Massachusetts

It's been quite the year of change already! After much deliberation, Chris and I decided to move to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. We loved Rye, but it just wasn't the right fit for our family in the long-term. The town was prohibitively expensive, and although we made some very close friends, the overall culture of the community wasn't ideal for us. We originally planned to move back to Texas, but the right job opportunity for Chris never materialized. So then we thought about buying an RV and traveling the Northeast for 6 months, before landing in a more permanent spot. But then something about the Berkshires started calling to us. There is an incredible amount of stuff to do outdoors, as well as a thriving arts community full of museums, theatre, and dance. We began looking for a home to buy and found a lovely place in Lenox, MA.
Leaving Rye was incredibly difficult. The short length of our time there belies the depth of the attachments we formed. I know many people in the church were surprised and hurt by our decision; many more were sad to see us go but understood and complimented us on being brave enough to leave.
The plan now is to keep the girls out of regular school until the fall; I am loosely "homeschooling" them for the rest of the school year. We will be taking several field trips all the across the northeast, and then in May we will begin a larger road trip to Texas, then to Arizona, then back home. I know that leaving their friends has been so hard on the girls, but I can honestly say they are thriving here. The larger home allows them room to paint and create and play and they love having more access to nature. Their relationship with each other has also blossomed. They have always been close, but this time together has cemented their bond in a way that I wasn't expecting; it's beautiful to watch.
Chris is loving having his own office at home, and I am loving getting to spend so much time with the girls. The four of us have been cooking more, playing games, doing puzzles, skiing together, and just generally enjoying being in a low-stress phase of our lives. I am excited to see how this next chapter of our lives unfolds.