From Harvey to Home
If I am being honest, when my husband I first began to talk about moving to Texas I was all for it. I had been living in Colorado for 12 years and I thought that adventure would be fun and exciting. The Colorado scene had become so normal, that I could look at the mountains without feeling much awe.
It didn't take long though before I began to realize just how much I was going to miss home. Yes, there has been much adventure, but I didn't think about the other feelings that came with moving too. They say moving is the third most stressful life change you can experience third only to death and divorce. I believe it. Upon moving, I was severely homesick and I felt like my mind was out of control because even the smallest memory or thought of Colorado made me sad.
The first time I had the chance to visit Colorado again, I cried the whole train ride into Denver (happy tears). It felt right to be back and reunited with my best friends. As we drove through downtown and into the mountains, I wondered how I could have ever been so complacent about where I lived. If moving had done anything, It had given me perspective on nature and beauty again. I truly understood why Colorado is "God's Country." The trip was brief, but by the end I felt renewed and ready to take on Texas one more time. I was ready to begin the countdown once again for when I would be heading back.
Enter Hurricane Harvey.
I swear he came out of nowhere but I probably was just not paying attention. One day I was making dinner when I overheard my father-in-law mention a tropical storm that could turn into a hurricane was heading towards Houston. I really didn't think anything of it. It only became very real when I went to the store to stock up and realized the shelves were nearly empty. This storm wasn't a joke after all.
While our area of The Woodlands didn't take the beating like Houston did, we did have a significant amount of flooding in the neighborhoods around us. Our house did not flood, but we could drive a mile in any direction and find more water than we should have. Work and all activities were cancelled and all we had the opportunity to do was sit inside.
After three days of being trapped inside, my husband and I were suffering from severe cabin fever. That's when we got the brilliant idea to drive to Dallas and catch a plane to Denver. It was either the most brilliant plan or one of the most idiotic. Within an hour of making the decision, we had packed backpacks with clothes, stocked water and food into the car, and found the one way out that wasn't totally underwater.
4.5 hours, 5 water crossings, and one Wendy's stop later, we had made it to Dallas (technically Rockwall) where we stayed with the brother of a friend from back home. It was such a relief to not be worried about the weather and we truly did marvel at the sun shining down. Not to mention the fact that Greg and his wife were the most incredible hosts, making us feel right at home.
Sitting over breakfast at the Book Club Café the next morning, we made a to-do list of everything that we wanted to accomplish on our trip. This may seem like a meaningless aside, but the fact of the matter is that we were content. We were eating good food, drinking excellent coffee, not worried about the storm, and actually going home.
The first thing Andrew and I thought when we made it downtown in Denver was how wonderful the weather was. It was actually cool outside and enjoyable. Also, much like my initial trip back, it was as if we were seeing everything for the first time. If you've ever heard the song "Fresh Eyes" by Andy Grammer, it was like that only substitute the person he's singing about for a city. Even the bad parts didn't seem so bad because it was familiar.
We spent the week enjoying the company of our closest friends and family, reminiscing at some of our favorite places, enjoying mountain air, running on the trails we always used to, and cheering on the next generation of runners from our university (including my brother). I have heard people use the expression "my heart is so full" and I feel like for the first time I really understood that. My heart was full and I was content, but it wasn't a fleeting contentment, it was one that even after we flew back I could feel. I thought about why for the longest time and came to the conclusion that if the trip had done nothing, it showed me that the people and places I cared about hadn't totally left me behind. One of my greatest fears leaving was that I would lose everything that I had built, namely the relationships. I was afraid to settle in Texas because in my mind settling meant that I was giving up on Colorado. When I realized that no one had forgotten though, I was assured that life may change, but the people that care will stick around regardless.
Almost 2 months into moving, I can say that I am improving slowly but surely. I have learned to find what I love about where I am now, I am learning the roads, and it is slowly becoming familiar and I am in fact settling. Do I still miss home? Oh yes. Colorado will always be home and those mountains will always be calling, but I am taking control of my life and owning my responsibility to "grow where I am planted" in this season of life.
