Facebook tells me that one year ago today we pulled into Temple, Texas to start our new life as Central Texans. So, today we’re celebrating one year as Texans. Wow!
About 8 months prior to the arrival, our family started hatching a plan to move down here. Of course, we weren’t aware of all the details at the time. We believe God was involved and we got to live out those details and His plan over the course of the next several months; selling 3 houses, joining the Army, getting new jobs, opening a yoga studio, moving into 3 new homes and starting new lives for all of the Rowland/Partyke/Thibeault Clan!
The Move that Started One Year Ago
Once we ‘knew’ we were making the move (after our scouting trip last spring) Rick and I signed papers to put our home of 24 years on the market and to start the build of our dream home in Texas. Purging, packing, cleaning, selling, fixing, and picking colors were activities that filled our last few months in the PNW. We said many ‘good-byes’. A lifetime of good-byes. People like high-school friends, church friends, neighbors, family. We said good-bye to places like Pearson Elementary where I taught for a really long time, Poulsbo, Vinland Lutheran Cemetary (where Mom and Dad are buried), the Hooing Tunnel up Cedar Lane and our driveway 🙂
The Road Trip
We left Poulsbo on September 5th, 2018 and arrived here on the 10th as brand new Texans! Just a few days before the moving van! Most everything went into our air-conditioned storage until we were ready to move into the new house. During those days on the road, we experienced so much beauty! Places we’d never seen. Highlights include The Shoshone Falls and Moab in Utah.
Arriving in Temple
Seeing the Welcome to Texas sign was a wonderful experience, but arriving in Temple was over the top. We had arranged to live month-to-month in a ‘corporate’ 2-bedroom apartment. They totally furnished this 2nd-floor palace down to the washcloths and forks! There was a pool and Target and Cracker Barrel nearby. Plus we were about 15 minutes from Lake Pointe so we could pop over and watch the construction progress whenever we wanted. We started sending down deep roots during those first few months. We found our awesome church (The Vista), I found several pieces for just the right spots in our new home, and we started to get comfortable with frontage roads. Those side roads are simply not a thing along I-5!
We closed around Christmas, moved in just after, and started construction on our swimming pool during that time. So many exciting changes during those early months. It definitely took my heart and brain time to catch up with reality. Everyone knows things take time, you just want that time to go faster! Making friends takes time. I talk about this in the post “3 Super Strategies for Making ‘Keeper’ Friends”.
‘I’m here and this is my home. I think.’ I was in Texas but part of my heart was still in Washington. I didn’t like thinking about going back to visit. That’s passed now and I’m looking forward to a Summer, 2020 visit to celebrate a big birthday (the one with a 7 in the 10’s place!) with my high school buddies.
Settling In as Texans Y’all
I’m not quite sure when the shift happened from total Texas Newbies to full-on Texans. But, it happened. And, now we get to be the ones greeting newcomers to our town, neighborhood, and church.
Starting this blog helped with the shift. I’ve always known that writing helps with our mental and heart processing. When God plopped the idea of starting this ‘thing’ I’m doing, I thought it sounded like a fun endeavor to pursue in my new place in the world. It has been that, but so much more!
Our church was another factor in the ‘settling shift’. I’m not sure now which came first, our home on Quiet Hollow or that beautiful church on Stonehollow. I’ve attended several God-touched and God-used churches over my lifetime; Vinland Lutheran Church, Gateway Church, newlife, and now The Vista. I absolutely adore the music, the teaching, the people, and the mission of our church home. And, the new slate of Women’s Bible Studies starts soon. I can’t wait to get back to learning and hanging out with my ‘girls’!
Undoubtedly, the arrival of the Partyke Family totally shifted our hearts. We were very thankful to have the other two kids and their families nearby. But, having all the kids and grandkids in the same state again brought the peace and joy and completion we’d all been praying for since the initial idea was hatched at the beginning of last year! The kids splashing and playing in the pool (that was a necessary addition to help with acclimation to the Texas Heat 🙂 ) and Grammie and Grampie able to be involved with birthdays, baseball, football, and soccer games is heavenly.
This is Home and I Love it
So many people, places, and experiences have turned this town and house into our HOME. From our family, church friends, Bible study friends, to our waving, ‘come on over for a cookout neighborhood’ friends. From our new favorite restaurants, my H.E.B., Hobby Lobby, to Magnolia just up the road and all those spots we’ve explored and all those yet to be discovered. From the consistent summer blue skies to the warmth that makes every day a swimming day, to the summer that truly lasts till the beginning of Fall (and beyond).
I love this place. Texas won my heart y’all and it’s only been one year as Texans. I figure we have about 30 more to send those roots down very deep again!
Your Turn
I’ve shared the reflections over our one year as Texans; dealing with change, moving, and transitioning. I would love it if you would share a little of your process. What were the factors in your shift? Have you completed the process or are you still ‘shifting’. What were or are your top struggles? Maybe you didn’t move to a new state (half-way across the country for crying out loud!) Have you started a new job or some other life change that creates the need to search for equilibrium once again. Let’s talk.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy‬ â€31:8‬ â€NIV‬‬
Finding a new purpose in living and joy in the day-to-day was the goal when author Kathy Rowland and her entire family (adult kids and grandkids) moved from the PNW to Texas several years ago. The focus of Quiet Hollow is to encourage ‘next chapter women’ – those who are retired, empty-nesters, or have found themselves without a spouse to jump back into life. And, she shares multiple tips, ideas, and possibilities toward that end. Kathy completed her almost 30 years as an elementary teacher and hopped into over a decade of volunteer work, side hustle-type businesses, and grandchild care before discovering her unique and fulfilling purpose for the next chapter of life. What you read on Quiet Hollow is a large part of that calling. Another part is the happy life she’s leading in Central Texas in the same neighborhood as the 3 big kids and her 5 grandkids. She and her college sweetheart husband made sure to add a pool to their new Texas home, so there are lots of noisy, splashy days in their little oasis of a backyard. Come join her on Quiet Hollow in a conversation about finding and living the life you were created to live in this later stage. The chats will be full of laughter, support, faith, and inspiration to create.
