It's all good . . .

Life in Texas - The Trials and Tender Mercies

Arriving in Texas was a huge relief.  It meant we were one step closer to making a new home for ourselves here.  Not to say that I wasn't still full of anxiety - would I get everything together for the kids to start school off well a few days later? Would I be able to find good replacements for our pediatrician, dentist, piano teacher, other doctors and so much more? Would my kids feel at home and make new friends? Would I? I have moved so many times that I really knew that the answer to those questions was yes, because the Lord would bless us, but the timing is what was up in the air. 

As we drove to the Airbnb that would be our home for the next six weeks, we passed the San Antonio Temple, and seeing it there, so close to us, gave me an extra measure of comfort and peace. And it still does, as I end up driving by it about six or more times a day.  (And when we move into our house, it will be even closer. Such a blessing!!

We arrived late on Wednesday evening, and so my first order of business on Thursday was to stock our rental with food and supplies, and so that meant a trip to Costco. And I may have overdid it a bit, but really, we needed things - lots of things, and so at one point I switched out my cart for one of the flat ones, so I could fit everything on there.  And I found the best find! A container of white queso - my favorite, and so yummy! I was also frantically shopping for school supplies for the kids, since we had to drop Arthur's off at the school at Meet the Teacher that afternoon.  It was crazy! (And yes, I totally came back to Costco later that day for a few things that I forgot or couldn't fit on my cart on my earlier trip.  This time I had Arthur as my shopping buddy.)

I got home just long enough to grab some lunch and grab Derek, and then it was off to his meeting with the school counselor to get him registered for classes.  It went really well, and we got to tour the school.  Afterward, Derek and I hunted for more school supplies, and luckily, Office Depot was the winner, and we were able to get what we needed.  While we were gone, Arthur was busy finding ways to entertain himself without having a house full of toys and books, like he is used to.  He also put on the Picachu Pokemon costume that he picked out when we were at Costco.  Good times.

After Derek and I got back, it was time to take Arthur to his school to drop off supplies and to meet the teacher.  He had a blast, and afterward we went to Costco for a few things and then brought home one of their pizzas for dinner. And I proceeded to collapse on the couch, as I was exhausted from going nonstop all day.  As I looked up, I noticed that the vent in the ceiling was filthy! I was afraid to sit under it, for fear that gross chunks of dust and things would fall on my head, and so I put my tall son to work and had him vacuum it.  So much better.

Derek and Arthur only had one real day left of summer break, and so they played games, watched a few shows, and played video games before all the work would begin on Monday.  The best was watching them play with their Pokémon cards with Arthur in his costume.  Good times!

The place we are staying is about ten minutes north of where the house we are buying is located.  It is a little more in the country, and so we see deer every morning and evening.  I love seeing them as I am walking or driving through the neighborhood, but my favorite thing is how Arthur had been keeping a running count of our deer sightings (even though we are seeing the same twenty deer over and over - ha ha!)

Getting outside for a walk/jog out with the deer has been one of my mental health savers and happy places.  Actually, any daily workout has been a life saver for me. It gives me a break and lets me set aside my worries and other responsibilities for 30-45 minutes and just be. So grateful to get them in six times a week.

We are so grateful for the Airbnb we are staying in.  It is big and we have a full kitchen. It may be a little less clean and well maintained as I would have liked, but I had my minions help me get it clean enough to feel better (I am holding myself back from deep cleaning and doing repairs - ha ha!). There are also quite a few critters - like a ton of giant black hornets and this massive spider that has a huge web right above the door to the back yard. It is so creepy and huge, that I am afraid to go outside, for fear that it will drop on my head.  In fact, I told the kids that the backyard was off limits because of the spider. The worst though, is that my view from the kitchen table is totally of the window with the spider in it.  Eww!

One of the things I am having to get used to again, after a six year break, is school drop off/pick up lines. It is the worst, and the lines are crazy long.  And it is pretty hot.  What has made it really bad, is that my air conditioner in the car has gone out, and so I sit there in the heat with the windows down, praying for a breeze in the 90+ degree heat while I wait.  Luckily, I have made a new friend, and we are going to start carpooling next week.  Hallelujah!!

