a new chapter

Yesterday, the wind blew in. Just as I was thinking fall really didn't feel much different in Minnesota than in California. Except for the fall colors, of course. But the wind came. And the clouds came. And the cool air came.

This morning, I flipped on our front porch light in anticipation and I was not let down. This morning, I watched snow flurries flutter to the ground, melting upon contact. And then I was reminded... I am not in California any more.

And while the weather is one clear marker in this huge change we've made in our lives, there are so many other larger changes. We left our friends. My family. Our support system. We put faith in the notion that all those that are important to us in California will still be there, just a little further away.

We uprooted our family from the things we've known and were comfortable with to move to a place we really don't know, but believe that we can do better for our family there.

I've stretched my comfort levels and reached out to new people in hopes of making new friends. Longing for adult conversations and other children for my kids to play with. When that introverted person started to crop up, I pushed through into the uncomfortable to do this.

And our efforts have paid off...

Not only have I met some very nice women with kids Hadley's age that I get along with, we have in fact already started doing better for our family. Financially, things are much easier. We have a home that is our home. A place where our kids can grow up. Meet friends. Attend school.

So, in essence, those snow flurries this morning remind me that we have in fact turned into a new phase of life. A much more grounded phase. Stable phase.

It's the time of our lives...