Lone Star Canucks

Things are starting to come together! 

I love Texas. I have reconnected with my drawl. I embrace redneck influence. I suddenly need a cast-iron skillet. 

Now, not everything is perfect this side of eternity. For instance the day the truck unloaded and the doors were opened for most of the day, a big 'ole bug made it's home (or maybe got stuck in a web?) in the peak of the ceiling. It honestly looked like a baby bat. It made me a bit uneasy to look up at that thing and wonder how long it was going to stay there. About 48 hours into it I looking up and it was gone. That was also quite concerning. Sure enough it had dropped and was found dead on the living room floor. At least it wasn't on my head. 

Also along the topic of bugs, etc would be fire ants. I have vivid memories of a previous encounter with fire ants back when I was a kid living in a suburb of Ft. Worth with my parents. So this has been on my mind and a real concern on our current property. Let's spray the crap out of those suckers. Let's just pour gasoline over their homes and light them up. They are the enemy. Until...

Wayne tells me that his conversation with Danny, the previous owner, suggested that we not treat the fire ants because they keep the chiggers and the snakes away. 

I'm sorry, ........ come again? 

First of all, chiggers. You may not be familiar with these in the north but they like to live in tall grass in the south. I am allergic to them. I remember my family traveling back to the midwest when we were kids. We stopped in Oklahoma to pick blueberries because my mom thought it would be a fun childhood memory. Until I got chiggers and blew up like the blimp while I scratched myself until bloody. Not cool.

Then there's the whole snake thing. I can't even. 

Will kept traipsing through the lawn and I kept warning him of fire ants. He claimed it was just an urban legend. Until he came in with a spring in his step and not the good kind! Then he told me how he had seen a snake in the landscaping. But don't worry, Mom, it was a baby. It was cute. Baby snakes turn into adult snakes, son, and we have a machete for that!!!!! 

Which leads me to why we now own a machete. 

Wayne and I were going for a walk in our subdivision one evening. We had some pertinent questions for the locals such as, what kind of lawn mower is good for the size of these substantial lawns? What do they do for TV out in the country? What the heck is with the wifi? Having already experienced the friendly nature of the locals, we thought we'd knock on some doors and ask these questions. 

We had knocked on about 4 doors and come up empty, despite the fact that it looked like someone was home - garage doors open, cars out, etc. We were striking out but seriously impressed by the obvious safety of the area since no one seemed too concerned about locking stuff up when not around. We were going to give up when we gave one more house a try. Bingo! They answered the door.

We walked in on a little neighborhood shindig. They welcomed us in, poured us wine and treated us to Texan hospitality! It was here that we had our greatest take away - get a machete. You know, for the poisonous snakes and stuff. Good to know. We'll be adding that to the Walmart list.

Wayne's new riding lawn mower

Don't get me wrong - our property is beautiful! We have a lake view. Groups of deer wander the subdivision. Hummingbirds wander in among the landscaping. It really is idyllic. Except for the fire ants, chiggers, snakes, skunks, and armadillos. Haven't I mentioned the armadillos?

First let me mention the landscaping. It's amazing!!! It circles the perimeter of our home. It makes use of all that is native to this area of the country. There's even a fenced area farther down the property that grows roses, blackberries, and I don't even know. But if you know me at all, you are laughing your butt off right now. Rachel ain't got a green thumb. 

I'm in trouble. It's not that I'm not up for learning but I am way out of my league and have no one to help me. So for now I'm trying to keep up with the weeding which is enough by itself. 

Which brings me to the armadillo. I was out weeding the landscaping when I noticed the wood chips messed in places. Then I noticed a big hole had been dug. That's when I called Wayne.  When I looked up from the kitchen window and saw my guys with a .22, a machete, and a shovel I thought,  "Shoot. We in Texas, folks!" 

No armadillo has been harmed. Do not private message me. And yes, Wayne and I are going to take shooting lessons. When in Rome....

And while in Ottawa I was paying for the luxury of a retail establishment providing me with a plastic bag to hold my purchases, I now have so many FREE plastic bags that I have had to throw some out. Land of the Free, baby. 

Remember how in Ottawa they only picked up our trash every other week? So that when you missed a week if you were out of town or something you had your garbage for a month? Remember maggots? Here we don't have trash day. We got ourselves a neighborhood burn pile, people! We also have 24/7 access to the big dumpster so that every day can be trash day. It's a beautiful thing. 

What really strikes me about this area of Texas is how much it reminds me of the midwest except without winter. The terrain, the lakes, the trees are all reminiscent of the midwest. We had some members who live on the lake invite us over for dinner and jet skis. The temperature of the water was like a bath! Looking around we could have been in Wisconsin! 

I am also throughly enjoying Amazon Prime. I've been paying for it for four years to make sending stuff to Will easier. Now I can finally use it for myself. Sweet.

Our wifi stinks. We really are out in the country. But seriously, have we not reached high speed internet to everywhere by now? Apparently not. So much for Longmire and The Crown. I'll never know what happened. 

We have no cable television. We could get satellite. Until then we keep watching episodes of King of the Hill on DVD . Which explains why we keep ending all of our sentences with I tell you what. 

I have dragged my family in to Target and Hobby Lobby I don't know how many times in the last month just because I can. I don't have to tally my total for the border, worry about duty, or packing it all in the vehicle with our luggage. Somebody pinch me! 

I've never been much of an ice person. I usually prefer my water at room temperature. But when it's over 100 degrees, a woman needs some ice, I tell you what. 