Speaking of my van, on Friday, after getting Arthur from school, and swinging by McDonalds for some food for him (since the older kids were going to an activity at the high school later on), I noticed that not only was the AC not working, but the engine temperature was past the H for hot, which I knew was not good. And just as we were about to a gas station, the engine lights went on, and the car shuddered and died. Miraculously, I was able to coast into the gas station and rolled up to a pump (in the shade). Afraid to do anything to the car, I called the mechanic that I had an appointment with for Monday to fix the AC. He told me not to start the car, but have it towed to them. I then called roadside assistance and Arthur and I melted for two hours while we waited for the tow truck. But a few more miracles happened:

1. Arthur had a Happy Meal just sitting there waiting to be eaten. And I had an eclair that I had bought at Kneaders next door.
2. I called my brand new friend Brandi, and she not only picked up Lily to go get Derek, but then loaned us a car for the weekend, which meant that we could not only get places, but Lily was still able to take Derek to the Rattler Roundup at his school.
3. The amazing mechanic shop I had found was not only super helpful, but they sent a Lyft to come take Arthur and I from the gas station to the Airbnb - wow!! And hey, because of the wonky AC, I had already done the research, found the shop, and had an appointment with them. Oh, and on Saturday morning, they gave me a nice loaner car to use for free for the whole time the van was getting repaired.
4. Our van did NOT die while we were driving here from Pennsylvania, or while Lily was driving, or on the freeway, etc, etc. It died on a hill next to a gas station, so that I could coast into it and be safe - and in the shade.

I could go on and on with all the tender mercies that took place, but one of my favorite things happened later that evening when the older kids were home and we were all together. I took a walk in the neighborhood to clear my head and gain some peace, and there along the side of the road, were about twenty deer, a bunch of them fawns and even a few bucks. They just looked at me and kept on munching the grass, so I texted Lily to have them all come out and join me.  It was such a special moment to share with my kids, and helped ease our worries for a bit.

The biggest tender mercy, however, was that I was able to attend the temple on Saturday. Right now you can only go by appointment, and I was able to go the the beautiful San Antonio Temple to do inniatories.  Being there was just the balm to my heavy and downtrodden soul that I needed, I felt so very blessed to be in that sacred building. (And while I was there, Lily took the boys to the theater to see the new Paw Patrol movie, which was a fun thing that they needed after a long week.)

So, are we settled here in Texas yet? No, far from it. We still aren't even sure when we will get to close on our house here, as the closing on our house in PA has been delayed. But hey, we are making friends, we are being blessed, and although things are a bit messy right now, we know we are where the Lord wants our family to be.

First Day of School!!

Today was the first day of school for my boys.  The first day of school is so important, especially when you are in a new school, and that is the main reason why the kids and I came out to Texas six weeks before Kevin starts his new position out here. And the boys were super excited to start at their new schools.  

Arthur is my 3rd grader, and is growing up way too fast. He is such a cutie, and he didn't even seem to mind how early his school starts (7:30 am).

Derek, my son that just keeps getting taller, started his Sophomore year of high school, and was really looking forward to it. He is so grown up and handsome.  And his school doesn't start until 8:45 am, way after Arthur's, and flip-flopped from how things were in Pennsylvania. But if you are thinking that Derek gets to sleep in, he starts seminary at 5:50 am starting next week, so he will still having early mornings.

We arrived in San Antonio on a Wednesday, and the next day I was at the high school with Derek so that he could get registered for classes.  After our appointment with the counselor, we got to wander around the school so that he could find all his classrooms and get used to the school. He loved it already, and he is super excited to be a Reagan Rattler.

Later that day, it was Arthur's turn to visit his new school.  It was "Meet the Teacher" night, and Arthur's new teacher just happens to be Miss Brown - which he thought was pretty awesome. We got to look around the school, get some spirit wear, eat popcorn, and even visit the library. He is so excited to be a Las Lomas Lion, but thinks it is even cooler that one of his school colors just happens to be purple, his favorite color. So fun!

And so today, both of them started out on a pretty big adventure. And they loved it. To celebrate, after dinner we went to the nearby Sonic for milkshakes and so Arthur could play on the playground. It was so much fun.  I am so proud of my sweet boys and how brave they have been about this huge change and move. And we can't wait to see what wonderful adventures await us this school years.

"Texas, Here I Come"

On Tuesday morning, at 5:30 am and before the sun was up, our moving adventure truly began. The kids and I were all loaded up in the car and said goodbye to Kevin. And to our house and neighborhood.  And the second we pulled away, the tears that had been buried inside me came pouring out. I cried and cried. 

