It's been too long since I have updated this blog. I guess that is a good thing as it means I have been busy settling into life here in Prosper.

Here's some highlights for us over the last three months:

• Our first visitors - in May and June we had our first guests. It was so nice to have the space to host them. In May we had some long time friends in ministry come and stay, then in June we had one of our close friends from Orlando come visit and in the midst of his visit and unexpected joy to welcome my dad's youngest sister, Marie and her husband into our home. The first time I have hosted them in my life so that was pretty cool!
• Our guest suite -  mostly complete as far as furniture and decor is concerned. Always small things to do, but in general it is looking so good. I love my Americana theme and the cute things I have found so far.
  
• Found a church - this was a biggie! We were struggling a bit to find something that fit us and that we both felt we could thrive. We have been attending what was known as Watermark Frisco, but it is merging with a much smaller church and becoming a completely new entity. It will be great to be in a church that has its own facilities. It's been a lot of schools for us over the last 20 years or so.
• Friends - we've made some friends. One of our co-workers, Brett, introduced us to his in-laws and we have really connected well with them. They are so friendly and have made us feel very welcome. We went to an incredible flea market in a town called Canton - I believe they are the largest markets in the world. Anyway, super fun to go with them and also to feel that we have some people we know outside of our street. :)
• Work - both of us are really enjoying our work and the people we work with. I keep so busy with all of the different entities I work with and Bryce has been very focused on getting his group of responsibilities all sorted out and organised. 
• Weekend Drives -  we've been enjoying getting out and about in the area. We've driven through the areas just north of us and a bit north-west. Lots of small towns and interesting things to see.
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• 4th of July - we had a great time this past 4th of July weekend. On the 3rd we went to a small town called Weston and enjoyed a small town Independence Day parade = cars, horses, trucks and more. Super fun!! Then on the 4th we went to my cousin's house about 40 minutes from us and enjoyed a hot afternoon with them all. It was a great weekend!!
  
  

Gosh, after the initial flurry of writing as I processed all that had happened in early February, I have become very slack in updating on life. In some ways I feel that it is all pretty boring as life is already settling into a routine, just a slow, predictable one.

After all the snow had melted, Bryce and I were able to get out and about a bit and we decided to focus on getting some furniture for our house. We were so thankful for the table Mom and Dad left behind for us as that has provided somewhere to eat and sit. 

When we decided that we were going to move to the USA, I asked Bryce if we could buy furniture instead of schlepping our old beat up stuff all the way to America. He agreed and so began the Great Furniture Hunt 2021!!

Our friends told us to go to Nebraska Furniture Mart so we thought, why not? Off we toddled not even understanding what we were walking into. We arrived at this huge building on a beautiful sunny day. Armed with our masks (always an ugh!) we walked in the doors and stopped.........it was HUGE, GINORMOUS....not enough superlatives. I had no clue what a huge store it was.

The entrance to Nebraska Furniture Mart

I am so excited about these choices and though we won\"t be getting our couches until at least June, we are feeling like things are coming together. 

The couch is pictured here, but we are getting a different color hence the long wait.

The rug has definitely helped the living room feel more defined and comfy....still no furniture, but that\"s ok. We have a rug!!!

I found this picture at a beautiful home decor store called Kirkland\"s. I am obsessed with it for so many reasons. The colours, the flowers, the French-ness. AAAAHHH!!! Tres magnifique!

When we learned that we weren't going to be living in Seattle, but rather North Dallas, my first thought was oh good it will be sunny there and my second was, aaaaahhhh, no snow!! Well, God has a sense of humour and gave me what I wished for....in Texas! Now evidently it does not snow very much in Texas especially not further south, but 2021 is continuing where 2020 left off and is making history.

The first we really knew of what was coming was waking up on Thursday, Feb 12th to find the roads were all icy. Now, we had to be down in Plano (about a half hour drive south) for a work event and our borrowed car isn't All-Wheel drive. We really were dubious about our ability to get there, but off we went. It was an adventure for sure and very cold. Learning to pick your way through icy parking lots and paths was a real skill. It was kind of nerve-wracking as all I could see in my head was me tumbling to the ground in a big heap.

The weekend came and we went out to the mall and to a cafe with some friends - The Aussie Grind. It is very reminiscent of a cafe in New Zealand which was fun. It was good to finally get out and drive around getting our bearings. It was nice to find a mall as most of the shopping is in outdoor malls/strip malls. I was missing good ol'' Glenfield mall.

Yankee Candle was our reason for being at the mall - it was so nice to be in the beautiful smelling store with all the gorgeous colours. Aaaahh!! My happy place. We then grabbed a bite to eat at Panda Express, another fave. Michael was jealous as he LOVES Panda Express (Chinese food). 

On Sunday we got the first snow - the funny part was we were still in bed when our boss and his family popped in to say hi. It was definitely a reasonable time to visit....we just were being lazy that day. A quick scramble into clothes and then we looked outside and saw the most beautiful sight - the world had gone white! It was just amazing to us....and freezing. That was what made this particular snow historic - it was so cold. We got to -18 C which is about -4 deg F. The downside of the freezing weather is the pipes and hot water freeze. Bryce was outside with our neighbour trying to defrost our hot water pipe, but to no avail. No showers for us and Bryce said it was so cold that his head started aching. 

Tuesday came and the snow started melting and then we got more on Wednesday. Finally the roads were clear by Thursday and we escaped the house, along with everyone else. We ended up getting our dinner at the grocery store as the restaurants were all packed out. 