This is all the superficial stuff for the most part. Our real reason to be here hasn't really started yet. We're getting to know our new church family and have been welcomed with opened arms. It's a great feeling! We were brought into membership a few weeks ago and Wayne will be installed on August 26th. 

Meeting up with the Texas cousins! 

Our surroundings, culture and country may be different but being together as a family, our mission and purpose, and the love of God remains constant. 

Head 'em Up and Move 'em Out

Well. We were ready for a change and boy did we get one - I tell you what. 

Before I get to Texas I need to reflect upon the last week or two before the big move. For closures sake. And while July may be a distant memory for you, it seems like last week to me.

Our farewell party at Divine Word - cakes, food, and a beautiful painting of Ottawa

They look like cousins but were our original neighbors and like family! 

Our China travel group girls

A Texas themed going away party

Wayne ditched me. Not really, but he had a good reason for leaving. He and Will flew to Calgary to get a car from Grandma for Will. Will had been dreaming of this moment for years and the time had finally come so he was flying high. Wayne was able to enjoy a few days with his mom before leaving the country for awhile. They had some good bonding time especially as they drove from Calgary out to my parents house in northern WI where we met up with them. 

Meanwhile I made plans. Dinner plans, lunch plans, social plans, tea party plans. I figured if I had to say goodbye to these wonderful people in my life we better have fun before doing it. 

Dinner on the deck with friends

Tea at Chateau Laurier with Oma and our dear friends, Evelyn and Mary

Finished her sewing project with Aunt Karen!! 

My parents also arrived to accompany us on this move since we were down two guys. I may be in my forties now but good land ... I still need my mom and dad. They've moved so many times in their lives that they could move blindfolded. Maybe not, but they definitely bring some experience to the table. And emotional support. There's that too. 

I won't get into all the ducks that had to be in a row for this move but there were many ducks.  Immigration, finances and changing currencies, importing our vehicles, selling a house and buying another, and all the paperwork that had to be collected ahead of time not to mention the regular parts of moving. Anything could go wrong at anytime. Just one piece of missing paperwork, one government employee having a bad day, something falling through the cracks ... we tried not to dwell on this but used our energy to pray instead. It was hard. 

Long story short: we made it to the other side. Our house was sold and a cute family moved in. We bought a house in Texas and Wayne was able to get to know them a bit and help them move out while collecting needful info about our new place. Wayne and Will crossed the border with his "new" car. My car, Wayne's car and mom and dad's truck with trailer crossed the border and we had the nicest people.  They were friendly, efficient, and properly completed their part of the paperwork needed to import our vehicles. Keep in mind - this is a government agency. Miracles happen, people! 

The drive from Ottawa to Texas was LONG. We had the two days it takes to get to my mom and dad's in northern Wisconsin. Meanwhile Wayne and Will were driving there too but from Calgary. We met up on Wayne's birthday happy to reunite after almost two weeks apart. As luck would have it, his birthday was on a Friday so you know what that means in Wisconsin .... fish fry! Unfortunately he had to leave for Texas the next day to make it down for the closing of the house date. The kids and I took the weekend to recuperate and enjoy a short reprieve before heading on. I hadn't realized how tired I had become over the previous few weeks and I slept a lot during those two days. 

We left early Monday morning with Zan and me in the Explorer and Will following in his car. We made it to our new home Tuesday night and the moving van had already arrived, unloaded and left. We arrived to a sea of boxes and 105 degree temperatures outside. The kids were excited to see our new place, move into their new rooms, and we were all excited to finally be reunited again! 

Zanna colour coordinated the boxes with rooms. The Spanish speaking guys on this side of the move really appreciated it! 

Time to settle in. 

Taking our kid to college

This has obviously been a whirlwind summer and a lot has been happening. Include taking our firstborn to college and we're all a bit shell shocked. But it's been exciting too and we're excited for Will to start this new time in his life!

 Will is attending Martin Luther College in Minnesota. He'll be studying for the pastoral ministry. His time at MLC will be working toward a double major of theology and ancient languages. He'll be busy! 

As usual, my parents are rockstars! They had graciously taken all of Will's stuff from Prep up to their place for the summer so we wouldn't have to haul it all to Ottawa, move it to Texas, and then back up to Minnesota. So they met us in Minnesota with their truck and trailer full of Will's stuff. This is after they drove all the way to Ottawa earlier in the summer and helped us move. But that's another post!

 We are so thankful to have brought him to a school that has Scripture around every corner. He will continue to get an amazing education rooted in the wisdom of God. What an opportunity!

Wayne and I enjoyed reconnecting with some other parents dropping their kids off too. We also got a chance to see some friends that live in the area. We've said goodbye to a lot of people this summer but we've also reconnected with friends from the past. 

It had been 20 years since I was last on campus. Wayne had graduated in the spring of 1998 and we married that summer. Who would have imagined we'd be dropping our son off 20 years later in the fall? 

It was the first time I had seen the new campus chapel for myself. It was amazing! 

Below is Will and his roommate. 

We made the most out of our trip and visited the local brewery with some friends. Zanna had root beer - haha!

While almost everything in our transition has been going incredibly well, we've been struggling with decent wifi out where we live. We seriously live in the country and we don't even have enough "juice" to stream shows or movies. I don't see it improving anytime soon so keeping my blog updated may be a real struggle. I may have to run into town to the library sometimes - we'll have to see. I obviously have a lot of updating to do and pictures to share. I'm writing this from our hotel room in Minnesota! 

Thank you all for your prayers:)