And after I cried, I brought out a special Texas playlist to play for the kids, beginning with the song from an old Backyardigans episode that we have loved since Lily and Derek were tiny, "Texas, Here I Come." 

Yee-haw, Texas here I come
Yee-haw, yee-haw, yippie-yi-yo, Texas here I come
Once I cross that Rio Grande, I’ll find me a piece of Texas land
And play in a Texas hip-hop band, Texas here I come!
Yee-haw, yippie-yi-yo, Texas here I come!
Yee-haw, yippie-yi, yippie-yi-yo, Texas here I come!
The sky is wide and the ponies strong
The boots are pointy and the trails are long
I ride and I rope and I sing my song, Texas here I come!
Yee-haw yip, yippie-yi-yi-yo, Texas here I come!
I’ll build a coral that’s wide and flat and raise up cattle, big and fat
That’s where I’ll hang my Texas hat, yee-haw, yippie-yi-yo!
Yee-haw, yip, yippie-yi-yi-yo, Texas here I come!
Yee-haw, yippie-yi, yippie-yi-yo, Texas here I come!
Yee-haw, yippie-yi-yo-yo, Texas here I come!

We played the song and sang along, and suddenly, we were all excited and happy.  We were headed to something new and wonderful. Then I followed it up with one of Derek's favorites, "Texas Time," by Keith Urban. It turned everything around.  And then we listened to the audio book of "Howl's Moving Castle" as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains. 

At one point, when the exhaustion of the past few weeks, as well as getting up at 4:30am, caught up to me, Lily was awesome and took over the driving. Even though I never actually got any sleep, it was such a blessing for her to take a turn so we could keep going.  She really did a great job, but between the semi trucks cutting us off, and all the slowing for road construction, I was too wired to sleep. She did great though.

We were also blessed with pretty amazing weather, and only had a few small rain showers, which made for a beautiful rainbow.

We made really good time, mostly because, miracles of miracles, we missed the worst of the DC traffic driving through Maryland and Virginia because we got through Washington DC early enough that the traffic wasn't bad.

The first day, our destination was Nashville, Tennessee to stay with Pamela and her family. We had dinner, talked, our kids played, we got them to bed, and then stayed up late and talked again.  It was such a tender mercy to spend that first night away from PA with one of my best friends in the world. And since by the time we remembered to get a picture, it was late and we looked worn out, we had the best time playing with filters to get our selfie - it was awesome. Oh, how I love her!The next day, we were up and out of town by 6am, because we had a 14 hour drive ahead of us. And this was the day that took us across the Mississippi River, which is always a fun adventure. We have moved back and forth across that river a few times now.

About 8-9 hours into our drive, we made to Dallas, and then we felt like we had really made it to Texas.  And as we drove through Waco, I was so sad that we couldn't stop and go to the Magnolia Silos. But hey, I will only be about three hours away (I think). As we made our way closer and closer to San Antonio, we were so very excited. and then, as we were in the middle of downtown Austin and rush hour traffic, Arthur told me he had to go to the bathroom.  Seriously, it couldn't have happened during a time or in a place we could actually stop. Luckily, he is a little boy, and so I handed him an empty water bottle for him to pee in.  Good times.  And the funniest thing, was that my mom was on the phone with me the whole time listening and laughing. Glad we could provide some entertainment- ha ha!

The best part of our drive on day two, other than eventually making it to our destination, was when we stopped for gas and dinner at Buc-cee's. It was the kids' first time there, and they loved it just as much as we thought they would. Definitely the highlight of our day.

By 8:30pm, we finally made it to our Airbnb in Northern San Antonio, and we were so incredibly relieved to be there.  We worked together to quickly unload the car and get settled for the night. Once the kids were good and in bed, I had such good intentions of getting a little more unpacking and organizing done, but the adrenaline that had kept me going for the past couple days, weeks, or probably months, finally wore off.  I felt like my bones had turned to Jello, and I couldn't even move. Guess that meant that everything else would have to wait. But we made it - we made it safely - and now the real adventure begins.

Goodbye Pennsylvania

In all of the planning and preparations to move to Texas, I haven't really let myself feel the fact that I am leaving my beautiful and beloved Pennsylvania. Oh, how I love the rolling hills, farm fields and forests. My last week in PA was a crazy busy one, but I still took the time to say some goodbyes - to friends and to places.  I made sure to get as many neighborhood trail walks as I could fit in, as I think it is one of the things I will miss the most - especially my walks with Kevin.

