A Texas-Sized Post: Part 2

Now that I've covered our "physcial" moving in, I'll move on to what life in Texas has been like so far.  Let's just say that J and I did a complete flip-flop in our every day schedules. When J wasn't traveling in Florida, he would work from home, and I was commuting every day to work. Now J is the one who has to crawl out of bed before the sun comes up so he can beat the Dallas traffic. (One car on the side of the tollway with a flat tire can cause a straight up deadlock.)  I did milk my morning freedom for a week or so and slept late, but now I'm trying to get up around 7:00 to get the day started. And yes, there have even been a couple mornings that I've ironed J's shirt and packed his lunch.  How Cleaver family is that?  

I have to admit, the first couple weeks of staying home and playing housewife kind of freaked me out.  From piano teacher, to pooper-scooper, to cotton-picker, to Loan Officer, to Project Manager, I've had a job since high school.  My inferiority complex got the best of me when my friend Lauren and I were shopping at a little dog boutique and the owner said they hired out the stay-at-home moms to hand cut their homemade dog treats. That afternoon, when J walked in the door I just burst into tears and told him that I was now one of those stay-at-home wives who people hired to cut dog treats. I also felt like I didn't have any exciting conversations anymore, because I no longer had work stories to tell him.  AND, after my 4.5 year education and 5 year career, that I was back to doing what I did in Jr. College:  scooping poop.  (When I take Manny on walks in our neighborhood, we of course have to bag up his poop.) Thinking back, J was probably holding back laughing hysterically, but true to form, he sat me in his lap and let me cry it out.  He also encouraged me that I would get busier as we get involved with things and if I really felt like I needed a job, I was more than welcome to look for one.   

I think the suddenness of ALL the changes just got the best of me.  The last couple of weeks have been much better.  I joined a gym, which I really enjoy, and have met lots of nice ladies.  I also have been able to do some organizing that should have been done years ago, and keep busy running errands during the day.  I have to admit, it is nice to have ALL the grocery shopping and cleaning done by the time J gets home.  And I actually have the energy to cook dinner at night and clean up afterwards.  ; ) 

For those of you wondering if I AM going to get a job-no-I am not planning to seek out a full time job.  If we are thinking of starting a family within the next year or two, I hope to be able to stay home with the baby! I AM looking forward to a new venture though as a Thirty-One Consultant, that I hope to be starting soon! This would be a part time job that I could do from home.  More on that as it progresses.  

Okay-so enough of the personal stuff--let's get to the fun stuff.  Dallas totally meets some of the stereotypes  it is acclaimed. Here is a totally RANDOM checklist of some of the good, the bad and the ugly observations of our life here:  

1. We receive a different church flyer in the mail about every other day. 
2.  I am 20 minutes away from a Premium Outlet.  
3. The land is flat as a flitter. If we get on a bridge, I think I can see my parent's house in Mississippi.
4. Quite the opposite from Tallahassee-there are not many trees at all.  In fact, I don't think I've seen a pine tree since we left Mississippi.
5.  Most of the stores here have front parking spaces for Expecting Mothers. I asked J if I could go ahead and use them because I DO "expect" to be a mother ONE day, but he told me NO.
6.  Everyone-EVERYONE has some type of Texas Star paraphernalia in their yard. Except us. That will change soon. 
7. Did I mentioned TEXAS PRIDE?
8. We just thought we knew how to rock big hair in MS---everything IS bigger in Texas.
9. I was passing by a school the other day and the moms picking up their kids had football jerseys on....no joke. I won't lie, I will be one of those mothers. My jersey might even say: "Wells Mom". 
10. One of the ladies in my gym class thought it was atrocious that I was going grocery shopping in my  work out clothes after class.  I put a cap & hoodie on and didn't give it a second thought. 
11. Handmade tortillas are quite popular here, and we are very happy about that. 

More Texas fun:  our fabulous Realtor sent us a welcome package the other day that included some typical "Texas sayings".  Here were a few of my favorites that had me rolling:  

• "Big hat, no cattle" (Means all talk and no show) 
• "It's so dry the trees are bribin' the dogs" (Means we could really use some rain)
• "They ate supper before they said grace" (Means living in sin)
• "Time to paint your butt white and run with the antelope" (Stop complaining and do what you're told) 
• "You can put your boots in the oven but that doesn't make them biscuits" (You can't make something it's not) 

So I'll end the post with a couple pics of our trip to Downtown Dallas a couple weekends ago. It was really fun and I look forward to going back to explore the aquarium, museums, etc.  

A Texas-Sized Post: Part 1

Well, howdy folks. Life has finally slowed down now that we are settled in, and I feel like I'm way behind in blogging.  Mostly because I feel like I didn't do this big move justice so I'm going to rewind about 3 weeks.....

Departing Tally was REALLY tough.  The weekend before we moved was heart-wrenching. A group of our friends threw a St. Patrick's Day party which also served as a going away party.  We were showered with cards, a beautiful bromeliad, and tears.  : (  These were some of our first friends in Tallahassee, so they are quite special.  Miss this crew SO MUCH.

