Dallas or Bust!

I awoke at 4:30 this morning with a swarm of butterflies swirling in my stomach. Excitment...fear...anticipation of seeing my precious husband and of starting our new life.

The car has been expertly packed (thank you Adam!) and my Dad and I will start off on what is certain to be a cozy journey in t-minus thirty minutes. Coffee cake is baking in the oven and the tears have already started to flow; this part of the adventure is nothing if not bittersweet.

As I lay awake this morning I thought of all the years I spent in that very room, staring at that ceiling, drinking in the scent of jacarandas through the open window, hearing the sounds of children playing and dogs barking and parrots squaking... all the sounds of life and joy and the things that will continue after I have gone away. What treasured memories in that room, in this home, my precious parents just a room away on this lovely, tree-lined street, just moments from a wonderful church and family and a community of people who have known and loved me my whole life.

My job wrapped up yesterday afternoon in another bittersweet ending.... I was saddened to leave my surrogate work family and the dear friends that I have made there, as well as the career niche I have carved for myself over four years of hard work and determination. But I was excited, too, for the opportunities that lay ahead and the new adventures that await. We had a fun, albeit somewhat somber, lunch at Izzy's Deli. The butterflies had just arrived and competed with my reuben for real estate in my tummy. The afternoon barrelled forward until 4pm came as a shock, when I bid my Blind family farewell and journeyed home one last time. For now. I am certain that journeys home will become regular occurrances.

Last night we had a wonderful family meal, little Ethan humming his contentment, and me holding back my tears. As Erin and Adam pulled away at the end of a rich evening I sincerely regretted my decision to leave for the first time. The regret was fleeting, but the sadness remains in not getting to live this part of our lives together; of the necessity of taking this journey apart from them. Who knows what is in store for the coming years, but the family goodbyes are a tough pill to swallow.

Time for breakfast.... tonight we lay our heads in Albuquerque, and Dallas awaits!