Reasons to Give Thanks

Pictured, from left: Trey, me, Dad, Michelle, Leesha, Jace and Ashley.

Well, life has gotten a whole lot sweeter since I last posted. I have plenty of reasons to be grateful lately. Trey and I recently returned home from visiting my dad and extended family in Texas. It was my first time to see him in months. For the many people who move away from home, a prolonged separation from family is commonplace, but this is relatively new to me (aside from my college years). After all, my dad and I are -- as Trey likes to point out -- codependent.

Michelle, me and Leesha

But maybe the most notable aspect of my trip was not getting to hang out with Dad, which was great. It was the fact that I got to meet, for the first time in 16 years, my half sister Michelle, two nieces and great nephew Jace. What?! How cool is that? I was only 13 when I last saw Michelle, and I hardly remember anything about her before that. I have brief memories of her when I was four or five. She lived with us for a very short time and then moved a half a continent away where she remained until a couple years ago. 

Now, she, the girls and Jace live 30 minutes from Austin. And in just a half a year, Trey and I will move to Austin. I'm beyond excited about how near to them we'll be and about getting to know them. I had so much fun with them on Thanksgiving.

H-E-B is a gastronomic paradise. Yeah Texas!

And to ice the cake, our visit to Texas gave Trey a taste of what our life will be like when we arrive. He seems to have warmed up quite a lot to the idea of living in Austin, whereas before he was slightly reluctant. Now I need to remind myself to focus on the present and immerse myself in activity so the last leg in Louisiana won't seem to drag on.