EXPOSITION

I am 54 years old (A bit older than the typical blogger, I would imagine, or is there anything “typical” about blogging?)

I grew up in Iowa and spent the last 30 years living in St. Louis, Missouri.  I married a Chicago boy.  (Yes, we’re Midwesterners through and through.)

I have two children, ages 21 and 18.  They have only known one home – a boxy, two-story in suburban St. Louis.

It’s a rather predictable scenario, nothing terribly surprising or unexpected, or that was the case until a job offer came my husband’s way 22 months ago.

Since then, I have been buffeted by waves of change.  Actually, “buffeted” may be too tame a description.  Pummeled?  Thrashed?  Brutally battered???

The job change, while welcome, took us to Texas (of all places!)  The long distance move was a nightmare (of course.)  And our Texas home is new construction (lovely, but incredibly vanilla.)  There are no familiar faces at the grocery store or Target.  And if that wasn’t enough, I packed up my youngest child for his first year of college, so I’m empty-nesting. (It’s important to note that both children scampered back to the Midwest for their schooling.)

Please don’t misunderstand.  My husband and I chose change – sought it, accepted and embraced it. 

New challenges are my passion.  I’ve never wanted to look back and regret, to leave anything “undone.”  Albert Einstein’s words ring in my head:  “Life is like a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

My husband Tim has been my (mostly) willing companion in each new adventure.  A six-month stint in Poland comes to mind.  (But that story is for another time.)

At the end of previous adventures, however, we headed home.  Now home is the new adventure.

TexChange is a means of addressing this latest adventure and pondering the changes it creates.