Let's Chat Texas...

Okay, I guess it's time that I blog about Texas. 

I've had a lot of questions, and I thought I'd try to answer some of them in this post and try to explain the details that I can of how this change happened for our family. 

Back in May, DJ told me the Texas job was open and I teased him asking if he was going to apply and he told me no. He didn't know anyone on staff, and usually in college football, you need to know someone and have an "in". Fast forward a few weeks later and he was receiving a phone call asking him if he was interested in the position. He sent in his resume, had a phone interview, in person interview, and somewhere in Mississippi,  driving to Gulf Shores, he got a phone call letting him know that he got the position! 

So.... after we spent time at the beach, and then the lake, we took the girls back to my parents house. Between my parents and my cousin, the girls had a place to stay for the weekend, and DJ and I set off for Austin to go house hunting for the weekend. 

Peanut butter M&M's = Road Trip Essentials. 

We stopped at In & Out in Dallas, and I realized that we'd be able to eat In & Out weekly when we moved! 

I also realized that we'd be super close to Waco, and could go to Magnolia any time we wanted! We actually stopped on the way down- I really just wanted to go to the bakery, but the line was crazy long, so we drove on by- because we'll only be a few hours from Waco in the near future! 

On the outskirts of Austin, in Round Rock, I realized there was an Ikea and I may have jumped out of my seat and freaked out the driver! Sorry, DJ! I mean, we're just now getting in to Austin, and I'm already in love. 

We arrived Friday night, and checked in to our hotel, and then headed to the university to peek at the stadium. 

And wow. 

We were feeling all sorts of emotions; a little overwhelmed, a little surreal, a little bittersweet. 

We walked around the outskirts of the stadium for a bit, drove around the university, and then headed to South Congress for dinner. 

We sat outside while waiting for our table, and people watched. After a few minutes, we understood the "Keep Austin Weird" phrase. I'd be lying to say that this isn't going to be a bit of a culture shock for our family. But, I'd also be lying if I said that I wasn't thrilled about it. I'm excited to emerge our family in to the culture of Austin and it's people. 

We ate at Guero's, and had yummy Mexican food, and then walked a few blocks on South Congress. 

The next morning, we were up early to meet our realtor for some house hunting. There was a rainbow, and I thought for sure, it would be a good sign. 

Plus, my house hunting dress was super comfy. 

But, after a full day of house hunting, and becoming super frustrated with the housing market, we went back to the hotel, and I felt like this. I had spent weeks saving favorites, searching homes, researching school districts, and sending our realtor our housing selections. But, pictures are deceiving, and there were way too many scented plug ins. So, on top of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, DJ and I both had huge headaches. 

We rallied the troops, drank some Zyng, and met one of the operations managers for the team at the stadium and offices. His family was in town and he was showing them around, so we were able to tag along. 

When you walk in to the offices, there are two Heisman trophies, and then a walk way of more trophies, including national championship trophies. 

Y'all, we have always been "small time" college football. We've always been at the D-1 level, but none of our schools have been able to play for national championships. 

So, I'm not going to lie that I was impressed, and humbled, and so crazy proud of my husband for this opportunity. 

This set of longhorns is near the locker room, and the players touch the horns, before hitting the field on game day. 

And, I had to take a photo of this wall for my OU friends. 

Texas/OU play each year in Dallas and it's a huge game and huge rivalry. This year, the trophy from the game will be back on the stand in the middle ;) 

After our little tour, we grabbed dinner at Torchy's Tacos, and headed back to sleep. We were exhausted. 

Sunday morning, our realtor called and asked us if we had time to look at a few more houses. So, we headed to a new construction neighborhood, checked out some houses, grabbed lunch, headed to an open house, and called it a weekend after........ 

we put in a contingent offer on a new construction home. 

On our way home, we stopped at the Czech Stop in West, Texas, which is a must for anyone traveling on I-35. I promise. 

Nutella kolaches. Yes, please! 

Seriously, so good.

So, at this point, we have our current house on the market. DJ started his position at the University of Texas this past Monday. Since it's summer, the girls and I are hanging out at home. We have a few small trips planned, but our main goal is to sell our house! 

School in Texas starts on August 16. Realistically, we cannot close on our Texas home until we have an offer and close on our Tulsa home. So, we're in limbo. I don't think that we'll make it to Texas before school starts. I have currently put in notification to my current position that I will not be returning in August. Our plan is to homeschool the girls until we are able to move and get settled in Texas. I really felt that we should not start them in school for a few weeks, just to pull them out, move, and start a new school. It just seemed really unfair to them and would make the transition harder. Now, if it looks like we won't be able to move until October or later, then we'll re-evaluate our plans. 

I will work in Texas, but I'm not currently looking for a position. My goal now is sell our house, move, and get our girls settled. They are my priority. I know that the move will be difficult for them. There have been tears, and lots of reassuring that they'll make new friends, and be able to visit Oklahoma friends as often as possible. When we get moved and settled, I'll begin looking for a position, but I also want to be available for football season and be there to support DJ and the team in whatever that may look like for this season. 

Leaving Tulsa is bittersweet. We moved here when Megan was two weeks old, and we've fallen in love with this city. We have some wonderful friends, and we have loved working with the coaching staff at TU. They are incredible people. We have a home we love. We are so close to family. We love our church. Part of me has felt that Tulsa would be our forever home. But, in the back of my head, I knew that one day, we would leave. 

There will be more tears shed, but we are so excited for this opportunity and to work at this level. Starting over will be hard, but we can do it. We've done it before. When DJ and I got married, I told him that we'll go wherever his job takes him. That I will 100% support him and be his biggest cheerleader. If God opens a door for us to go, we'll go. Looking back, we know that God has been working in our lives to prepare us for this move, and we'll continue to put our faith in Him that our house will sell and we'll be together as a family again in Austin.