Something I came back to when Kevin and I returned from house hunting, was my garden exploding. I had tons of tomatoes, all my peaches were ripe, and I even had a cantaloup. I can't believe that I am leaving behind my amazing fruit trees and garden, my raspberry bushes and my strawberry patch. And my flowers. I think I will be leaving a piece of my heart and soul behind when I go.

I also had some last visits to different places, like to our amazing pediatrician, Dr. Lori Abels, who felt like family. And to my chiropractor, Dr. Kevin Owens, who has become a good friend over the past five years. I almost cried when I drove away.  I really get attached to people and places, which probably isn't a good thing for a person who has had to move as many times as I have.

One of the best and hardest parts of this week were the rest of our goodbyes to friends. On Friday night, Kevin and I met up with our good friends, Jamie and Andy Coy, in Gettysburg for dinner. We went to this very old and fabulous Irish pub in downtown Gettysburg, where the food was delicious, and the company was even better. We laughed a lot and had the best time talking. We are truly blessed to count them as friends.

When we finished dinner, we weren't ready to say goodbye, and so we went for a walk down down the beautiful old streets and stopped for ice cream.  And we had to get a picture with the Lincoln statue outside the hotel where he finished writing the Gettysburg address. It was the perfect way to end our wonderful evening together.

Saturday morning was busy - Kevin and I were up by 6am and setting up and pricing things for our garage sale.  Our neighborhood had a community yard sale just in time for us to sell a bunch of stuff. In fact, since we had just found the house we were moving to, we knew a lot of the things that we could not take with us or fit in our new house, and so we got rid of a lot. Before Saturday, just by putting things on our neighborhood facebook page, we sold bookshelves, our pool table, our bench, my pretty kitchen hutch, and a lot more. Some of the things were super sad to sell, but other things were liberating, especially the stuff we sold on Saturday.

Kevin had the better chair and napped off and on through it all, but that had more to do with some back spasms he was having. It didn't keep my from being jealous of his awesome chair and nap. It was all good though, because Lily drove to the Amish market and brought back pretzels. We savored every bite and are going to miss them so very much. How did I live before I had Amish pretzels?

Our reward for finishing up the garage sale and getting rid of stuff, was that the family got to go to Becky and Dave's house for dinner. It was delicious, as always.  After dinner the kids went home, and Ashley and Ryan came over and we played games and ate even more delicious food. It was so wonderful to spend time with such good friends, and really, Becky and Dave have been like family all these years, and I don't know what I will do without being able to just walk down the hill to their house.

Sunday was the kids and my last Sunday in the Shrewsbury Ward, and it was so hard to say goodbye to all those wonderful people whom we have loved and served, and been served by. We had a small open house on Sunday evening for people to come by and say goodbye to us, and it broke my heart to say goodbye to so many friends and neighbors. I wish I had thought to get pictures with all of them, especially Lindsey and Drew with their kids, or with Tania, or so many of them.  I am glad we got some pictures with the Goulds though - they were our first friends, and it hurts my heart to leave them.

After an emotionally exhausting Sunday, we had an incredibly busy Monday. We packed, we organized, we tried to do way more than I could even do if I had a week, but somehow we finished what I had to get done enough that we could stop and have some fun.  Arthur had been planning an early birthday surprise for Kevin for a few weeks, and had even picked out a special piñata, which the kids filled with golf balls instead of candy.  Unfortunately, it made it so heavy, that it broke off the rope, and so Arthur tried to break it while Kevin hold it, but he was using a rubber bat - ha ha! Finally, Kevin got it break open by banging it on the ground. It was awesome.

Then we had a "special" early dinner of McDonalds and Five Guys, and then watched an episode of Lego Masters. While I finished up some preparations in the kitchen, so Kevin could pack up the van, I looked at my sad looking living room, with so much gone or taken down. It broke my heart, but I was also filled with intense gratitude to have had my beautiful dream house for the past five years. We have so many incredible memories in this home of ours, but I know that what really matters is being all together.  We will make a new home in Texas, and it may not be my dream house, but it will be our home.

High Adventure for Derek

Our last weekend in Pennsylvania also happened to be a special High Adventure activity that the young men of our ward were invited to go on, and we couldn't think of a better way for Derek to get to spend his time - white water rafting, spelunking, and so much more. And because I wasn't there with him, I had him write this post for me. So glad he had such an amazing time.