The waterworks continued the next day at our last Sunday to attend at Celebration.  I just couldn't control myself during the worship time.  Afterwards, we said goodbye to our pastor, who prayed over us, and our Sunday school class did the same.  Oh my gosh, I cried a river. Celebration has meant so much to us and helped us grow in so many ways in the last 3 years.  There are just no words to describe it; the relationships and experiences there will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Sunday afternoon is actually when I started getting sick, so the stomach virus kept my mind off the move for a good 48 hours. Then Wednesday, the packers showed up and our house turned into a maze of boxes.

The next day was quite emotional. The dreaded moving truck showed up to pack all those boxes, making our house feel so empty!  

I left the chaos and had a fabulous good-bye lunch some of my best girls-these ladies have been my rock the last couple of years.  LOVE YOU GIRLS.

I was hoping that while I was at lunch I missed the moving truck actually pulling away......well, I ALMOST did...but unfortunately I passed the truck coming out of our driveway and just lost it.  Luckily, J was still standing outside to intercede....bless him.  As worn out as we were, we decided to stay one more night in our empty house, so we ordered pizza, took one last walk around the pond, and got a good night's sleep. 

Fast forward our arrival in Dallas. As I wrote in an earlier post, we lived the hotel life for a few days until the first half of our stuff arrived. Although we were quite thankful for getting even half our stuff, this half lacked any of our couches, chairs, or summer clothes.  So we tailgated for about a week and went through the first half of the boxes.  About the time we got through the first set of boxes, the second set arrived several days later. I have never seen so much packing paper in my life.....I could've body surfed on it...

I have to put a plug in for our movers though.  They made what would typically be a miserable task so much fun.  One of them was married to Beyonce's cousin, and the other two were a married dynamic duo that actually filmed for a reality show called "Mother Trucker", which is about life on the road as a truck driver.  They were absolutely amazing AND hilarious. We told them they have to plan to come back through Dallas next time we move. 

There are still some lingering things to do, but hey, it's livable. And since we only have a 6 month lease on this house, we aren't fully decorating.  In fact, we kept all the boxes and packing paper for our next move...they are strategically stacked in what we call "The Room of Boxes."

So....after SEVERAL days of unpacking, I am HAPPY to post the "after" pics. 

My personal favorite part of the house...the Master Bath...separate sinks and a HUGE tub.

I still can't post any pictures of the front because we have some yardwork to do.  : )  

I admit, even though we aren't living on 500+ acres anymore, we got lucky and still have some great views from our dining room window.  : )  

Hoppy Easter from the Big D!

 “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said..." -Matthew 28:5-6


"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." -Romans 8:11


"The central symbol of our faith is the empty cross. The unoccupied cross is a sign that we do not seek the living among the dead. Christ is alive!" -Excerpt from Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!!  I hope everyone's day has been blessed.  Ours was wonderful; it's been the most normal weekend we've had in quite some time. Today we went to a church called The Village, which is actually about 45 minutes away.  But Jeremie listens to this pastor often on his ipod, so he was really excited to hear him.  (The journey there was not without drama-we saw an awful accident, and while looking at the damage, we missed our exit, turned around, then got stuck in the accident traffic, but these Texas folks just took matters into their own hands and ramped the hilly median to take a different route.  So we followed suite in the Camry and made it to church on time.)  ANYWAY, the worship and message were wonderful.

After that, we headed home to begin preparing THE FEAST. Jeremie and I have done a traditional Easter meal every year of our marriage.  I have to admit, our menu and execution this year has been the best so far. We had: fried pork chops, hot potato salad, butter beans, homemade mac n' cheese, rolls, and dessert was J's favorite: Mandarin Orange cake.  Needless to say, we couldn't breath afterwards. It was fabulous.

And of course I made our family an Easter basket.  Actually, all three of us had to share one this year, mainly because all my cute Easter decorations are at the bottom of a mountain of boxes.  I had planned to make special ones this year, but honestly, I have no idea where Hobby Lobby is.....

My mom ALWAYS had a chocolate bunny in our baskets, so I carry on the tradition. J & I got Snickers bunnies!!! YUM!

Manny found his treats very quickly in the basket....

Good Friday...

"Being limited in knowledge, Satan did not see God's plan to use the cross for redemption or to follow it by a resurrection....If this were a cosmic chess match, Satan is about to declare checkmate. He has one final pawn to move into place....Events in history may appear to be out of control. The mounting forces of evil are gathering darkness on the horizon, but Jesus has already declared checkmate. "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" (John 13:3)
Jesus was offered by God as a substitute to pay the guilt of our sin. He is qualified to be the sacrifice for our sin because he was unlike any person who had ever walked the earth: he was without sin....The death of Jesus was the purchase price of our life. We have been bought back."

-Excerpts from Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden