We’re Moving and How I’m Dealing With It

We are leaving San Antonio and uprooting to a new city. Today I’m sharing why we’re moving and how I’m dealing with it.

We're Moving and How I'm dealing with it

Why Are Moving?

Last Friday was the last day in our house. It was such an emotional day as we prepped our house for sale. For those of you who have been following along, we’ve been dreading this moment for more than a year. We have gone through numerous layoffs and job changes over the last few years. It has been an incredibly stressful three years, with multiple rounds of layoffs.

Last year, when the world locked down, oil tanked on the stock market and so layoffs began again. Even though it eventually rebounded we found ourselves facing a move as our employer was bought out by another. May I be really honest? I didn’t really expect to move. I somehow thought that God would make a way for us to stay. After all, my father is extremely sick and we have been helping care for him.

There is another caveat as well, I’ve spoken about this before, but I have lived with bipolar my whole life. It is extremely hard some days. Some days the depression is disabling. The idea of moving far away from all my friends and family is downright frightening to me. When I am sick, I rely on my family a lot to come to my rescue a lot.

we're moving and how I'm dealing with it
Our Home

I Struggle to Cope

I have been very spoiled over the last year and a half. In March of 2020, my husband was permitted to work from home. As a stay-at-home mom, this was such a welcomed opportunity. I had spent the better part of five years in our house with our two children. I was so lucky that I had my parents nearby. So many of those lonely days, I’d find myself over at their house for company. So having my loving husband just inches from me in the office brought such a comfort. I felt safe with him in the house.

My bipolar really causes me to struggle with basic changes. It is why I strictly adhere to a routine. Familiarity helps with my bipolar. Uprooting completely takes me out of routine and comfort. I even find myself extremely hesitant to explore. I didn’t use to feel this way. In fact, in my youth, I backpacked all around Europe and lived their for several years. I wasn’t afraid to explore in my twenties, but I feel vulnerable now in my forties. Funny how that happens.

I’m Worried About Homesickness

When I lived in Europe, I really struggled with homesickness. I was there for several years and I lived in Norther England in the moors which was absolutely breathtaking. In fact, I lived in West Yorkshire where Wuthering Heights was written. It was picturesque, but after the novelty wore off, I really missed home.

I desperately missed my family and friends and event though I wanted to live there and I had wonderful friends there, I sank into a deep depression. I haven’t even been here a week and already I am ready to go home. I want to sleep in my own bed, work in my own kitchen, sit on my own porch with tea, write in my own office. I had my favorite places and gosh, I love the area around my home like al the stores and restaurants. I am already missing all of that.

Please keep me in prayer that I learn to love it here and that I adjust quickly. I am so nervous about all of this. I do think that once we are in our new home, and I’m surrounded by familiar furnishings and items that it will feel more like home.

Friends Needed

I also hope I can make friends here. I think getting into a church will help with that. Although the church we are looking at is all the way in Spring, TX. We definitely want to attend a reformed Baptist church. This one, Founders Baptist, came highly recommended and so we are willing to make the trek there every week.

I’m also looking for homeschool groups and mom’s groups. I think once I have some friends, I will also feel more at home. My poor babies need friends as well. This is such a huge adjustment for all of us. I recently logged back onto Facebook for the sole purpose of trying to find groups to join. Wish me luck!

Our Housing Situation

My husband, graciously wanting to slowly transition me into this move, wanted to originally come work over here by himself until our new house is finished. I wasn’t sure what to think about it, but after a few weeks of prayer, I did not feel that was wise. I really considered that for the sake of our marriage and for the sake of our children, I should follow, even if it meant repeated, frequent visits back to my parents house in San Antonio.

We’ve rented a cute little townhouse. It is quaint and is in a quiet, small, gated community filled mostly with retirees. Thankfully, it is only about three miles from my husband’s office as well.

The New Home

Our new home isn’t going quite as planned. We stopped by on our way into to Houston and discovered that they failed to put in our fireplace. It’s fixed now, but on our second visit we discovered additional mistakes – big ones! In case you don’t know, I used to be a property adjuster. I use to help rebuild homes after hurricanes, floods, and fires. So I’m pretty familiar with the construction process. Also this is the second home we’ve built.

Our New Home
The New House is Coming Along

They put the gas line for our outdoor kitchen on the wrong brick column. Also, they failed to allow for a window in one of the bedrooms. Having an emergency egress is fire code in Texas. Pretty big mistake! A bedroom without windows! Then they are building our media room like a flex room. So they added windows where there shouldn’t be windows and failed to account for the electrical conduits that need to be installed. We have a meeting scheduled with them to discuss they errors they are making. All these errors mean additional delays. Additional delays mean staying in our rental house longer which of course is coming out of our pocket.

There have also been material delays due to COVID. Please keep us in continued prayer that we don’t have any more delays and the process goes smoothly from here on out. I certainly am anxious to move in. I don’t really feel like I can settled until I am in our new home.

We're moving and how I'm dealing with it

That’s the Latest

Thanks for tagging along with our current adventure. I’ll provide updates again soon. Have you ever uprooted? I’d love to hear what helped you feel settled or helped with homesickness. Drop a comment below.

Happy Planner, Jobs and Hope

Happy Planner, jobs, and hope. Today, I’m sharing a little about the things going on in our lives this week as we continue job hunting and chase dreams.

Happy Planner, jobs and hope

First, I want to thank all the good friends and readers who have asked about our job situation. It’s been a bumpy ride full of highs and lows. So, I thought I would write here about the recent plot twists that have occurred for those interested. If you need to catch up, read my prior post, The Next Chapter.

The Job Stuff

Easter weekend we drove to Houston for an interview and Dan got the job. We felt relieved. We received an offer the following week. However, it was lower than expected and over the next few weeks, hubby tried to renegotiate the terms, but they didn’t budge much. They wouldn’t pay to relocate us to Houston, nor would they allow us to push out the start date so we could afford the move financially. Talk about a rock and a hard place. The deeper into the woods we went, the more it seemed like maybe this isn’t the job for us. Honestly, this whole process has been so stressful and discouraging. But we keep putting our hope in the Lord, that even though we can’t see it, He is working on a solution.

Dan has another opportunity in Houston. So we will wait to see if that produces any fruit. We’ve passed the phone interviews so we are on our way to an in-person interview probably this coming week. Please continue to keep us in prayer that we find the right job.

The Happy Planner

Onto my news. This week, I applied for The Happy Planner ® planner squad. The squad is group of people (fans) selected to represent the Happy Planner as ambassadors online and on social media.

Until now, I’ve been too intimidated to apply for the planner squad. Too afraid of the rejection, if I’m being honest. But I’ve had so many people encourage me to apply this year because they know the deep devotion I have for the Happy Planner. They saw the transformation I had when I first discovered it in 2015. They see me share it enthusiastically with everyone I meet. As one friend put it, “you’re already an influencer because of everyone you introduced it to – this just makes it official.”

If you want to read my full sappy love story with the Happy Planner, read my post, How the Happy Planner Changed My Life. I realize the odds are against me. The Happy Planner fanbase is bigger than ever, but it’s like the lottery. Someone has to win and you’ll never win if you aren’t playing. It’s a dream of mine.

Can I tell you a secret? I almost feel ridiculous for even trying.

It feels impossible to be selected, but we have to chase our dreams no matter how silly or unlikely they might seem to others. Don’t give up on your dreams. Giving up is the surest way to fail.

happy planner, jobs and hope

Hope

The past twelve months has seemed like a “a losing season.” There was lots of loss (friends, family, jobs). But I have hope that things are about to change. Hope is the happy anticipation of good. It is the belief that good things will happen regardless of current evidence. Through hope, we know our situation can change, for the good, in an instant.

I have hope. I believe God has good things in store for us. He can give Dan the right job and me the planner squad. He’s bigger than any road blocks. But even if he doesn’t, I know he still has good, amazing plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). I know there are still good things on the horizon, even though things feel bleak now. I have hope.

