Thursday, November 30, 2017

November Is Already Over

 Sleeping children make my heart melt!
 Thanksgiving treats - chocolate pecan pie; Isabella made turkey cupcakes!
 Scouts are asked to lead the flag ceremony at the city 5K!
 During Thanksgiving, we run, play Turkey bowl, and run some more.
 Post meal naps
 Boerne Parade with the Youth Group and Nativity Float
 Helping to safely remove limbs from a big tree that hangs over Nana and Grandpa's house!
Texas plates now grace my car.

Monday, November 27, 2017

It's So Fun When Friends Come to Visit

Visiting tourist attractions and cool geographical features.  Finding the largest cinnamon roll to eat.  Talking, playing, laughing and just remembering why we have been friends for so many year!

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Grateful November

1. The Atonement - the older I get, and the better I get, the more I realize I need it.
2. Travis - he is my idea of perfection
3. Isabella - my enthusiastic joiner
4. Wyatt - my sensitive searcher
5. Issac - my optimistic outdoor enthusiast
6. Kody - my empathetic teaser
7. My family [shout out to Ebet]
8. That our new house feels like home
9. My friends - I'm sure I've said this a hundred times but I've got the best ones in the whole world and I hope each one of you know how much I can't live without you.
10. Jennifer Canada - thank you for all the rides, for all the breakfasts, and for all the care you give to Isabella.  We adore you.
11. Exercise Buddies - whether it's running or walking or combination of both I love you girls.  Mary Lunt, Jennifer Bowling, Heather Maloney
12. Weekend getaways with the hubster
13. Food [YUM]
14. Aging - I like myself better every year, so the number means nothing to me.
15. My husband, Mr. Fix It.  He saves us thousands every year.
16. The Sun - I'm a heliophile
17. Books, books, and books
18. Sleep - I'll never feel like I have enough but I'll take every minute I can.
19. Service and anyone who has given it to me - it's my love language
20. Hard work - nothing feels better than getting to the other side of it
21. My country - if we sing, talk, or speak on it, I'm all tears.  It's the best in the world.
22. Modern appliances - allows me more time with my kids
23. Thanksgiving - the best holiday of the year and a kick off to a month long kindness spree

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Activity Day Fun

These girls really are the light in my world.
They are fun and faithful!
Anxious to learn and help and play.
They are enthusiastic and energetic!

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Mental Health Days and Skipping School

When Isabella was a toddler my good friend, Carrie, and I were playing when her hubby called to say: call the school and get Spencer out of school - I am going to take him golfing today.  I remember thinking: That is so cool, a little scary, Can you do that,  I can't believe that the Dad wants to play with his son.  I remember thinking I am for sure going to do this with my kids someday.

And yet fast forward five to ten years and I have four kids in school.  And most have perfect attendance or near perfect attendance each year.  Not only that I am in an invisible competition to have my kids earn the Principal's Award each year.  One boy and girl student each year as chosen by the teacher that is both academically and characteristically stands out.  And we did win.  Lots of times, lots of years, amongst the kids.

But it isn't until they all start entering middle school and even high school that I realize that I have lost sight of my goals and instead been distracted by this silly accolade.  Increasingly I refocused and started letting the kids take mental health days.  They stay home, we cuddle, we play.  And so when Aunt Lacey told me she had an art show for her pottery and that a Plumbing Company has picked up her line of Custom Clay Sinks.

We went to support her and she had a fun activity for those attending.  Making their own clay squares and inked in scrapped in relief.  Even as I write this, I realize that life will steal time from you if you let it.  You will look back and wonder where the time went, if it was well spent.  I need to remember to take back my time and make of it what I will!

Friday, November 10, 2017

How I See It

So it's been three months!  Three months since we uprooted the last decade of living in Pennsylvania and hightailed it to Texas.  Everyone keeps asking me for comparisons and what I think.  So here it goes...

First and foremost, it has been a major blessing and a miracle how much this feels like home already.  It's been astounding to realize that we feel much more assimilated in our church, schools, and community than we have ever felt would be possible in 3 months.  I can't help but think that it has more to do with our attitude than anything.  Something about going on absolute faith, knowing that God has something there for you, really does help to settle things down and put your whole heart into the move, but here are some things I have noticed.

