5 Years in the Lonestar State

I've been reflecting over the past few days on how we are about to "celebrate" 5 years in the Lonestar state. Five years ago this month, we purchased our first house and made Texas our "home". As I think back over these past 5 years I am reminded of how much has happened since we packed up our Uhaul and left Utah. Life has changed over these past few years, our family has grown, and we have adjusted to life in Texas. I am reminded on a semi regular basis about all the things we have missed by leaving, all the holidays, Sunday dinners, birthday parties, and all the time spent with siblings, cousins, parents, and grandparents. All the memories our kids won't make with their extended family, all the times we don't have a free babysitter, and all the times when we have been forced to suck it up and keep going even though things can be rough. But at the same time I am reminded how good life in Texas has been for us. Brian has had professional opportunities he never would have had in Utah, we have been blessed to meet new people, and make some dear friends. We've developed some of our  own traditions, spent more time with our little family than we might have if we'd stayed in Utah. Plus then there's the lack of snow and of course the Texas BBQ. True, some days I would love it if we lived near extended family, some Sundays I think it would be great if we lived close enough to actually join the family dinners rather than video chat, and some days I still wonder what the heck we were thinking by leaving, but most days I am grateful we did it. Grateful that we took a risk and left, grateful for family that supported us when we decided to venture to Texas, and just generally grateful for how life has turned out for us here. For the first year we were here I was incredibly homesick for Utah, I think I dreamt about Cafe Rio on a semi regular basis, but now Utah is just a fun place to visit. True, I still think of Dallas as home and Austin as this strange place that we live, but even that's getting a bit better as the days and months pass. Will we ever go back to Utah? Maybe, not likely at this point, but who knows what the future will hold. So in the meantime we our enjoying Texas, enjoying the food, the weather, and the time we have here.