Hi everybody! It's me, Derek Brown, back from another exciting camping trip.  This time however, it wasn't scout camp, its was High Adventure camp at Ohiopyle State Park. I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to tell you everything. 

The first day of camp was all about whitewater rafting. After getting up crazy early and driving to our campground, we got everything unpacked at camp and headed off on a long and wild trip down the river. It was so fun, I got to spend time with a group of boys that helped me have a good time. We had a lot of fun making references to Avatar the last Airbender, and yelling "For Narnia" as we went over rapids. After lunch, however, our group got into some trouble by getting stuck on rocks and we began to fall behind. It was then that one of the guides stepped in to help us make it the rest of the way down the river. 

Afterwards, when we got back to camp, we got out supplies for roasting hot dogs and had some dinner.  I hung out with the other boys playing manhunt (it is a lot like infection tag). I got to know them really well over the three days. I even pulled a prank on one of the leaders, making him believe he was about to step on a SNAKE!

As it got dark however, we went down to a gaga ball pit they had at the campground, and soon, another group of campers came and joined us. We then had a huge amount of people playing. It was chaos and it was awesome. 

The next day, we went spelunking and it was awesome . We went deep down into a cave system that dated back to Native American times. It was rocky, hard, slippery, and amazing. There were so many amazing areas and there was even a room with a natural underground waterfall. There was also a room with a lot of clay deposits which looked really cool. People who came down there made sculptures out of it and put them on a ledge.  The group and I even made some.

After we got back, we mainly just hung out around the campsite. There was a lot to do at the lodge, as they had a swimming pool, a miniature golf course, and an arcade! Can you believe it? I actually was able to play a few games inside it, including going bowling. There was also a pond where one of the boys in our group caught a big fish. It was incredible.

The last day of camp, we went to a special resort to finish off our trip. It reminded me of the resort in Park City where we had the 2014 brown family reunion, due to the fact it had an alpine slide, tons of fun lawn/ courtyard games, and mini golf. We had a lot of fun.

It was such a fun adventure, and I had so much fun and met a lot of new friends.  I am so glad I got to go before we moved away. Well, that's all for now. See you later.

While the Parents are Away . . .

Hello, everyone! Lily here, to tell you what us kids were up to while Mom and Dad were off in Texas finding us a house. It was certainly a week of ups and downs.

Our adventures in babysitting each other began on Sunday afternoon. Not much of note happened, aside from the fact that Arthur and I weren't well enough to stay past Sacrament Meeting (we were recovering from colds) and went home early.  Mom and Dad left soon after that, and we were then alone for the week. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and we were able to rest and prepare for Monday.

Monday began with us getting ready for a day of fun provided by my friend Geri! She soon came over to help us finish up, and we headed off to Imperial Gourmet for a Chinese lunch buffet. After a short distraction involving a claw machine, we were off to the movies to watch the all-new Space Jam movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy! On our way in, the boys found a poster for the upcoming Paw Patrol movie, and they had to pose for a picture with it. We were super excited for the movie to start, and we enjoyed every minute of it!

After we finished up at the theater, we made a quick stop for ice cream at Baskin Robins and headed back home while listening to the old Space Jam theme. It was an awesome day, and I was glad to have this chance to hang out with my friend before she moved away soon.

Next up was Tuesday, a mostly uneventful day aside from a fun swimming trip and some trouble with my work schedule. We had a lot of fun over at the pool, and it was nice to get a chance top cool off in the summer heat.

And then came Wednesday. We each had dentist appointments, and none of us had cavities! Unfortunately though, I was told to come back the next day for a broken filling to get fixed. We made a few more stops to run a couple errands, and went home to start getting dinner...

...But then, around 4, the power suddenly cut out. And we had no way of knowing when it would come back on. 

Sister Becky Badten helped keep us updated on the predictions of when it would be fixed, but every time it just got pushed further and further back, until the projection was past MIDNIGHT. Arthur was panicking, Derek was panicking, I was panicking...we were not doing alright. Though we did manage to calm down enough to go to bed (impromptu slumber party in the basement!), hoping that when we woke up, it would be fixed.

Luckily for us, it was! Thursday was spent mostly cleaning, with me preparing for work and my dentist revisit that afternoon and the boys helping get stuff ready for the appraiser that would come the next day. Other than all of that, as well as a scare when the boys didn't answer a phone call from me at one point, the day was mostly relaxed.

