Settling In

We made it! 

This update is coming from you today from our new home in North Texas.  Six states and two days of travel later, we made it.  Thanks for praying! Traveling with a very active and curious six month old certainly had it’s challenges, but I felt your prayers the whole way.  I was especially thankful for every single mile that was traveled during nap time.  Nicole was awake far more than she was asleep, but the distance crossed while she was sleeping was a true gift.  I sat in the back with Nicole for all but two hours of the trip so that I could manage her carseat woes more easily.  We got through our hardest stretches of highway by reading Nicole’s favorite book, ‘The Pout Pout Fish’ over and over and over again.  I now have the majority of it memorized, which makes me feel like I’ve reached a new milestone as a parent :).  

Nicole taking a wiggle break in Oklahoma. 

We arrived on Thursday only to find out that the documents we signed to close on our house were still in Minnesota.  They hadn't been overnighted to Texas by mistake so we weren’t allowed to take possession of the house.  3 hours and many phone calls later, the owners took compassion on us and let us settle in the house for the night, even though it wasn’t legally ours.  The mistake was corrected and the house was ours by Friday afternoon. Needless to say, that wasn’t the welcome either of us were expecting! 

Having moved many times over the past couple of years, I was pretty aware of what we were going to need/want to have in our house right away.  I strategically packed a couple of bags with those items because I knew that our belongings weren’t going to arrive until Monday.  We treated our first few days here like a camping trip.  Shawn and I slept on camping mats and I made dinner with a crock pot and a swiss army knife. It was an adventure! 

Our new living room in Texas.  We sat on camping chairs until our furniture arrived via the moving truck. 

Even though it wasn't very comfortable to sleep on the floor or sit in camping chairs, I'm actually really thankful that our things didn't arrive until Monday.  Having 3 days without the majority of our belongings gave me the opportunity to deep clean my house before it was filled with boxes.  We were also able to run some errands and get acquainted with our new surroundings without the pressure of unpacking.  I haven't been brave enough to drive anywhere just yet, but Shawn has already mastered the lay of the land and has been able to drive us anywhere we needed to go.   

Couch shopping in Texas. 

It seems surreal that as of tomorrow we will have been here for a week already.  There have been moments of stress and tears but my tears dry up and my stress is relieved when I take a moment and count my blessings.  I have a lot to be thankful for and I am confident that this is where God has asked us to call home for the time being.  It's hard to not look back and long for my life in Minnesota but I am moving forward in faith.  

Karen and Terry's moving van after it had arrived at our house on Monday. 

Until next time, 

Erica