Size Really Does Matter:
Daily down here, I hear about the size of Texas - the state itself, I'm bombarded with the hulking trucks zipping down the freeway, and I see spreads of land that my brain could never fathom before here.  Bigger is better is a colloquialism they truly believe in.  Including their school PTO budgets.  I've never seen anything quite like it.  In the spirit of bigger is better is the similar vein of anything you can do, I can do better.  It's not quite so invasive, but still a periphery concept that is fast gaining momentum.

Urban and Suburban (which is which):
This has been the biggest surprise to me our whole move so far.  Everyone down here thinks of the North (especially Pennsylvania) as all city.  Clearly they have never visited as anyone who has been there knows we are the Turnpike State with huge anchor cities on each of the states eastern and western edges and a whole lot of rural, raw, green earth everywhere in between.  Small towns are the life blood of Pennsylvania and growth has leveled off and even dropped in recent years.  Counter to that, Texas is one of the fastest growing states.  They have 3 out of the 10 most populated cities in America in their backyard.  Their small towns are booming and in most every measurable way, this feels far more urban to us than we have ever previously known.  So despite this being the town Travis grew up in, it feels totally different.  More on growth here!

Friendly vs. Cold and Emotionally Distant
It's true what they say.  This state is friendly.  This is not your garden variety, wave and say hello as you pass friendly.  Although they have that going for them...this is all of your neighbors stopping by to greet you as you move in, that person in the grocery store picking up your crying toddler to help you in those crisis moments is the norm, and everyone learns everything about you because they are truly interested kind of friendly.  I have been genuinely surprised time and again at how friendly you can be: no one opens their own door, everyone greets with hugs, and compliments are the first words spoken.  It gives you all the feels.  Adversely, Pennsylvanians can come off as distant and harried.  People might mistake you for being cold or unfeeling, but what they are really seeing is single minded focus that may not include you in their line of vision.  But don't worry, once you break through that "icy" exterior there lies the warm, ooey gooey center.  A friend in Pennsylvania, though hard won, is a friend for life - a true, blue, died in the blood, has your back, thick as thieves, brother in arms.  TBD if Texans are all surface in their niceties or if they have roots that travel deep too!

Have You Found God:
Texas is known for being in the south, ever heard of the Bible Belt.  It's real.  Everyone knows, loves and talks about Jesus.  He's real, he's here and no one is afraid to mention it.  It's not considered taboo to bring him into any conversation.  Pennsylvania overall may not be quite so church going openness, but where we came from - Lancaster County, we were home to some of the nation's largest Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren church populations.  What we may have lacked in actual numbers felt more than made up for in depth of conviction, actual conservative values, and personal sacrifice in the name of religious belief.  This has been the most similar category of the move so far.  Both are a God loving and fearing people.

Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum:
Both states love their hole in the wall diner type establishment that excel at comfort foods and home cooked favorites. After that, it's all over for food comparisons.  Texans like to think of themselves as foodies and have enough food brands specific to this area:  Frito-Lay, Whataburger, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Big Red Soda, and Dr. Pepper - this last one I have never seen so much drunken in my whole life.  They even have their own grocery store chain, HEB, but seriously, this is the bulk of it.  They live on bbq, meats, and starches.

Now consider, Pennsylvania is the snack food capital of the world.  It may not be healthy, but it is delicious.  With a large German influence, the dinner foods are rich and heavy and often play on sweet and sour themes and a fair amount of bread product.  After that, you look no further than to see 3 major cities (DC, Philadelphia, NYC) close by and so you get an influx of ethnic food abounding.  Everyone argues over what is the best and what is not, but the ethnic choices are almost unlimited.  Both states are enthusiastic eaters and I can get behind that!  That being said, Texas does pie and I love pie.  I wish they had more fruit pie, but they have such an abundance of pie I will never  rarely complain.

Good Old Fashioned Manners:
Texas is kicking butt.  Truly, the manners are like the friendliness.  It is out of this world, over the top (but in the best way), amazing the manners.  Everyone, kids included, yes ma'm and no sir"ing" at every chance.  They look at you while talking to you, they shake hands and hug and give respect to most every adult.  It really is A-MAZ-ING!

Weather:
I'll never not miss the four seasons of Pennsylvania, the buds popping forth in spring, the lush green vegetation everywhere and the height of the surrounding trees, the color show of leaves come fall and the blanket of white snow in the winter, but Texas has more beautiful, perfect, sunny days than anywhere I have lived to date.  With so few overcast days, I spend a lot of time in my backyard hammock under the trees where the breeze blows reading books.

