TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON...

how do you put into words all the emotions of a move?

i'm not sure myself, but here are my random thoughts on the topic at hand.

when we came to austin
(summer '05)

when we left austin
(summer '08)

the last box is taped shut and our last memories in this home have been made. how many times have i said i loved living here? yet it still doesn't seem like enough. i am thankful for so many things these last 3 years have taught us. i am thankful for the friendships and memories we made. i am thankful for a job i loved and evan's degree he was able to earn. i am thankful for the way our family grew not only in experiences but also in number. and yet for all the things we did do here i still find myself thinking about the opportunities i might have missed. did i love those here enough? did i take enough time out of my daily life to stop and get to know those around me the best i could? and sadly i don't feel like i always did. i am trying to learn from those things i missed doing here and apply them to the next part of life.

in this time of transition there are so many different things i am processing. the following parts of ecclesiastes 3 have been an encouragement to me as i deal with finding the balance of fondly remembering the time we did have in austin and successfully moving forward to life in houton.
"there is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven...
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away."

another thing i have reread many times is the following section from the girlfiend's guide to the first year of motherhood. last summer sunni was quoting this passage as they moved. i knew our family's time was coming but yet it somehow still seemed far off. that didn't stop the tears from flowing though as i read her post. then i cried again in january when i came to this chapter in the book while nursing sweet newborn adelaide. and now here i sit, crying again. crying in memory of all that has happened in our lives here and crying for days that seemed to fly by quicker than i meant for them to.
"Before you walk into your home with your new baby, stop and mentally photograph this house so that you can keep it in your heart forever. In this mobile society of ours, there's a good chance that your child will not live in this place till she goes to college. You may move two or three more times during her childhood, especially if you find you like this mothering business and have more kids. But this will always be Bethlehem to you, the place where your family was born. You may not know it yet, but your most precious memories are about to be created here, it's where you brought your first child. Welcome home!"

we came here as two newlyweds on our own for the first time.
we leave with 4 years of married life, a puppy turned 2 year old dog,
our precious firstborn, and rich experiences we will always remember.

"beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts.
you have to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning." -sandra bullock

now here's to houston and the future!