From OKC to HTX

I sit here tonight in our house that we have made into a home in Oklahoma City with boxes lined up against the walls and almost-empty rooms. We are 5 days away from making the move back to Houston, Texas after 15 wonderful months here in OKC.

You see, when we made the move here, I was not sure what to expect. I knew no one. I had no connections to OKC and I certainly was in a fog from just having my third baby. But what I am happy to report is that I have made the most genuine, true, and meaningful friendships of my life…right here in OKC. I went all in on this town and these people and I do not regret one moment of it. In life, it’s easy to just coast by and not dive in head first for fear of rejection or failure, but I have learned that you experience the greatest joys in life when you do dive right in.

I never thought in a million years, that I would be sitting here right now writing about leaving OKC, but here I am. Laying it all out there for you. Even though, anyone who knows me, knows how I feel. I love this town. It will always have such a special place in my heart. I won’t only be taking the memories with me back to Texas, but I will be taking some pretty valuable lessons with me too.

1. Slow is OK- Let me clarify. Life in Oklahoma is slower, in the BEST way possible. It’s not the hustle and bustle, busy, busy, gotta rush around kind of life. Maybe it’s because moving here caused me to slow down and stay home for the first time ever or maybe there is just something so magical about the pace.
2. Tornado Warnings- These can be scary or fun and sometimes…both. The most I knew about tornadoes before moving here was from the movie, Twister. So, I’d say I learned a great deal about them in our time living here. Thanks mostly to my friends who always filled me in on what “kind” of tornado situation we were dealing with that day. Sometimes, the warnings meant that you get to hang out in the neighborhood, keep the kids home from school, and have a fun and friendly tornado watching party. And sometimes, the warnings mean that you duck into your neighbors shelter because one is heading straight for your street, only to have it disappear (literally) into thin air. Tornadoes are SERIOUS. They can cause destruction and terror in their pathway. It’s not a joking matter, but this Texas girl had no idea that there were so many levels of tornado watches, warnings and radars.
3. Say YES- Ok, so I am pretty good at doing this already (hence my always full schedule), but one thing that I tend to do during unknown situations, is say no and make excuses for why I “shouldn’t” do something. So, YES is exactly what I did in moving here. Yes, to cubscouts. Yes, to starting this blog. Yes, to joining a MOPS group. Yes, to new friends. Yes, to starting a business. Yes, to joining a moms blog. Yes, to bootcamp. Yes, to lots of actvivities for the kids. Yes, to so much more. And YES, to LIFE. We lived so much and have so many great memories of our time in OKC that now I know that saying yes is one of the main reasons for all of our joy.

Along with those lessons that I have learned, I feel confident that where our next chapter is leading us, there are great things on the horizon. I just know to trust and be thankful for where things are headed. I wouldn’t be the eternal optimist that I am if I wasn’t able to also list off some things that I am excited about that are waiting for us in Texas.

• Family! Moving closer to family will mean lots of celebrations, quality time, less traveling for holidays, and little cousins growing up near each other.
• Old Friends- Rekindling some old friendships is always exciting. I have some lovely souls in HTX that I have remained close with through digital correspondence, but am thrilled for the chance to be closer to them in actual person now.
• New Adventures. This can be scary, but also exciting! OKC taught me that embracing new adventures and getting out there can be very, very rewarding.
• New Home- We will miss our house that we made into a home in OKC, but the most important things are coming with us, and that’s the people inside of it. Thrilled for the chance to make this new house into a home.
• H-E-B. If you know, you know. This is the greatest grocery store ever made. End of story.

So, as my best friend keeps reminding me, it’s NOT good-bye. It’s “See you later!”

xoxo,

Becca