Laid Back or Incompetent:
This will be by far the harshest, most critical thing about this post.  And I'll admit, I'm probably still a biased "Yankee", but what they say about Texans being laid back is true.  So true, so frustratingly, painstakingly, annoyingly true.  Their response time to emails or issues is like molasses being poured through a very small funnel in a Minnesota record low winter.   Unless it is important to them, they will not take the time or energy to be efficient.  I'm convinced most of them wouldn't even know how to be fast and effective, even if they wanted to.  Add to that work that is not focused or detailed oriented. The drawback of being laid back is that your attention to detail is sometimes not as acute.  Oh, how this state will make or break me in this area!

Appearances and Such:
The Texas woman is not one to be messed with when it comes to her appearance.  She will generally fall into one of two categories.  She is either a country girl or over 40 and she fits the idyllic mold of bigger hair, full face of makeup, bright lipstick, and sparkles, or she is a city girl and under 40 in which case she is beautiful, lithe, well maintained, bleach blond hair, contoured makeup and accessorized to be auditioning for the next spin off of Real Housewives of ... or Stepford Wives.  This is not a critique but an observation of 100% diligence to being made up before going out in public every time.  So imagine my neighbors' surprise when one morning while running late, I went out to the bus stop with my kids in my PJ's and a robe over top.  It was a chilly morning and the bus stop is my corner of the neighborhood.  Pennsylvania may have a bit to learn in this department as I have been witness and myself been casual to these displays of self care.  That being said, looking so put together all the time does raise a red flag or two in my book, but that's a post for another time.
 
For as much as every Northerner may think that the south, including Texas, is a bit back woods, every Southerner thinks those Yankees sure are weird.  But truly the similarities are more than the differences.  Both are filled with good people, country music, a love of nature, a desire to fish and hunt.  Both love their country and state with a fierceness unparalleled by most other states.  Family is a big part of living and both are wishing for just a little less government interference. They are filled with people who I love or will grow to love.  So here's to our new home.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Fundraisers, Fall, and Fun

November was a fast month, at least in retrospect.  It's amazing now, how when writing this in September almost a year later, how I realize I was just surviving.  We were all just surviving.  Had you asked, I would have said we were settled, but I see that now that we were spending so much time getting settled, making friends, trying to be happy in this new setting. The moments were fun, sometimes more work than to achieve than previously, but then we, Whitings, we are a resilient bunch.

Kody ran in his elementary school fundraiser - Run the Gauntlet.  I ran with him.  It was similar to Race for Education.  It's interesting to see PTO differences and similarities.
Then as we moved clearly into fall, I looked for any sign that it was actually Autumn time.  I photographed any tree changing colors, any hope of lost leaves, overcast skies, and cool weather.  This may be the hardest part of the move.  What has been a major aspect of my life and my favorite season is lost to me.  Sure the calendar says autumn, but each morning I walk out when it is overcast expecting it to be very cool, but warm up with clear blue skies in the afternoon.  Instead it is already warm and moist.  The overcast skies will burn off, but turn into uncomfortable heat even still.
Last...with Six Flag season passes, we have tons of fun going to Fright fest, inviting friends on free days, birthday parties, and trampoline parks. 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 5, 2017

More Spiritual Wisdom

  • Emotional noise drowns out the whisperings of the Spirit
  • Willing hearts, desire to believe, and trust in the Lord
  • Busier doesn't mean better
  • The Lord has invited us to become true followers of Christ
  • Obey what is right in front of us and we'll continue to get another step
  • See through clear lense vs iced over windshield
  • Simple faith - not shallow but natural and deeply abiding
  • When we come to know Jesus, our discipleship can be no less important
  • Be careful about judging the journey and faith of ourselves and others
  • Beloved discipleship - look to example in scriptures
  • Essence of true discipleship - look to examples in the scriptures
  • Essence of true discipleship comes to us as dew from heaven
  • Find joy in Jesus, Others, and Yourself
  • Be motivated by love becomes better conspirator, motivator, server, etc...
  • If we love God, keep his commandments
  • Study of doctrine will change behavior faster than the study of behavior
  • To the rescue, sacrifice, find the needs/disasters - meet the needs of others
  • Opportunities the Lord places in our path, never look at them as a burden, please see your circumstances clearly
  • Peace and happiness will be our reward when we serve
  • Remembering the Savior will improve our attitude, behavior, and service
  • Do we fill the critical need to study the Book of Mormon?