All Hail the Mighty State

Because of the existence of television series finales, crescendos at the ends of songs, and the whole concept of dessert, I have been led to believe that the last thing in a series of events is the most important. That final impression, good or bad, feels like it can define everything. This rigid belief makes saying goodbye to people very difficult.

As many of you know from my previous blog entry where I may or may not have suggested that I was pregnant as a way to make a different sort of announcement (you can return that crib you bought me...sorry), Daniel and I are moving to New York. We are moving on Tuesday, which means the last couple of weeks have been all about saying goodbye to all of the beautiful people in our lives. 

It's bittersweet. People use that word a lot, and you know what, the only thing I can think of that is bittersweet is dark chocolate which is pretty much awful, so I guess that might not be the right word (Hate all you want, ladies. You know you don't really like eating that stuff either).

On one hand, I am passionate about this adventure. We are doing this for a reason, and I believe in it on principle. Moving somewhere absolutely crazy is the perfect way to force yourself out of your comfort zone. It's still scary though. I mean, imagine how scared baby birds are when their mom tosses them out of the nest without so much as a pamphlet on flying (Is that how birds work?) In time, though, I am positive that Daniel and I will be better people for having done this.

On the other hand, I. LOVE. TEXAS. I do. I remember one time in December 2010 when I was in New York for the semester, I kept Youtubing different versions of the song "Texas Our Texas" while crying over my macbook at a Whole Foods. Besides the fact that it is a fantastic song with riveting lyrics (so wonderful and great...), it reminded me of my alma-alma-alma mater, Helotes Elementary. I remember learning this song in music class and mumbling through that whole "power and worth" part but feeling like the most empowered seven-year-old ever.

I am convinced that I will search high and low and not find anything like Texas. Not only do we have access to Chick-Fil-A, but we basically invented Beyonce. I need not go further, but I will. Whataburger ketchup, HEB, the San Antonio Spurs, Dr. Pepper, Baylor University, Chicken Fried Steak that is bigger than your head, Schlitterbahn, Blue Bell Ice Cream, NASA, Bluebonnets, Selena...

I could go on, but I might burst into tears. The point is, Texas is the reason for some of the greatest things ever. You're welcome, Earth. 

From where else could you send a postcard this amazing?

But easily the best thing about Texas is that some of the greatest people in the world live here, and now we are charged with the difficult task of saying goodbye to them.

It started with a visit to our friends Patrick and John at Camp Lone Star. Not only were we saying goodbye to two incredible friends, but we were also saying goodbye to the place we have loved every summer since Daniel and I were both eight-years-old. It is, and should be, earth-shattering to think about not being there this summer. 

Then followed an assortment of interactions with all of the incredible women in my life. Where else on earth exists such a stellar, gorgeous, and strong collection of women? I defy you to tell me, and don't say the Spice Girls. 

This:

Not as good as THIS:

After that came a going-away party thrown by Daniel's mom which was like the send-off of a king. She collected some of our favorite Texas foods and several of our favorite people under one roof. Everyone was loud and stayed forever, and I loved it. We probably should have just headed off right then, but we were by no means done with our goodbyes.

This week, we've said goodbye to even more friends, and yesterday we had a final lunch with my parents. Don't even get me started on how difficult it is to say goodbye to your parents. The last time I did that was college and even that only required a short car ride south for a visit. 

The most recent goodbye was with the awesome girls that I nanny for. They threw me the most hilarious, sweetest party ever. It involved cupcakes, adorable hand-made signs, and A MILLION presents. Oh, and TONS of jumping.

These girls know how to throw a party!

There are still more goodbyes that we need to make. Honestly, they could not come soon enough, because y'all, goodbyes are hard. They are especially hard because they are an acknowledgement that your relationship has to change. Yes, my hope is to continue on in friendship with all of these amazing people, but there is just such a difference between communicating face-to-face and communicating through pixels and waves. I will do Skype. I will do Facebook. I will do phone calls. But I know that the thing I want most in my relationships is to do life with people.

This blog is called Avoiding Atrophy. In my first entry I talked about this post-college transitional period, and I said, "We could choose to pursue this new life with a boldness and determination that we always dreamed we would or we could sit, lie, wait, and let our muscles atrophy until we don't even resemble human." I still mean that, and even though it is hard, this move is definitely one of my favorite ways to avoid atrophy yet.