WE ARE MOVING BACK TO TEXAS!
That's right, it's official-- Cody has taken a job with Wilbur Ellis, an ag chemical distribution company, and we are going home. In fact, Cody is really going home in every sense of the word due to the fact that we are moving to Harlingen, his hometown. Not to mention that we will be just a short drive from one of my favorite places in the world, South Padre Island, where I can lounge on the beach, sip pina coladas and soak up as much sun as possible (without frying my porcelain skin, of course). Oh, and I would be remiss to not mention the endless fishing trips to come with my championship fishing guide father-in-law! Better yet, we will only be a short 3 1/2 hour drive from San Antonio, which is SO much better than 9! We are super excited for the next chapter to begin and are incredibly thankful for God's faithfulness in answering the prayer that we've prayed every single day since we moved to Memphis at the start of our marriage. (I'm not exaggerating either when I say every. single. day.)
Before I completely neglect to give Tennessee and New Mexico the glory that they deserve, I would just like to say that I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities to grow that we've been given in these unique locations over the past two years. And there have definitely been a lot. Someone once told us that moving out of state would do wonders for our marriage, and they were so right. We have gained a dependence and love for each other that we could have never anticipated, and we will forever be grateful for that. I truly believe that God took us away from everything familiar during such a pivotal time in our lives for a reason: to prove that He is in control, He is good and He is faithful. We may not have been able to see it in the moment we were told we would be leaving all of our friends and family after I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, or when we weren't able to be there for the birth of our first niece, major events in the lives of our friends, or even simple family get-togethers, but now we know without a doubt that God was doing some major work behind the scenes in our lives through our time away. We have both grown leaps and bounds in our faith, and truly believe that we were sent to the desert to experience our own form of spiritual growth and revival. I can honestly say my heart has done a complete about-face since we left Houston; I have been humbled and matured more than I ever could have thought possible and have watched my husband become an even stronger, more faithful and loyal man than the one that I fell in love with seven years ago. The Lord knew what he was doing when he gave us the visual reminder of His strength in the mountains, and now we are believing that he is going to give us a visual reminder of his mercy, grace and faithfulness in the steady movement of the ocean off the Texas Gulf Coast.
Now let me reminisce for a moment on the many moving adventures of Brittany & Cody...
In November 2010, we said goodbye to the state we had called home for our entire lives and made Memphis, TN our home.
After 6 months in Memphis, we said buenos dias to Las Cruces, NM. Here's the little adobe casa, our very first house.
Celebrating our first anniversary right after the New Mexico move-- notice the chubby cheeks? We still joke about the "many faces of Brittany" during my first year with Crohn's. Check out the blog posts from 2011 if you don't believe me!
One of the very best memories we have of New Mexico is when this little monster joined our lives. Rio Grande Johnson will forever be our first child and continues to amuse us on a daily basis (though he's slightly bigger in stature these days)!
The desert mountains in all their majesty-- one thing about NM that I will miss, especially at sunset and in the winter. I wonder if Rio will notice the drastic change in landscape and climate that await him during our evening walks?
Our most recent pic--celebrating our third anniversary in Cabo. Don't those smiles just scream, "Texas, here we come!"
As we say adios to dear New Mexico, we are incredibly appreciative of the friends we made and the experiences that we will never forget. We now look to the future with tremendous amounts of excitement and can't wait for the adventures that await us in our home state. We're coming home, y'all!
So happy for you guys! Happy to have you back in Texas but most happy to hear that you were able to grow closer and find yourselves in a stronger marriage because of it all! Hope to see you soon! xo
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