It didn't take long though before I began to realize just how much I was going to miss home. Yes, there has been much adventure, but I didn't think about the other feelings that came with moving too. They say moving is the third most stressful life change you can experience third only to death and divorce. I believe it. Upon moving, I was severely homesick and I felt like my mind was out of control because even the smallest memory or thought of Colorado made me sad.
The first time I had the chance to visit Colorado again, I cried the whole train ride into Denver (happy tears). It felt right to be back and reunited with my best friends. As we drove through downtown and into the mountains, I wondered how I could have ever been so complacent about where I lived. If moving had done anything, It had given me perspective on nature and beauty again. I truly understood why Colorado is "God's Country." The trip was brief, but by the end I felt renewed and ready to take on Texas one more time. I was ready to begin the countdown once again for when I would be heading back.
Enter Hurricane Harvey.
I swear he came out of nowhere but I probably was just not paying attention. One day I was making dinner when I overheard my father-in-law mention a tropical storm that could turn into a hurricane was heading towards Houston. I really didn't think anything of it. It only became very real when I went to the store to stock up and realized the shelves were nearly empty. This storm wasn't a joke after all.
While our area of The Woodlands didn't take the beating like Houston did, we did have a significant amount of flooding in the neighborhoods around us. Our house did not flood, but we could drive a mile in any direction and find more water than we should have. Work and all activities were cancelled and all we had the opportunity to do was sit inside.
After three days of being trapped inside, my husband and I were suffering from severe cabin fever. That's when we got the brilliant idea to drive to Dallas and catch a plane to Denver. It was either the most brilliant plan or one of the most idiotic. Within an hour of making the decision, we had packed backpacks with clothes, stocked water and food into the car, and found the one way out that wasn't totally underwater.
4.5 hours, 5 water crossings, and one Wendy's stop later, we had made it to Dallas (technically Rockwall) where we stayed with the brother of a friend from back home. It was such a relief to not be worried about the weather and we truly did marvel at the sun shining down. Not to mention the fact that Greg and his wife were the most incredible hosts, making us feel right at home.
Sitting over breakfast at the Book Club Café the next morning, we made a to-do list of everything that we wanted to accomplish on our trip. This may seem like a meaningless aside, but the fact of the matter is that we were content. We were eating good food, drinking excellent coffee, not worried about the storm, and actually going home.
The first thing Andrew and I thought when we made it downtown in Denver was how wonderful the weather was. It was actually cool outside and enjoyable. Also, much like my initial trip back, it was as if we were seeing everything for the first time. If you've ever heard the song "Fresh Eyes" by Andy Grammer, it was like that only substitute the person he's singing about for a city. Even the bad parts didn't seem so bad because it was familiar.
We spent the week enjoying the company of our closest friends and family, reminiscing at some of our favorite places, enjoying mountain air, running on the trails we always used to, and cheering on the next generation of runners from our university (including my brother). I have heard people use the expression "my heart is so full" and I feel like for the first time I really understood that. My heart was full and I was content, but it wasn't a fleeting contentment, it was one that even after we flew back I could feel. I thought about why for the longest time and came to the conclusion that if the trip had done nothing, it showed me that the people and places I cared about hadn't totally left me behind. One of my greatest fears leaving was that I would lose everything that I had built, namely the relationships. I was afraid to settle in Texas because in my mind settling meant that I was giving up on Colorado. When I realized that no one had forgotten though, I was assured that life may change, but the people that care will stick around regardless.
Almost 2 months into moving, I can say that I am improving slowly but surely. I have learned to find what I love about where I am now, I am learning the roads, and it is slowly becoming familiar and I am in fact settling. Do I still miss home? Oh yes. Colorado will always be home and those mountains will always be calling, but I am taking control of my life and owning my responsibility to "grow where I am planted" in this season of life.
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