We're Moving to Texas?

Last summer, we planned to build an addition onto our home. Though our nuclear family isn't growing (which makes me sad), our extended family is and we wanted to have a place that is comfortable when all the kids and grandkids come home to visit. We put together plans, got bids, and even had the financing ready to sign.

Then we got nervous. The election was looming and were were worried that if President Obama were re-elected he'd continue with his plan to close coal-fired power plants. We decided to wait it out and when he won, we put our plans on hold indefinitely.

In December, the company my husband works for announced they would be pulling out of the area because the coal-fired power plants would be shutting down, hopefully only partially, but enough that it is no longer profitable for the company. We learned that in 3 years, the company for which my husband has worked for 24 years, will no longer be in the area.

We had decisions to make. Can he find another job in this area? What about his retirement? Our healthcare? Should we move? Can we leave family and friends? How would our kids react to moving? What other options do we have?

We have a great life in Colorado. We've worked hard for 19 years on our home and property. We were in the midst of changing over to solar power. We have animals. We just built the barn my husband has been dreaming of for 15 years. We live across the highway from my sister and her 12 kids, who've all grown up together. My husband's family lives here. We know what it's like to live here--we know how to ration water in the summer, what teachers are good and not-so-good, how long it takes to get to town, where to shop. We have a doctor we love and a dentist we love. We know the weather patterns. My son, who will be a senior was going to be a yearbook editor and seminary co-president. And, did I mention, my sister lives across the highway? Right across the highway.

We've spent months thinking about it, talking about it, praying about it. The bottom line is, in 3 years we won't have a job and we risk losing everything. So, we've decided to move. To Houston.

I hear it's hot down there. And humid. And h-u-g-e. Probably a little bigger than the 20,000 that live in Durango.  Not a small town feel like we have here. Lots and lots of people. And it's hot. Really hot.

But, Houston is thriving and it's full of opportunities. And it's the only other spot in the US where the company for which my husband works is located. So that's where we're going. We can hang onto our retirement, keep our healthcare, and we know this company.

Everything will change for us, but we hope there will be good changes. Our youngest will have more opportunities. He's right on the cusp of starting to speak more. We hope we can find a good school with teachers that will help him blossom. Our other kids will have new opportunities--new friends, new schools, new classes. My oldest son at home wants to go into aerospace engineering--we'll be right next to NASA and close to Texas A&M. My kids will have more choices for community colleges. We can save them each 3 hours of their lives every day by not having to ride the school bus. Schools will be within a mile of our home. The church building will be within a mile. And a temple within a few miles. We can go to the temple on a more regular basis because it won't be a 7-hour commitment.  There will be a grocery store within a mile or so, too. I won't have to calculate a 45 minute drive to everything. We can go on day trips to visit losts of new places. Go to museums. The coast. I'm sure there are many more things we'll learn about as we live there.

We are excited for this new adventure. We hope things work out well. We hope it isn't too hard to adjust. We hope everyone can make friends. We hope we can deal with the heat. And the humidity. And the big city.

But, did I mention, I have to leave my sister and her family? Yeah, that stinks. No matter how I try to look at it, that part doesn't ever get better--that's just going to be hard, hard, hard. But, we plan to come back to Colorado for Christmas and summer, maybe that'll make it a little less painful. Or not.

So, say a prayer for us that all will work out!