The Texadus map.

The Dream Ignites

Oh, those beautiful bluebells.
Bluebonnets, the Texas State Flower

Early in 2018, there was an idea simmering in the minds of the Rowland family. I’m not sure exactly when the brainstorm took on life, but it was received and chewed on for the briefest of times by all the adult members of the clan. Each family unit worked out their own plans and strategies. But, all led to Central Texas from Western Washington State. Culture shock, climate shock, bug, and snake shock were in our thoughts, but the urge to start our Texadus adventure was strong.

Testing the Waters

The Baylor Campus was a big part of our decision to start the Texadus.
Fell in love with the Baylor University Campus

Our part of the story got revved up after Jeremiah (Kelly’s husband) returned from an interview and scouting party through the Waco area. Rick and I were starting to feel the tug to CenTex, but we needed to see the land, towns, people, stores, maybe a church or two and a couple of restaurants for ourselves. I especially needed to feel how my heart would react. I was born and raised in Poulsbo, Washington, and Rick and I had spent most of our married lives there. We’d raised our kids in our home of 25 years with the gorgeous bay and mountain view. We needed to be sure.

We love our In-n-Out!
In-N-Out Sealed the Deal!

The trip through the area only made us more excited and certain. So certain, in fact, that we chose a building lot for our new home. We came home and thought, talked, and prayed a lot before signing the contract and getting the build underway.

Prepping for the Texadus

Then, we began packing, purging, planning and starting our good-byes. The house was listed and sold in a couple of days (as have all the Rowland houses!) There were coffee dates, lunches, and a big party at Island Lake Park to savor the friendships and the family we were leaving behind. It was an exciting, sad, emotional, exhausting time as we got things ready for our part of the Texadus.

Friends getting together to say goodbye.
My Sweet Pearson Pals at our Last Summer Yacht Club Broiler Lunch

Good-bye Poulsbo

Saying goodbye to a special spot just up the road from our previous home in Washington. And, then we began our Texadus.
Saying good-bye to the Hooing Tunnel with the Partyke’s

On September 6th, 2018 (the first day of school…very fitting for two former teachers!) when we watched all our belongings get loaded onto that huge United Van Lines truck and we took our last trip up the driveway and down Cedar Lane, I SOBBED. It was just too much hugging Kelly and Heidi and Amy and saying a final good-bye to our beautiful home.

The Trip Down South

The beautiful Shoshone Falls in Idaho. A beautiful stop on our Texadus.
Shoshone Falls, Idaho

We treated our Texas Road Trip as a vacation and it was amazing. Traveling through some gorgeous territory on that long trek was a highlight for us. We arrived in Temple, Texas on September 12th and carried our travel bags into a cute, 2 bedroom, totally furnished apartment. That spot was to be our home for the next three months as we watched our dream home become a reality.

The Real Unpacking

After the Texadus I got to move into this happy kitchen in our new home!
My Happy Kitchen

Our build closed on December 21st and we opted to move in AFTER Christmas. Pretty smart idea! Shortly after we moved in, construction started on our backyard swimming pool (!) Filling our house with the treasures we’d brought down from Pbo and adding some new ones from special shops in the area was a BLAST! Having Hobby Lobby and Magnolia Market nearby also helped turn this cute house into a home. (I’ll be talking more about that in future posts.)

Entering the ‘Promised Land’

The Texadus brought this sweet family to Central Texas too.
The Thibeaults

We are now truly at home in Temple, Texas. And, the Family Texadus will be concluding in June with the arrival of the Partyke family. Kyle and Shaina appeared on the scene first. They’ve got a charming home in Pflugerville (outside Austin). Kasey and Josh and family are stationed at Ft. Hood (about 40 minutes away).

The Texadus brought the four of us together at the Texas Roadhouse in Temple.
The Rowlands at Texas Roadhouse

God continues to bless us on this adventure. We see His hand in so many aspects of this journey that Rick and I have stepped into TOGETHER. We’ve found a great church (Vista in Temple), a grocery store (love H.E.B.!), and are building solid new friendships. We are especially thankful to get to hang-out and do holidays with our kids and grandkids. We can’t wait to see all 7 of those grandboys and girls splashing in our pool!

The Texadus brought this sweetie to our pool.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

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