Bittersweet Life Change

It is officially unofficial, our pending move to DFW is closer than once thought. The project in Ft. Worth has been pushed out another year and as a result I am picking up projects all over hell’s half acre. I have been on the road every week since returning from Thanksgiving vacation with the exception of a few trips of our own on the side. The sad truth is I have been “home” only a handful of days. Oh well, home is where you hang your hat, right? So with that, I had a long conversation with the upper echelon regarding my potential relocation and they have now decided it is probably best to get us moved before E starts school in the fall. This is much sooner than I expected. I was anticipating another year in AR.

I know it sounds crazy, but I actually love it here. We have been here for almost five years (which in itself is hard to believe) and managed to build our lives from scratch. We moved here with no expectations and without the support of local friends and family…we knew not a soul. It was a long first six months. E was only nine months old and in that first six months we managed to procreate again. Shortly after moving onto Halleck Coach (11 months after arriving), F graced us with his presence. Our isolation all changed when we started branching out meeting new friends, moving houses, meeting great neighbors, and really settling in for a lifetime of happiness. So it is with bittersweet anticipation we are awaiting the next chapter. Cindy is really excited, me not so much. I am flying to Chicago next week to discuss the next step and get a firm sense of timing. The housing market could not be shittier at present, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of that mess. To keep and rent, or to sell, that is the question. And what will become of the little rent house we already own…it’s hard to manage property from 350 miles away, so many questions creating so much more stress.

I will try over the next few weeks to view the situation with a glass half-full outlook. In time I too will become excited, after all I have always wanted to move back to Dallas. But now, I am sad to leave our life as we know it. I am sad to leave my friends who have become my surrogate family. All good things must come to an end…so they say. I will try to embrace it and look toward the future. I am lucky I work for guys that are willing to consider my whole family as an asset and not just me, so I am thankful for the opportunity.

It’s hard to think E might start school in some unknown ISD in the DFW metroplex within a few short months. Life goes on…and time waits for no man. To quote one of my favorite films, The Shawshank Redemption, “get busy livin, or get busy dyin.”