Then came Friday: cleaning day. We did the best we could to make the house presentable for the arriving appraiser. Luckily for us, we finished in time, and the appraiser was super nice! Geri also brought a surprise gift for Derek later that day... A fun little Toad plush! He was super happy.

Saturday was uneventful aside from Derek having a couple mowing jobs, and Sunday was a church day. We had family study with Mom and Dad using FaceTime, and all got ready for church (despite Arthur attempting to fake still being sick so that he could go home early like last week, but I wasn't fooled). 

Monday, I had work again! YAY! We also mowed the lawn, and spent the day preparing for Mom and Dad to get back home. They would be arriving late that night, so we would wake up to them being back. I made sure the boys were in bed once I got back from work, and we went to sleep, ending our week home alone.

**One side note, Kevin and I were so amazingly impressed with how well Lily took care of things while we were gone for eight days. She kept them fed, happy, got them to appointments, helped them get work done, was there to get ready for and be there for our home appraisal, and helped Derek get to all his mowing jobs.  We sure our grateful for our sweet Lily, and we sure are going to miss her when she leaves for college!!

A Texas House Hunting Adventure

To say that Kevin and I have been stalking Zillow since February, is putting it lightly.  We would search every day for new houses on the market, watching for availability and trends in the area that we were hoping to buy in, and knowing not to get too attached to any of the houses, since they would probably not be on the market for more than a couple days. So it was with great anxiety and a prayer in our hearts, that we flew to Texas to go house hunting in San Antonio.

We arrived late on Sunday night, and the next morning, we hit the ground running with our amazing realtor, Dawn. We saw six different houses, tried to put an offer on a couple, had one offer denied, and then went to the back-up to our back-up plan house, and put in one last offer. The funny thing was, that the week before, this was the house that Kevin and I thought was perfect for us - yes, it needed some cosmetic work, but the floorpan actually seemed just right, and seeing it in person, it really did have good bones.  The yard was a bit small, but big enough that we could still put in a pool, and although Kevin loves it, I am not a big fan of the exterior color of the house, but seriously, the things that were right were fantastic.  Like the fact that unlike the other houses we had seen that day, it actually had some storage space - like giant walk in closets in the rooms!! And it has a main floor bedroom and full bath for my mom (and other guests). But the best thing is that it is 0.3 miles from the San Antonio Temple - a couple minute drive, and a few minute walk!! 

After our marathon of house hunting, we grabbed some lunch and then drove to Austin to visit my sister Wendy. I can't believe how close we are going to live to each other!!  So amazing! Kevin and I haven't even ever lived in the same state as family during our marriage, let alone 1 1/2 hours away. We had the best time talking, showing her the house we were hoping for, and getting to see the wonderful place she and Tod are building right on Lake Austin. After that, she and Tod took us to dinner, and we had such a great time reconnecting.  I felt so incredibly blessed.

Monday night we went to bed praying for our offer on the Villa Valencia house to be accepted, and Tuesday morning we woke up to an email that it had been!!  Wahoo!!! Kevin and I decided to drive over to the house and get in our morning workout by walking around and exploring the area.

And of course, to actually walk from the house to the temple - it is so close!!!
Later on, when we weren't busy signing papers and finding the Title company to give them our earnest money, we were searching for fun new places to eat. I researched the "best burger in San Antonio," and I believe we found a contender at Broadway 5050 - so yummy and giant.

After a rather busy day, Kevin and I decided to do something extra special to celebrate getting the house, and so we went to the River Walk for dinner.  He had never been there, and it had been about 22 years since I was last there, but it was just as fabulous as I remembered it - especially if you walk further out from the restaurant area. We had a fantastic steak dinner at Boudro's, and then stopped for Bluebell ice cream as we wandered back down the riverwalk to get to our car. It was the perfect way to celebrate us moving to San Antonio.

On Wednesday, after spending the morning turning in paperwork online to get the boys registered for school, Kevin and I decided to do a little shopping and exploring. For lunch, he took me to Whataburger, since I had never been before, and it was pretty darn tasty - I even had a yummy peach shake.

After that, it was time to go to our home inspection, which was the perfect opportunity to actually get to be inside our house again. We had totally forgotten and mixed up the details, since we had seen so many houses on Monday. It also gave us the chance to get our ideas out of what we want to do to the house and measure a couple things.

