Texas is just as I thought it would be. Admittedly, the high temperatures are worse than I expected, but I can't do anything about that so I just do everything possible to wear as little clothing as possible to stay cool and dry everyday. The air is always warm and sticky. The people are always kind and usually long winded. We haven't eaten out much, but the food always arrives big and packed with bold taste, except for the donuts, which are usually tiny and a bit lackluster.
We each packed one suitcase (although I was able to squeeze a few extra things in Elle's bag) for our move to Texas. I only brought four pairs of shoes, one of which being my walking shoes. Can you believe that?! We stuffed our car as tight as possible, leaving just enough room for Blue to lie down in the back. We stayed in 5 different hotels during the drive and couldn't wait to unpack our few belongings into the "furnished" apartment we would call home for the next few months. We moved into a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment while we await more permanent housing, and although the apartment is supposed to be furnished, it is still missing so many things that make me miss home...wherever that home is.
The apartment is better than we anticipated, but it still lacks most of my normal kitchen items so I am learning to bake and cook with one mixing bowl, one cookie sheet and one 9x13 pan. I know I can buy more, but I don't want to because I know all my things are nicely packed in storage somewhere. Plus, we are trying to save every penny possible, which means I have to live without a few things. And not just me, but the girls too. The girls weren't allowed to pack any toys except two stuffed animals. Of course, Mya brought Mr. Bear and her special bunny, and V brought her favorite Minnie Mouses. Elle's only request was a bag of books. That girl carries at least 4 books around with her at all time.
We bought some puzzles and art supplies upon arrival, and the girls have been pretty good sports about living without things except when 3pm rolls around and we're out of things to do. We keep ourselves busy baking delicious treats and completing all the homework assignments I created to help the girls excel during the summer months. Mya is a champ. I can't believe how well she is reading.
The town is small and extremely different from any place we've lived. I guess it's most like Peoria, but it is even smaller (if you can imagine!!). Everyday we visit a new park before 10am and run as much as we can before returning home to put Elle down for her nap. Our afternoons are filled with water in one way or another. There is a pool in our complex and one splash pad in the town so I try to switch up the water activities as best as possible. My kids love the pool so they'd be fine swimming every single day of their lives.
What else? If you're still reading, just know that I am doing fine. I've had two minor breakdowns, but I rebounded fast. I am taking this time to live quietly. I have felt very isolated and disconnected from my friends and family, which has actually been quite hard, but I am taking the time to reevaluate the relationships in my life. I'd like to fortify a few and let a few go, and I'm just figuring out the best way to do that. I've decided to distance myself from a few people in order to find a deeper sense of happiness in myself. There's a piece of me that's been really unhappy for sometime, and it's time to squash that piece and rebuild it. So while I'm alone and bored, I'm thinking a lot...a lot about who I am and who I want to be and who will help me become the person I want to be.
And that's that. Really...I think we are all caught up so hopefully I'll keep up from now on.
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"Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." Malcolm Cowley