Almost 3 Years Later

In a matter of days it will be 3 years since my husband and I arrived in Virginia.

We made the cross country drive with the help of his father and grandfather in roughly 4 days.  It took us another 5 to unpack the moving van completely and start organizing our lives here.

A year later we moved and soon were parents.

In another 5 weeks from tomorrow or son will be 2.

Tonight we drive to a town about 45 minutes west to pick up the youngest of my sister's twin daughters.  Her husband is now serving in the Army, and he will be completing his next phase of training about 200 miles or so from us.  She'll be with us for at least 12 weeks, longer if he stays or is deployed and she wants to.

This has me thinking of the last 3 years, and what has and hasn't changed.

I would eat a country fried steak at Cracker Barrel before going to a steak house any night of the week.  Outback used to be the favorite in CA, but here it's Cracker Barrel, with Logan's running a close second.  I just love the more casual and home cooked feel of everything.

I would give my right arm for a Cheesecake Factory.  I miss those dessert runs, sitting in a booth with my brother and husband and talking.

Jack In The Box is something I still crave.  There are days where being able to roll through a drive-thru and bringing home cheesy potato wedges and egg rolls at midnight would really hit the spot.

I love being able to see the sunset here and know the colors are truly from nature and not just reflections in the pollution in the air.  Breathing is different here, and I felt it there last November.

There is no such thing as rush hour here.  The traffic may get a little heavier in areas, but it is nothing compared to what the highways were like back west.  When my husband says he doesn't like driving during rush hour I still laugh at him to this day. 

I miss my family daily.  There are things that remind of them everywhere, especially my sister and our love of movies.  It is amazing to be able to send her a text with a quote from a song or movie that is on and she knows it from the one line and can immediately right me back with the next line or more.

Life has moved on, people have grown and changed.  I knew that this was where I wanted to grow old, and I have no regrets.  With my niece here I will be getting a little taste of the things I miss to keep me company for a while.  I hope she is able to enjoy it and not feel so homesick.

We just need them to put in a Cheesecake Factory.