New Beginnings

Anyone who has known me for any length of time is aware of my hatred of aversion to change. I've worn my hair in the same basic style for the last 15 years. I am VERY brand loyal when it comes to my food. I like my routine just the way it is. I'm a planner, because planning allows me to map out my future and avoid change.

HA!

For someone who is so opposed to change, I have been right in the middle of some major upheavals in the last few months. Trevor returned from a conference in Houston last April with murmurings of possible career opportunities. I just smiled and nodded, all the while thinking "There is no way on God's green earth that I am moving back to Houston." Over the next month or two, those murmurings turned into real offers which included interviews and trips back to Houston. By June, we knew that he could not pass on this opportunity for his career and begin the difficult task of saying goodbye to Oklahoma.

When we moved to Oklahoma in 2009, I never dreamed in a million years that we would settle in and fall so completely in love with it. The people were friendly, the climate was amazing and the culture made us want to stay. We quickly joined a church and made friends that we love and who loved us wholeheartedly in return. Saying goodbye to our life in Oklahoma was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I still grieve over things that I am missing with our friends.

What I didn't expect was the welcome I've received since arriving in Houston. We moved in last Tuesday, and since then I've met two incredibly kind, friendly women in our neighborhood. Amanda arrived at our doorstep with cookies and a smile on Sunday, and stayed to chat for a bit. She lives just a few houses down from us, and has a son who is eight. She is on the PTO board at Gracie's school, so I have lots of opportunities to volunteer! I met Lanie on the first day of school as I waited for the bus with Gracie. She came walking up with a cheerful "Good morning" and her two girls who are in 3rd and 5th grade. We were soon joined by Amanda and her son, and the two of them made me feel as though I had lived there for years. 

These women have been answered prayer for me, and Gracie and the girls are becoming fast friends already. I am thankful for God's provision even when I resist the changes He has in store for me, and also for these sweet ladies who are slowly making me feel like maybe change isn't such a bad thing after all.

 First day of school in Cypress