start casually looking around.  What he landed was a hospital CFO role, and he couldn’t be more excited.  He felt really at home with the team and couldn’t stop talking about how nice the area was.  Mr. Hungry’s sister is out there, too, so it is the one place to move and have all the cousins together.  We just felt like it was meant to be.  

While we had kept renting out our current house and renting out there in the back of our minds, I hadn’t seen any rentals we liked that met all of our wants/needs.  Then, last weekend, one randomly posted.  We had heard the rental market was more competitive than the housing market, but somehow, we were able to beat out everyone else and get a place we really liked.   The property is close to Mr. Hungry’s work, important shops like Costco and Trader Joe’s, and great restaurants; on almost .4 acres, it has mature trees, a hiking trail behind the house, a playground almost across the street, and nestled on a cul de sac. Honestly, I still can’t believe we will be living there! The realtor loved Mr. Hungry’s email to her and chose us. So, we signed a rental lease in Texas  and are getting ready to rent out our current house.  Things seem to be moving and working out.  Becoming renters and landlords at the same time has been so overwhelming, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  We get to keep our low interest rate and build equity in Arizona while getting to know the area in Texas.  It’s a win-win.  

In addition to moving states and becoming landlords and tenants simultaneously, I have two big things on my plate.  One is a tooth issue.  I got a filling done that was under another filling, which traumatized the tooth beyond repair, leading to a root canal.  However, the root canal hasn’t been fully successful. I can chew now, but there is still a lot of sensitivity.  My endodontist is hoping a steroid course will clear it up, but if not, I may have a cyst or polyp in the area, as noted on her 3D x-rays.  So, ya know, surgery with an ENT would be potentially next. I’m really hoping that doesn’t need to happen. The stress of figuring that out on top of everything else is not welcome in my life right now.  In addition, I’m currently completing the Institute of Functional Medicine Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice, which is 33.5 hours of training.  The training only comes around so often, so I went for it this time right before I found out we were moving.  The training is expensive, around 3K, so it’s not exactly something I want just to drop the ball on.  

So, something will have to give, and if I’m being honest, it’s likely my blog posting schedule.  It’s summer, and kids have camps and the schedule is hectic.  It’s just a lot.  A lot, a lot.  I’m trying my best to prioritize.  When it comes to self-care – I’m working out pretty consistently.  It stresses me out to make the time to work out, but I also know it’s my saving grace.  It’s the one set of 40 minutes in the whole day where I can zone in on myself, and the endorphin boost is my saving grace.  I still have a few post partum pounds hanging around, but I’ve let go caring about it for the moment. 

Right now, health and fitness are all about keeping my energy and mood levels up.  It’s all about fitness, so I’m fit enough to handle motherhood and this move.  I’m not getting a lot of sleep, but I try to make up for that by eating as much nutritious food as my tooth will allow.  Probably a little too much caffeine and diet coke right now, but one thing I know for sure is that life ebbs and flows. This sprint will end and will be followed by a period of walking or at least jogging. Probably no walking in motherhood, ever, haha. I’ve been avoiding alcohol, except on the weekends. Again, I just don’t like the way I feel the day after I drink it.  Even just a little alcohol really affects me the next day, so right now, I mostly skip it.  

So, despite the chaos, I’m chugging along.  I get overwhelmed sometimes but, I try to remind myself that right now I’m in a sprint.  This period won’t last forever and I’m excited to start a new adventure.  Tell me all the things about Texas!  Just don’t tell me about your horror renter stories or your near death hail/tornado stories.  I’m gonna need to keep things positive over here friends! Think of me like a pregnant woman, you don’t tell her near death birth stories when she just told you she’s pregnant.  Ha ha  Keep it positive!  

Now that I’ve shared, I’ve got more stories coming soon!  As always thanks for your understanding during this crazy time of transition.  I’m grateful every day that Hungry Hobby allows me so much flexibility during this transition and the ability to up and move with little impact to my work.  That ability is not lost on me!