Just 5 short weeks ago Dave and Jonah and I packed up our house and moved to Austin, TX. It was a tough decision, but one that we feel good about, knowing that we're following God's calling and plan for our lives. (If you're saying "that's news to me", click
here for details).
Jonah did wonderfully on
the road trip down here! He's a great little traveling buddy. Here he is enjoying some late night television in the king sized bed at the hotel on our second night of our trip...
In other news Dave has a job... praise God! Crazy story... the week before we left for Austin, Dave emailed his old work associates telling them "it was nice working with you, we're moving, etc. etc." The next day his former National Sales Manager contacted him and basically said we've got an immediate opening, the job's yours if you want it. Well come to find out right around the day that Dave sent out that email, the guy who was supposed to take the job here mysteriously backed out of it. Hmmm... God-incidence?! So Dave was able to start working about a week after we got here. Awesome, huh? I love how God works like that!
I'm also excited to announce that I'm finally officially just a stay-at-home mom! Dave and I decided that in order to be able to devote myself fully to taking care of Jonah and starting my photography business down here, that I could quit my part-time work-from-home admin job. I'm really looking forward to finding some fun weekly activities for Jonah and I at the library and places like that, hanging out with Jonah's cousins, and getting connected at our new church,
Gateway.
It's been a transition getting to know this new area... the first couple of weeks it was an adventure just going to the grocery store! Thank goodness for GPS! But it's been a lot of fun. We're living with Dave's parents until we get
our townhouse rented out, then hopefully we'll be able to start house shopping. Woo hoo!
We've been able to get out and see some of the sights around Austin. Dave's sister Bekah has graciously shown me around to many of the shopping malls and outlets. :~) And last week we all went to the
Trail of Lights at Zilker Park which helped get us all in the Christmas spirit. I tell ya, after 29 winters in Chicago, it's taken a mental shift for me to think about
Christmas shopping while wearing flip flops.
And here's a rare photograph of the ever elusive armadillo playing the banjo. Why, of course! They are after all the
state mammal of Texas.
So that's the latest on our journey to Austin. Please let us know if you ever want to come visit. We miss you all terribly and would love to share the official state snack with you... tortilla chips and salsa! Hopefully we'll have an official guest room soon, too!
Here are some other fun facts about
Texas that might come in handy in case you're ever on a gameshow:
- Texas is the second-largest state in both area and population
- Texas is one of only four states that were independent nations before becoming a constituent state of the U.S.
- Austin is the fourth largest city in Texas with a population of 710,000. (We're living just north of Austin)
- Texas nicknames: the Lone Star State, the Cowboy State and the Friendship State
- State flower: bluebonnet
- State mammals: small - armadillo, large - Texas longhorn, and flying - the Mexican free tailed bat (ew!)
- State molecule: the buckyball (who knew?)
- State reptile: the horny toad
- State slogan: "It's like a whole other country" (you can actually get that on your license plate)
