Why Texas?

                                             

This is a post I’ve been thinking about for a while now. I’ve mentioned moving and packing, and promised to go into detail on my Texas obsession.

My husband and I have friends who retired and moved to Texas about nine years ago. My husband traveled out twice to work on a house they were building. Each time he returned, he raved about how great it was. Now, I’m thinking, Texas? Great? Isn’t it dry and barren and big? Well, kind of. There are parts that are dry and humid, and then they are parts that are absolutely breathtaking. That’s the part we’re heading to-what’s known as the “Hill Country.”

So, one summer, we traveled back to visit our friends. As I was sitting on the back patio one evening, overlooking the pool and enjoying the  beautiful hilltop view, I said to my husband, “I could live here.” He said, “I was hoping you’d say that!” A few months later we took our two boys and drove out to look for property. We found 8.5 acres about a mile down the road from our friends. With a wonderful view. Just like we wanted.

A year or so after that, we drove out with all the kids to look for a house in town. We had in mind exactly what we wanted, how many bedrooms, the square footage, the price. My husband had said, “Unless it’s this, this and this…we’re not going to get it.” Well, the one we found was that, that and that. We walked in and felt it was the perfect house-the right price, size, everything. We really felt God had a hand in all of this. We’ve owned that house since 2006.

We really thought we’d move sooner. It’s been our heart’s desire. But it was not God’s plan. God has brought us through some trials here, and has grown us and prepared us better for our move.  We are now fully ready. And the day is growing nearer. We plan on leaving California on August 14th! Our family is so excited, the kids keep asking how much longer.

                                                 

So, why Texas?

We’re moving to a much smaller town. The population is about 10,000; give or take a few hundred. It’s a quiet town. I believe there’s been one murder in the last 10 years. Not so where we are now.  It’s the type of town we want our children to grow up in.

It’s the people that make a huge difference. They are a different breed than we’re used to here in California. They are so welcoming and polite. The children (and adults) say “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir.”  They are respectful and well-mannered.

Higher education is a huge deal. The public schools in the town are great, and homeschooling is prevalent. Texas is one of the states with the least restrictive homeschooling laws.

People are proud of their state and their heritage. Their work ethic is phenomenal. Hard work is respected and expected. They are not a “hand-out” state.

The pace is so much slower. Life is so much simpler. People, even in the large cities, we have found, are just not in that big of a hurry. People find the time to enjoy life and relax. We’ve found that after being there a couple of weeks, it’s really hard to throw ourselves back into the pace here.

There are about two dozen churches in the small town we are going to. Church is woven into your life, not just a place to go once a week. Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and Wednesday evening Bible study are all part of your life.

God Bless Texas!