... a deep breath

We made it and things are starting to calm down. Looking back, this summer was a fantastic whirlwind. I can’t really believe we did all that we did in such a short time.

The drive down was long, 45 hours of driving type of long. We had fun tagging along like the annoying little brother to the big rigs. “Ohhh, where are you going for lunch? Can I come too?” “How do you get gas?” “Can I park with you?” Compared to our little Toyota, we were miles up in the air and alarmingly large. Daniel did a fantastic job driving even in the midst of miles and miles of construction zones. Narrow Lanes signs had never been such a big deal until this trip. The worst was in the middle of Wyoming when our side of the interstate was down to just one lane for miles. First the cones were just on our side of the dotted line, then they were in a few inches from the line, then they were a foot into our lane, and the only people/equipment we saw for the entire construction zone was one pickup with guys moving the cones still further into our lane. Thanks guys, we really like the rumble strip. It’s loads of fuuuUUUnnnNNNNnnnn. (that’s rumble strip voice if you didn’t catch it).

But we made it... just in time to head back for Megan and Greg’s wedding. The wedding was fantastic. Megan looked so elegant and quite stunning. It was beautiful to see how much they both have grown and love each other and Jesus. I couldn’t be happier for them. I also got to have a little time with my mom and dad while Daniel went hiking with his dad and Justin.

We flew back from the wedding into Austin and drove past UT’s campus. I think we found our spot to go if we start missing Seattle too much. There were several Thai restaurants and strange street art. People dressed differently. There were ads for Priuses (Priui??). If only it wasn’t blazing sunlight and about 110 (seriously), we would have been right at home.

AND THEN, Meg and Bryan came up to see us! You know those friendships where you see each other again and find out that you really are still perfect friends for each other. Yeah, I got me some of those. Daniel and I had wanted to explore town a little bit more and it was great fun to do it with them. We went to the biggest park in town, which has cliffs looking over the river, lots of trees and mountain biking trails, shady spots down by the river, a Frisbee golf course, and Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place. There was a sign, that’s how we knew it was Miss Nellie’s Pretty Place. We agreed. It was pretty. Thanks Miss Nellie. Somehow I don’t think that name would have flown in Seattle. From there we went along the river to the First Suspension Bridge West of the ... or maybe it was South of the... anyway, we went to an old bridge. We then went to Baylor’s campus and I finally saw more of campus than just Daniel’s office. We saw the Baylor Bears. They were hot but seemed to enjoy their pool. And then we decimated Meg and Bryan at board and card games. Sorry guys. They took us to our first ever Texas BBQ. It was a new experience to say the least. As we walked into the restaurant, there was a sign saying there was a concealed handgun class being held there next week. It was a slow night so when we walked in two employees were by a piano, the little old lady playing and the college aged guy boogieing. He jumped up and ran behind the counter where he fixed Meg and I some “something something Texas ‘Taters”. This baked potato was enormous! The butter glob was about 2/3 the size of my fist and then he put 3 healthy handfuls of cheese on top and covered it with meat and bbq sauce and then told us, “y’all make sure y’all aren’t sharin’ none with them boys!” Throughout the dinner we learned many things vital to blend in with the natives… and a few things that the natives do that are just plain wacky. All in all, we had a fantastic time and we can’t wait to see them again.

And so, now we are here and it is starting to sink in that we are staying. Sometimes, especially at church, I miss Seattle and Mars Hill immensely. We were so blessed there. But we have been blessed here: our house is cute and starting to feel home-like. It amazes me how much space we have here. Hobbes enjoys his prowls in the back yard, although it is hot enough he asks to come back in fairly quickly. We are going to go by the humane society tonight to just look at the puppies*.

*This line was responsible for us getting Shasta, although there was a “but mom” at the start that time around.

In other news, today breaks the record for most days of 100 plus temperatures in a row (the streak started in June) and if we keep it up next week we will crush the most 100 plus days in a year record too. Isn’t that exciting?? Please excuse me while I find an AC vent to lay on and a large quantity of frozen things to eat.

All in all, we are settling here. We are a little nervous but excited for classes to start and to see what life will really be like here. I’m still looking and trying to decide what sounds like a good job for me. I have a couple of leads on tutoring opportunities, so we’ll see what happens. I got a Texas gardening book today and depending on how our "just looking" goes today, I might find myself busy training a puppy. :)