That evening, on our way back to the hotel, we finally did something we had been wanting to do ever since I saw it on the first day we arrived in San Antonio - we stopped at the churro truck on the side of the road. Yes! In San Antonio, there are churro carts on the side of the road!! After passing this one a couple times over the past few days, we had to turn around and go back. They were so yummy!!! Especially dipped in the caramel or chocolate.

On Thursday morning, we stopped by the High School, since I was having no luck actually talking to a person on the phone - they are insanely busy. I discovered that I had to get advanced enrollment approval from the district, since we don't close on our house until after school starts, which meant more crazy phone calls and paperwork. And waiting and anxiety.

That afternoon, however, we took a (sort of) break from all the phone calls and paperwork to go to Schlitterbahn. (And yes, I was still fielding calls and emails while we were in lines for slides 😂) Schlitterbahn is seriously the biggest and most amazing waterpark I have ever been to, and I have the most fun memories of going there with my cousins when I was 14, and again the summer after Kevin's and my first anniversary.  It had been a while, but we had a blast, and when a thunderstorm shut the park down early, we went to Buc-ee’s for food and fun (If you know, you know 😉). It was a great day!

Friday we were still busy, as I was still trying to resolve the school registration issue, but also with exciting things, like getting estimates for renovation work on our home.  We are going to do all new flooring and paint, and possible paint or replace the cabinets. After that, we stopped at Moe's BBQ for lunch, where they totally had shirts from the boys' schools on the walls, so I had to take a picture and let Derek know he is going to be a Reagan Rattler and that Arthur will be a Las Lomas Lion.  So fun!

That afternoon, we did some more important things, like ordering a refrigerator so we could get it in time. then it was time for more fun, so we went on a date to Top Golf.  We have always wanted to go to a Top Golf, but it has never worked out.  Now we will live 20 minutes away from one.  Score! And yes, Kevin crushed me, but I actually did really well and made it in the targets a ton of times, so I was pretty happy with myself. We can't wait to bring the kids here sometime.

Saturday morning, we finally got to search out a good breakfast taco (I guess they aren't called breakfast burritos here in Texas.  I never knew.) Kevin did his research, and wow, it was fantastic! We went to a donut shop/taco shop, and both were fabulous, and the whole place was a well oiled machine of people making the food - I was especially impressed with the fantastic fresh tortillas and the amazing assembly line of women making them. So good!!

We spent a lot of the day wandering around to different stores like Lowes and Home Depot, to look at flooring and lighting options.  And then we spent two hours wandering through IKEA, where we found the most beautiful kitchen cabinets, which we decided we will use to replace the ones in our kitchen.

The best part of the day, however, was our double date with our amazing realtor, Dawn and her husband - it feels like we have known her forever. We ate at a yummy pizza place (they had real Chicago style, my favorite 😋). Afterward, we were having so much fun talking, we decided to get dessert. We found this amazing little popsicle shop for dessert, and we will have to take the kids there. We really could have talked to them all night, and I am so grateful to have found such fabulous friends already.
Sunday was a special day, because we were able to attend the Las Lomas Ward, the ward that will be ours in Texas. It was so awesome, and we were both overwhelmed with the rightness we felt there - knowing it is where the Lord wants us to be. After church, we drove out to my Aunt Linda and Uncle Scott's house in New Braunfels - about 40 minutes away. (Yes, even more family near by!! Wahoo!!)  We had a delicious dinner, and then Scott and Kevin talked guns, while Linda showed me her yard and taught me about the plants that grow well in the area, which was awesome. I followed her around with my notebook and took notes - you know me and my flowers ;). We had such a lovely time, and we can't wait to go and see them with the kids, and sometime go out to visit their ranch.

Monday was a bit of a crazy whirlwind, as we packed up, checked out, and went to the school district office building to sign papers so that we could finalize our advanced enrollment approval. Hallelujah!! And I was so grateful for Kevin being wise about giving us one extra work day there to take care of things before he flew out. And flew out we did, that evening.  Although it was two hours later than originally scheduled. thank goodness the pizza place there in the airport was yummy, because we were there a long time - ha ha!

We made it to Baltimore pretty late, and then had the crazy hour long adventure of getting our luggage and taking the shuttle to the parking lot, and so after our hour long drive home, we finally made it back to the kids at about midnight. We were exhausted, but happy - both for what we had accomplished while we were gone, but for being back with the kids. We sure had missed them, and Lily did a fabulous job taking care of them while we were gone.