Embassy Shift

 

We switched coasts. I wasn’t able to write about it at the time. We all had a hard time putting our own feelings into words. As we rolled South down the freeway, our minivan was unusually silent for an hour. We were all looking out the windows and crying. We just sat in our own sadness, thinking about people, admiring the familiar coastal landscape. Saying goodbye to California.

I knew we were moving for months before hand. My wonderful husband left California to go and work in DC at the beginning of 2019. He was very focused on shifting his work base to the east coast. I acknowledged his plans and simultaneously waited for them to change. I agreed with him that our living costs were out of control and his work opportunities in the area had stagnated. But I was comfortable with my rhythm.

California had a lot of contradictions for us as a family. While delighted with our children’s school and educational opportunities, we were dismayed by the over scheduled lives of their peer group and the pressures that children were under to be well accomplished at the expense of family time and creativity. While enjoying the best friend group I’d ever experienced in my life, I was often dismayed by the societal stigma of being a stay at home mom. During my time in California I actually had people say “You don’t work, so what do you do?” and “You should help your family. Go get a job.”

California is a beautiful place, full of interesting and lovely people. I’m glad I lived there. I’m glad my children view California culture as part of who they are. I’m grateful for the church community, and neighbors, and dear friends who made our lives full and meaningful.

It took all summer long to sort out the logistics of where to live and how to get there. While the kids and I spent the summer in Texas, the husband continued to work in Washington DC and it was my job to pick a house. I visited the area and toured a whole bunch of places. He actually found it online. It was the last one I toured, after settling on a different one. But by the time I was done looking, the realtor said if I didn’t move in, she was planning to. It’s a pretty cute house.

We had a long list of qualifications that we wanted in our new location. The fact that we didn’t completely agree on our list is what made our stay in Texas last so long. One of the things we did agree on was that we wanted space to reopen our embassy. In fact, for a few years now, we’ve held onto the idea of becoming a foster family. It’s our hope that our little embassy will welcome strangers that become family. Life is full of uncertainty. Nope, we don’t know how this will work out, but it’s the direction we’re headed in right now and I thought I’d invite you along for the ride.