We were very fortunate compared to so many in Texas. Being that our house was new it had been built with pipes that flex with the freeze so we didn't end up with leaks or burst pipes. We also didn't lose power at all. That was a real miracle as so many people did. What a welcome to Texas though!!! We'll never forget the Snowpocalypse of 2021.

Till next time!

Chris, our boss, was in meetings all week so we were on our own to explore a bit. It wasn't too cold yet so we went out to the closest shopping centre to grab some lunch. The strange thing being in the USA right now is that they are still in the grip of Covid protocols - we had to mask to go into any store, there was no seating in Panera that day, and social distancing, of course. We are keen to obey the rules to keep ourselves as safe as possible. We have been so lucky to live in NZ where Covid is not a part of our daily lives as much as it is here.

After a tour through the main Prosper area, we headed home to unpack and get ready for Salmon Monday at the Heaslip house. One of their sons is on the spectrum so routine is important. Each night has its own dinner, so Mondays is salmon, mashed potatoes and green beans. I have never been a fan of salmon - too rich, too fishy etc - BUT this Costco salmon is something completely different. It has a delicious pesto sauce and is not fishy or too rich. Who knew!!!

The next day we decided to head to Costco itself - duh dun dah!!! The mecca of all things mega. Unfortunately the food court seating area was closed which I sort of expected, but thought maybe social distancing, but no.....completely closed. We could still buy food. We bought a piece of pizza and a hot dog and a drink and ended up eating very quickly standing by the rubbish (trash) bin. Not the most elegant lunch ever, but Costco awaited.

We ended up getting two large purchases that day - the first was a Roomba (robot vacuum cleaner (more on that another time) ) and the second was Cutco knives for Valentines Day. Bryce gave me the completed set which was awesome! I loved watching those amazing knives work. Can't wait to cook with them......wait did I just say that!!!

Dinner was at the Heaslip's again. It was Yellow Pasta Tuesday. Another yummy dinner, then we headed home and to bed.....it had been a fun and exhausting day.

Wednesday we ended up staying home and got a bit more settled with and got some work done too. We also had two visits - the first one was from the company who built our house. They came and walked through and marked any flaws whether it be in the paint or in the way a door opened. Fortunately, not too many of those, but enough. The next day we then had the technology people come. They were the ones who had installed all the wiring for audio visual. We have nothing to plug in yet, but we are getting there.

Thursday - the ice hit! That was exciting and scary as we had to drive down to the Leadr office in Plano for meetings. It was so good to meet people in person and to feel a part of what is going on there. It was a fun day and then we had a great dinner out with a colleague at Chilis. Lots of highs despite the ice.

Friday was a work day at the office which is actually just next door so no driving is required. We had a productive and fun day culminating in an amazing steak dinner at a cool restaurant in Frisco. The end of our first week!!

I better stop here as there is just too much to share in one post!! Talk to you all soon.

Bye, ya'"ll

Thought I would restart my blog so I can keep people updated on life in Texas. Wanted to change the name, but nothing grabbed me - any suggestions?

Anyway, as I said this is going to be my place to fill in the people I know and love about what's going on in this new adventures we're on.

Deep breath.......here we go!

Sunday, February 7th started like any other day.......until it wasn't. Before I knew it my bed was stripped and starting its journey downstairs to become Michael's bed. I had done the majority of my packing so it was a fairly relaxing day. 5pm came and off we all went to the airport - so thankful that Laura and Zac were able to come up for the weekend to say goodbye. 

The first shock was how empty Auckland airport was - just the weirdest thing ever. The second shock was that none of the food places were open apart from one which was large enough for the bunch of friends who came out to say goodbye. Definitely felt very loved. We kept trying not to think about what was coming, but before we knew it, it was time to start the goodbyes. First, our super special friends and colleagues - gut wrenching goodbye. Tried to not fall apart too much (don't think I was very successful). Then the goodbyes kept coming. Finally we had a special time with just our family including my parents. The tears really started then. As we walked over to the departure gate I was just dreading the pain of parting from my kids - it was as awful as I thought it would be. I was a real mess as I kept saying "do we have to go?" Last hugs were done and then we walked away through the empty departure area with tears rolling down my face. I didn't stop crying until we go to the gate. Hardest thing I have had to do is leave my beautiful kids and family even though I know they are settled, happy, healthy and in a good place. 

Air New Zealand is just the best airline. I am so proud of their work in this annoying and awkward time. We had great seats and great service which did help a lot. Having said that as the plane left the ground of New Zealand, I sobbed, actually sobbed, not just tears. Finally, I pulled myself together and managed to get through the 12 hour flight while masked. Not fun, but we did it. 

The next hurdle to overcome was getting Bryce into America. We knew he had all the paperwork done, but you never know until you get there and stare the immigration official in the eyes. Fortunately that all went fine and he was in. The three year journey had ended at LAX. We had to trudge to the American Airlines check in, but that went ok too. Through security - not much social distancing there and Bryce had is Swiss Army knife taken off of him there. NZ let it through, but not LA. The three hour flight to Dallas felt longer than the NZ flight - it was so crowded and hot. Ugh!! American Airlines is not my favourite to say the least.

We landed in Dallas at 9:30pm and our Texas adventure began!

Chris, our boss and friend, was at the airport to pick us up which was great and we began the drive to our new home in Prosper. It was exciting and scary at the same time. What if I hated the house? 

Fortunately, I didn't!!

We looked around and then made the bed and hit the hay. The shower was amazing after 24 hours of travelling. It felt pretty surreal to be in Texas, but exciting too.

Till next time!