The Next Chapter

Onto the Next Chapter

I’m back! I took a few days off from blogging to accompany my husband to Houston. He had another job interview there. We are praying we get it! It’s funny. Six months ago, I would have never entertained the idea of moving, but with so few job options here in San Antonio for an oil & gas based engineer, you have to go with the jobs are.

It’s strange. Our job was so secure. It’s a big lesson in how nothing is truly secure and the rug can be pulled out from under you at any minute. If anything this whole lesson has made me thankful. It’s hard to believe we will be losing a job, but in 14 weeks we become officially jobless. It’s scary. Especially when you have two babies and a sizable mortgage.

the next chapterLast month, we interviewed for another position. It was an amazing opportunity and it seemed like everything was falling into place. The interview seemed to go well. I mean, we were so confident, we didn’t even consider not getting the job. That’s how assured we felt. Well…we didn’t get the job and we’ve been trying to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps. It’s not as easy as I thought.

Ultimately, I gave it to God. I don’t know why it didn’t work out. I don’t understand what He’s doing with our future. But I do know that He is a good God and He has better plans for us than we could ever imagine. So, I’m giving God the ashes – the broken pieces, the remains. I believe that He will restore us and bring us out of this pit.

Time Away

Since my husband was interviewing for another job in Houston, we decided to turn it into a short family vacation. It was just a few days, but I think we needed some together time. It helps to step away from the worry and stress, even if it’s just for a weekend.

But this weekend marks a very special anniversary. You see, seven years ago, my husband and I started our whirlwind romance. I went down to seem him in Houston and we had a lovely date that basically lasted all weekend. We went to Moody Gardens, Kemah Boardwalk, and The Houston Museum of Natural History. Before we had kids, we would go back and relive our first date. As kids came, that became much harder. It was definitely different with kids in tow! For example, you can only really do one thing a day.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science

The Houston Museum of Natural History is one of our favorite museums. It has an IMAX theater, planetarium and collection of mollusks. Some of it’s permanent exhibits are amazing. There is a huge Hall of Paleontology featuring the evolution of early man and of course…dinosaurs! This is a must-see stop for any child. HMNS has a working Foucault pendulum that is over 60 feet long.

On the first floor, there is also a stunning collection of over 750 gems and minerals.  Let me tell you a secret – when Dan and I were there on our first date, we suddenly found ourselves alone in the Gem vault. There was only us and Cole Porter singing Night and Day. It would eventually become “our song.” The lyrics are even inscribed on my engagement ring. But that moment was our first dance and it was the first moment when I knew I’d found my husband. Magic doesn’t even come close to describing the moment.

dinosaur houston museum of natural science

The Hall of Ancient Egypt is amazing and of course, it’s complete with mummies, cartouches, and sarcophaguses (or is it sarcophagi?) On the lower level is a Chemistry Hall dedicated to the periodic table of elements and related subjects. There is also an Energy Hall. Houston is the perfect place to showcase how oil is sourced and how it is refined into many other products. In fact, there is one section dedicated solely to the Eagle Ford Shale asset which is where my husband currently works as an engineering manager.

Moody Gardens

Moody Gardens is a little gem in Galveston. Galveston is a coastal city about 45 minutes south of Houston. Moody Gardens is an educational tourist destination. It has a golf course, hotel and there is Schlitterbahn water park located on the premises. There is also nature conservatories including an aquarium and rainforest pyramid. They also have a 4D theater. The discovery pyramid has an amusement ride. There are also zip lines for the adventurer.

 

moody gardens

 

dan    Mary

Jack was so excited to see the penguins at the aquarium. He kept calling them Peso. Thanks Octonauts!

 

 Around the Bay

In between we spent the remainder of our time around the bay area (Kemah, Clear Lake, Friendswood, and League City). I swear, we ate too much rich food. We ate so much that I was ready for a salad when we got home. I just wanted veggies! Cheesecake Factory, Yardhouse. So much has changed around Baybrook Mall. This was Dan’s old neighborhood. It’s changed so much in seven years.

Alas, we made it home in time for Easter Sunday, but we were so exhausted. Traveling with two kids under the age of three isn’t for wimps!

 

yardhouse

 

dan and tristan

Onto the next chapter…