Wow...6 months already. Exactly half a year ago Monday we spent our last glorious day on Cottesloe beach, had our sweet babysitter watch the kids one last time, and Matt and I watched our last sunset over the Indian ocean. I can't believe how the time has flown by. I'd heard so many warnings about how hard it is to repatriate and readjust to life back home that I was pretty nervous about it but honestly, we've all been so happy back in Texas that there is no doubt it was the right move for our family at just the right time. A lot of prayer goes into each move we've made and God definitely opened the right doors for us each time. Singapore was a wonderful adventure and an exciting multi-cultural experience. Perth was a laid-back, peaceful time in a beautiful country. But Texas, well, Texas is HOME. It may not always be as exciting or breathtaking, but it's where our hearts have always been. Our families are here, our roots are here, and now our children are setting roots here as well.
The best part of this last move is that it was not an assignment, it was a permanent relocation. That is a huge difference mentally. Gone are the "when we get back we'll...." or "in the next house..." and even the "for our next move we should..." It's tough as an expat to enjoy life in the moment sometimes when you're thinking ahead to when "real" life will begin again. Now we're enjoying the real life and I'm finding so much peace and satisfaction in living in our own house again, washing my own car, putting nails in the wall for things to stay, going to a church we really love. Last Saturday we got to have lunch with Grammy and Grumpy and dinner with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Amanda. Life is good.
I think a big bonus to our readjustment was settling in a new part of Houston, ironically something I was very against when the opportunity initially presented itself. We're almost an hour from our old house so we are learning all about a new community and making new friends, but we're still close enough to see old friends every once in a while. It may have been a lot harder had we gone back to our old neighborhood and tried to pick up life as we knew it four years ago since everyone's lives have gone on without us. Several families on our street have relocated from overseas or distant corners of the US so we're not alone in adjusting here.
I guess we'll always be a little different now, though. I'll want to say "air-con" forever because it's easier than air-conditioning. I still call trash cans "bins" because that's what Ben knows to call them. I have to remember at the seafood counter that it's okay to ask for "fil-lays" instead of "fil-lits" (a word I hated and usually refused to say in Australia). I still get confused occasionally about which side of the road I need to drive on or which stick controls the wipers or blinkers. Matt and I decide if we want take-away for dinner. I'm slowly resisting the urge to buy 6 cans of rotel every time I go down the aisle in the store because I remind myself I can get them anytime I need them. Our kids are learning about America's obsessive need to overdo every holiday and things like daylight savings time that they've never experienced. Boy, did Ben have a lot of questions about that! Not every 5-year old's drawings of airplanes always include inflight TV's. I'm growing more and more excited about the fact that our holidays this year won't include any marathon flights or jetlag, and we can buy freely without worrying about whether it will get back in our luggage.
It's wonderful to live life now. In the moment. And feel content. We thank God for a wonderful experience overseas and even more for a wonderful place to return home.
