Well, I miss the people too. A lot. I miss being in the gym regularly. Not that I can't go just as regularly as my heart desires here. I certainly can. But it's not the same and it's just not so fun without my friends. I DON'T like the classes here. At all. They are crazy packed and crowded and the instructors are just not fun. So that leaves me out on the treadmills and other assorted equipment, by myself...and it's really just not fun. I did find someone who likes to workout with me. But unfortunately, her life is WAY busier and crazier than mine and more often than not, it does NOT work out for her to show up. And then...there I am again...kicking around by myself and it's just not really any fun. Besides the gym friends, I miss all the others! I miss my girls night out friends who love some good Mexican and mango margaritas or Italian and endless carafs of wine and conversation. I miss my walking friends and my Starbucks buddies. I miss the afternoon "mommy playdates". I miss the phone ringing often and being so busy I hardly had time to clean my house days. I used to wish my life would slow down just a bit so I COULD get my house clean. Careful what you wish for. I have plenty of time to clean now.
I catch myself asking myself often what we are doing here in Texas. I mean...obviously Chris took a job here. And he really does like his job. And since that is...like 90% of his life...that is really important. This was a big career move for him and one that NEVER would have happened, had we stayed in Tucson. We HAD to leave. That said...I think we would both SO go back if and when the opportunity ever presented itself. I know I would. Life is so different here. The people are so different. They are nice enough. But nothing like the desert. I mean...they are VERY, very nice. But still...I'm finding it a bit tough to settle into life here. Life in general. Never mind the whole having to make all new friends. I just keep trying to figure out what people DO here. I mean...there are no mountains to hike, no amazing camping to do right around here, no real "nature" to speak of. It's just lots of little cities so close together that you can't tell where one stops and another starts. Yesterday, I was in three of them...all in a one hour period. So there ya go. Some days I may be in as many as 5 or 6...depending on what's on the calendar for that day. So really...it's just a big city feel for me. I'm having a hard time getting my brain around that. I miss the small town feel. I miss the neatness and orderliness of the desert. I miss the pop of glorious desert blooms. And I miss waking up to daylight. It is still quite dark here at nearly 7 a.m. I miss being warm. And I miss the sunshine. Have I mentioned that before? That I miss the sunshine? Sunshine just makes you feel happy. I'm just saying...
Anyway...given the chance, I would totally cut ties with the great state of Texas and boogie my butt back to the desert so fast it would make your head spin. No second thoughts. NONE. I know that my kids are in a better school system...not that I had a single beef with the kids schools back home...and I do LOVE my house. But in Arizona, while I did not love my house or rattlesnakes or scorpions...I DID love my LIFE. I LOVED my community and friends and the mountains that took my breath away each and every time I looked at them...even after 5 years. I loved the crispness of desert mornings and the cool breezes of the desert nights. I loved the carefree lawns of pebbles and the uniqueness of the desert plants. I loved that the sun was nearly....always...shining.
People...the clouds are seriously getting to me. Quite a funk I find myself in today. These days just make me sad because I dwell far too much on the place that I miss the most. Sigh.
In other news....Clara has joined the Girl Scouts of America. She is officially a Brownie and is attending her very first Brownie troop meeting today. She's crazy excited about it and could hardly sleep a wink last night. She was so cute in her little brownie t-shirt this morning as she headed out the door. I think this will be so good for her. It's something she's wanted to do in the past, but just never had time for. She's got time now! Her health continues to be good! AT the first sign of anything we give her the cat's claw tablets and it knocks it right out...every single time. Good stuff that is. I'm thankful every single day for Kyra Monroe and her offer to help my sweet Clara. Clara is also doing gymnastics and just loves it. She has such a good time flipping and cart wheeling and swinging on the bars. She's really quite good at it all! She does an amazing job on the balance beam and I can see where her three years of dance has really helped with her grace and balance. She mentioned the other day that she really REALLY wants to dance again. And so...in the fall, we will be putting her back into ballet! Hooray!
And as for the boys? Well...we are working through the grind. I'm trying to keep them focused on their grades, so that when progress reports come home here soon I won't have to wring their necks! We have taken away the t.v. and games through the week so that they have NO distractions from their studies. Perhaps it will help? Only time will tell. Progress reports come home in a couple of weeks. Other than school, they continue to enjoy air softing with their friends. They have lots of buddies here in the neighborhood, as well as on the next street over and they are always off to play some football, have airsoft wars or shoot some hoops. The move to Texas has been a very positive one for them on so many fronts.
I think that's about all of it right now. Jim and Jackie close on their house Feb. 19th. It's getting close now. The initial inspection went quite well. No major problems at all. We still have to get through appraisal and we are more than a little nervous about that one. Our realtor is afraid it could fall as much at $15,000 below the offering price. YIKES! That would certainly change plans. At that point, either the seller will have to drop the price of the home to appraised value...OR...they will have to walk away from the house. And they will be back to square one in looking again. I would be so sad for them if that happened because I know how much Jackie loves this house. And it really is such a great house! It would be hard to find one that compares like this one does. Very hard indeed! My fingers are crossed though! I'm hoping and hoping! We should know by the end of the week or early next week.
And THAT is officially all of the news here on the homefront in the great, albeit, very, VERY gray state of Texas!
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