Mommy's Little Man

I always told myself that I would never move out of the State of California. I was born and raised in California, I knew nothing else. I loved the beach, the mountains and the weather. My mom was there, my friends were there, my work was there. That was my life.

In April of 2006 Chris and I decided to take a trip to Texas because the house prices in California got so out of control that we "had to do something" with the impending arrival of Danielle. Eileen (Mom) stayed home with Brett and picked up Andrew from school everyday. We could not possibly ask her to take care of another grandchild - although I am sure she would have gladly done so. We had been renting a house for three years and it was only suppose to be for one - we were waiting for those prices to drop and they never did!

We arrived in Texas on a sunny June 100 degree day. It was beautiful. The wind was blowing and it was nice and warm. We were here to see if someday Texas would be a place we could call home. We wanted to check out the areas and houses and see if it was a match for our future. We came with the intention to "look".

We met with our realtor, Orlando at our hotel the day we arrived and he took us to several places and homes in Frisco. We were stunned to find that the huge backyard we had envisioned with space for a pool and lots of room for the kids to play was not an easy task. The yards were so little everywhere we looked until we found a house that we loved, with the perfect backyard - one problem it was already owned! Orlando mentioned several times that he wanted to bring us to McKinney. He said we would love it. It had lots of new, young families - perfect for what we were looking for. I looked at Orlando and said "Find us this house on this size lot, that's not taken and we'll talk."

That evening Orlando called us and said "I found a lot. I will meet you at the hotel lobby at 10:00 a.m. and take you to it." It was perfect. A third of an acre, where the house we wanted would fit nicely on it and it had enough room for a pool and lots of play area. The next thing I knew, a deposit was made and Chris and I spent the entire day picking out all the upgrades we wanted - the laminate floors, the double sink, the single shower and tub, the types of doors, the patios, the stoves, the carpet, the padding, the brick. It was so overwhelming. When Jerry came at me with the color of the grout for the tile in the bathrooms, I honestly did not care at that point. I said "pick what you like." I was exhausted.

Chris and I went to Stonebriar Mall and ate dinner at the food court. I was floored by how big that mall was. (Needless to say the malls in California are nothing compared to here.) Chris and I sat down and I burst out into tears. He asked me what was the matter and I said "I can't believe I am going to go home and tell my mom we are moving to Texas." It was really a heartbreaking thing to do. My mom is my life line, my best friend.

With mom's love and support, six months later we moved to Texas. I myself was scared to death. I would know no one and I had no idea if I was making the right move or if I would be wanting to go back to California in a month. Danielle was 3 months old, Brett was 2.5 and Andrew was 6. I was now official a stay at home mom relying solely on my husband's income. A totally new concept for us.

It wasn't until bunco started that I really got to know my neighbors and found that I was so blessed. You see, in my neighborhood, NO ONE judges anyone. There is no "keeping up with the Jones'". There is no talking behind someones back when they walk out the door. People leave groceries on their neighbor's doorstep when they know that times are tough. We watch each other kids. We vent to each other about life. We go to movies. We go to coffee. We play bunco. We meet at the park. We gather outside of people's home when tragedy strikes and are eager to help with ANYTHING. They sing Christmas carols on Christmas Day. These are women that I am so proud to call my "hood girls".

I am so grateful that Orlando brought us to McKinney, that he brought us to this neighborhood. Out of all the neighborhoods in McKinney, we got this one.

About six of my "hood girls" came over this morning and helped me put together Brett's Celebration invitations, stuff the envelopes and write the names of those invited. By myself this would have taken hours, with their help it was about 45 minutes. How awesome is that?

I can say, that without a doubt that "someday" is here. Texas is home. Maybe one day Texas will be home for mom and Paul.

Tonight I leave you with this: Follow your heart, you just never know when your "someday" will be.