So, let's see . . . last entry I was in the middle of my first Washington winter, we were settling into our new house, Jason was away at OBC, Caitlyn was attending preschool at the Olympia Waldorf School, Lorelei was enjoying her days at home, we had a dog and I was a stay at home mom who wrote in my spare time. Oh, and we were busy planning an all-girls Alaskan Disney cruise with my mom.
Huh. Kind of a lot has changed since then.
Now, we are in the middle of our first Texas fall, we are settling into another new house, Jason is still away, Caitlyn in in kindergarten, Lorelei is in preschool at a Montessori school, we no longer have our sweet mutt due to Lorelei's skin sensitivities, and I am once-again a secondary school English teacher who no longer has any spare time.
But, we did go on our Disney cruise, and we are now in the midst of planning a June trip to Disney World--at least some things stay the same!
Our move was sparked by a certain fed-upness with the Army. Despite the fact that we were supposed to stay in Washington for at least 4 years, we were told that was no longer a possibility. Jason was still obligated to a hardship tour in Korea, and we decided to make one final move to be close to family and actually put down roots. Yes, Jason still has a military obligation. However, we will no longer be moving around. For the duration of whatever time he has left, we will be stabilized in Texas, and he will do what he can to have a 4 day work week, then be home on weekends. It is not ideal, but it is better than hauling the girls all over the country. We can't wait to all be together permanently, and until then, Skype is our best friend.
So, we moved to Houston. Never thought I would willingly do that since I've professed hate for Houston for a long time--the weather mostly sucks, it isn't pretty and I'm not really a midwestern, Bible belt kinda girl. HOWEVER, being close to family and longtime friends is priceless and absolutely precious. I may miss the beauty of a towering, old growth forest on my way to the grocery store, but the sight of my girls running into the arms of multiple grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins takes my breath away. Recently, I took them to the dentist, and it turns out, I went to high school with the guy. My daughter is attending a dance school owned by another Pearland alum. I get to see friends I've known since birth, and I watch my daughters play with their kids. I have a dozen people--A DOZEN-- on the emergency contact list for the girls. There is beauty in that not even matched by the fall colors in Williamsburg.
And we have a house, that for the first time in my adult life, feels like a real, lasting, permanent home. It is beautiful, and we are slowly making it our own. How serious are we about staying here? We put a growth chart in permanent marker inside the linen closet. I realize that can easily be painted over, but any military family can relate to the permanence of such a gesture.
And really? Houston may not be gorgeous, but there are some gorgeous moments, some beautiful sunsets, some rich cultural experiences, and some wonderful friends--did I mention the friends?
So . . . other changes. Caitlyn is in full day kindergarten. And she likes it, but it wears her out. She grows weary of coloring and work sheets, but she is doing it all with her own flair, and she loves her friends, her teacher and her school. Her teacher is kind and wonderful, but she is no Miss Candy. While we knew we were lucky to have the Waldorf School in WA, it took moving away from it to realize how incredible of an education it was. They treasured our girl, they didn't just teach her. Miss Candy (and Miss Kim, too) was a rare, special breed, and I can only hope to know her for all eternity. She was *and is* that amazing.
Lorelei made the adjustment to school reluctantly, and it took a week or more for her to stop crying to stay home when she woke up and realized it was a school day. Most days, she happily runs into school, anxious to play and learn. And learn she does! She comes home with songs, knowledge, and stories from her day, and it is a joy to listen to her share. Just the other day, she brought home a world map and told me all about Europe and Asia. Really. I'm not crazy about everything in her school, and I think Montessori schools fail to grasp that these are *children*, but she likes it, and I like the staff. Still . . .
The best part of my day is when those girls skip into my arms, screaming, "MAMA!!!" when I arrive to pick them up.
As for the rest of my day, it is spent teaching kids from low-income families how to care about something other than themselves and survival. I have days that make me want to run screaming from the classroom and do ANYTHING but teach. Some of the kids are surly, rude, indifferent, and hostile. Most days, I like what I am doing, and the fact that the vast majority of the kids are generally sweet and semi-interested in what I am teaching is enough to put a smile on my face and make me happy to prepare a new, engaging lesson for the next day. The best days? Those are the ones that make me feel privileged to be an educator--the days where a kid confides in me, races into the room to share an interesting book with me, or just gives me a genuine smile and a hug. Those are the days that make me feel good about sharing myself with kids other than my own.
That's a lot of changes for a bit less than a year. It has been a bit rough, but what has stayed the same is really more important than anything that changed. Our family is still the most important thing to each of us, we still live to play and spend time together and we are still walking this journey of life in the best way we know how---together.
