Well, hello from Texas! A lot has happened in the last two weeks! We left Arizona on 7/27 and were in an Airbnb in Farmer’s Branch (right outside of Dallas) for a week before moving into our rental home. (More about renting and renting here.)
My husband and his Dad drove the animals out – the cat, the dog, the frogs, and the ants. Basically, a farm.
And my MIL and I flew with the kids. The boys did great on the flight, baby girl did as well as any 15 month can do. Mostly fine, but two hours of non stop trying to entertain her. Some screaming where a woman on the plane said it’s a shame we didn’t give her a pacifier. I laughed, if you can get her to take one lady go ahead and try, but I never could.
The Farmer’s Branch Airbnb was in an awesome location. It ended up being only 8 minutes from one of my best friends, who brought us a welcome-to-Texas care package.
My SIL and her family (husband and kids) drove down from McKinney to welcome us as well, and they made us this cute little welcome-to-Texas gift!
To say that we felt welcomed and blessed is an understatement. I’m very well aware that when people move out of state, they don’t always get a warm welcome, even in friendly areas. So, to have people we love so dearly be near us and welcome us is a blessing we will cherish.
The Airbnb was across from a park on a creek that was teeming with wildlife like turtles, ducks, geese, cranes, snails, tadpoles, fish, and more. The boys had an absolute blast hanging out there, and so did my niece and nephew.
One thing that immediately stood out to me is that it’s bearable to go outside here until at least 10 am; around 85F is my cut-off with the humidity. And yes, it is more humid than Arizona, but I don’t mind it. In Phoenix, you don’t want to go out past 7 am; here, it’s bearable until 10 am. Someone said to us at church, “you guys are probably the only ones moving here that think it’s cooler here.” So true ha ha This means the kids can ride bikes, go nature hunting, or just get outside at least for an hour in the morning. I swear, in Arizona, we got cabin fever in the summers, just sitting inside all the time except when you in the pool.
Once we moved into our new home, we immediately noticed the pool as the perfect temperature, not as lukewarm as it is in Arizona. We’ve already had the cousins over to swim, which filled my heart with so much joy! The kids left behind two sets of grandparents, so the fact that they are gaining cousins to hang out with more regurarly makes me happy. Not to mention my SIL and BIL came over to help set things up and watch the kids the first weekend we moved, which was a godsend. So grateful for them!
And did I mention how it’s so green, so so so green here. I know it will all die come winter, but the green is nice to be around, at least for now. When we initially talked about moving, I told Mr. Hungry I wouldn’t miss “rocks and cactus.” To be fair, the area of Phoenix I grew up in was not all rocks and cactus. In fact, I grew up in an old orange orchard in the Arcadia area, so there were a lot of trees and green grassy neighborhoods. Even when I was with my mom in central Phoenix (I lived with her and my grandma split), there was still a decent amount of grass. But, much of the East Valley is just that: rocks, cacti, and turf. I despise turf, ha ha. I get it, it looks super nice, but it’s so hot to the touch. And even though I loved the area of town we lived in, I won’t miss the landscaping. But speaking of landscaping we did find some poison ivy along our walk to the park here, so you know every area has it’s downsides.
As mentioned, I lived a lot with my Grandmother growing up, and she was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She passed in 2010, but she was my favorite person on the face of the earth. Looking back, I remember a lot of “Texas” trinkets and things in the house. Y’all has been in my vocabulary since I was little because she would say it. Even though we’re in between Dallas and Forth Worth, I still feel a little bit of a sense of “coming home,” a sense of closeness with her that I can’t describe. I can only describe it as peace.
For all the peace I feel, though, that doesn’t make moving not stressful. And unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with some health issues since we got here. Originally diagnosed as mastitis, and then maybe yeast/thrush, I now believe I’ve been battling shingles for the last week. Stinging, burning pain that wrapped around my chest to my back and settled most intensely in my armpit. After antibiotics and antifungals, finally, antivirals seemed to lessen the symptoms. I never got the “shingles” rash, but apparently, there are instances where you don’t get the rash or it can take 10 days or longer. I started feeling a bit better after the antivirals and seem to be getting better every day, but shingles take a while to recover from. So, I’m hoping I’m finally on the road to recovery.
This week, school starts for KJ (not till after Labor Day for KK), and I have all kinds of feelings about having a kindergartener. On the one hand, I’m so excited for him because I just think he’s going to LOVE his new school. On the other hand, even though I don’t feel called to homeschool, I can see why people do it. You spend five years trying to keep the kid alive, and once they are somewhat self-sufficient, they go to school. But, I really think he will love his new school for a variety of reasons, so I’m excited for him.
As far as work goes, the new nanny started last week, and she’s great, so that’s been a relief. I got the office somewhat unpacked. So, right now, I’m trying to figure out what recipes I shot before we moved that I never posted. I finally finished IFM AFMCP, so that’s off my plate. I just need to gather my thoughts and get the blog up and running again. I’m hoping to be back to regular posting by next week at the latest. For those of you who have been following along, thank you so much for your patience and for following! Your support of HH means the world to me. Plus, many of you have emailed or sent messages on IG telling me about Texas and sending prayers for a smooth move. I’m beyond grateful for your support and every single message. I promise to be up and running soon!
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