Bloom where you are planted

I had to drive to Irving on Thursday for a training class for work. As I crested a hill just north of Ennis on 45, I caught my first glimpse of downtown Dallas in over a year. It was a clear fall day as a cold front had just blown through, and the dark clouds in my rear view contrasted the bright sun dramatically. I was suddenly struck with a sadness I didn't expect. A longing I thought was gone. Earlier in the drive, as I passed stately Sam Houston in Huntsville, I realized it had been almost exactly 2 years since we had made the drive going the opposite way for Craig's interview that led to our move from Arlington to the Bay Area. So the distance between Huntsville and Ennis had been filled with thoughts of what has happened in the past 24 months. Great thoughts, happy memories, chuckles, amazement of how good God is and how happy we are. So I was completely taken aback when the tears filled my eyes at the sparkly sight of D-town.

You see, Dallas is HUGE in my life. I wasn't born there or even raised there. But when I was 15 we went to Dallas to compete in a Mock Trial competition and I was hooked. The lights, the sounds, the sights!! Next, the summer between my junior and senior year my brother got married in Dallas and it was magical. Even the sounds that came from the bathroom around 2 am when one of my brother's friends had returned to the room with a woman he had met on the elevator still stand out in my mind...but that's another story.

So I went to college in Denton, just north of Dallas. I learned to drive in traffic near the Galleria (thanks Sara!) and had cheese fries at Snuffers on lower Greenville (thanks John). I went to a Cowboy's pre-Super Bowl pep rally and I shopped at Sam Moon. I ran at White Rock Lake and danced at Billy Bob's (yes, that's Ft Worth, but hey- that's part of the DFW experience). I got my tatoo in Deep Ellum. Oh- and I met Craig in Dallas, he proposed in downtown Dallas, we bought our first house, had both of our children. We celebrated his passing his State Boards at Reunion Tower. I started working at Citi, made some amazing friends at Irving Bible Chruch and Pantego Bible Church, and I finally saw Huey Lewis LIVE at Bass Hall. Is there any doubt that DFW is huge in my life?

And here we are in League City. And this is why it's going to be huge in my life, too!

• Jonas started Kindergarten here
• Carleigh learned to ride a bike here
• We helped plant Church at the Springs
• We experienced our first hurricane
• Jonas discovered he loves books here
• Carleigh started gymnastics
• Jonas started soccer
• I learned I LOVE mojitos and moroccan food
• KSBJ is waayyyy better than KLTY
• Gringos
• Baytown Seafood Company
• HEB
• the kids both had chicken pox

...and we're only getting started! Even if we left tomorrow we would already have some big stuff under our belts.

I'm really glad I was able to briefly visit DFW yesterday. It is a great area and I will always love it, but I was so glad to get HOME last night.