Sound of a farewell

Dave Matthews on the Ipod via the stereo.

Jason crinkling old newspaper as he packs up the kitchen.

Rain pouring down on the pond behind our building.

Lightening flashing and thunder cracking LOUDLY just now.

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Tomorrow, we load up the twenty-four foot Budget truck and hit the road for our new place in Abilene. Finally! I've been waiting for this for weeks and it's almost here. The house is pretty much packed thanks to my amazing husband who LOVES to pack and views it as a giant game of tetris. Which is good because I hate packing. Hate it. And since this is my third move in six months I figure I've get a freebie on this one. Apparently, the division of labor for us is starting to look like this:

Jason packs.

Jason loads the truck.

Leslie cleans the apartment.

Leslie unpacks and nests.

Works for me! Although as I play my umpteenth game of Solitaire and surf the net (Julia Roberts is pregnant!), I do feel a bit guilty. But he assures me it is fine and commands me to get out of the kitchen so he can get on with it. Wonderful man, isn't he?

I'll post Christmas pics and video soon. In case there's no internet at the new place, Happy New Year!

The part where I move for the third time in less than a year

For the last few months Jason and I have been pondering, praying over and weighing some pretty big choices in front of us. I knew before I moved here that the Young Life ministry in Mansfield had proved to be more challenging than Jason originally thought it would be. Sure enough, it has been a particularly difficult season and we were faced with the realization a month ago that the area would not be able to sustain Jason's Area Director position for much longer. Mansfield is a "bedroom" community just outside the Metroplex (Dallas-Fort Worth) and has a pretty interesting personality. Folks are pretty much on the go all the time, pulled in various directions, and any sort of deep rooted community was very hard to find.

This was especially hard for me, moving from as much amazing community as I did. I've struggled and mourned the fact that we couldn't find folks to invest in us as a couple, me as a person, or Young Life. That's not to say that there haven't been some outstanding individuals and families here. The YL leadership team is awesome and there have been several key folks who have loved on us during our time in Mansfield. But it just wasn't what Jason and I have experienced in the past, love, and (deep down) know that our hearts and souls need to thrive. Bottom line: we knew we wanted and needed to leave Mansfield.

At the same time, neither one of us wanted Jason to leave YL staff. It's a calling for him and I have deep love of the ministry as well. But December is an awkward time for YL staff transitions and we were faced with the reality that Jason might have to step off staff for a time. We have spent countless hours praying over that. We both wrestled with the less than desirable reality of being poorer (is it possible?) than we are now and wondering just where we were going to live. The two options came down to Abilene and Lubbock. Both spots have Jason's family there and I loved the idea of being near some family again. Jason has lived in both places and so there is community already there that know him and love him. It wouldn't be my community just yet, but it would be a wonderful start.

Honestly, I felt a little ambiguous about the whole thing at times. I mean, I don't have a job that's keeping me anywhere at this point, no deep friendships or commitments outside of the pretty major one I made on August 5th. At the same time, I have been positively aching to be in a place where I knew I could put down roots and truly invest in folks and have them invest in me. The combination of those two states of mind have made me feel a bit adrift. Lost. Unanchored. Jason has been a saint, loving me in the midst of my confusion and longing. He wrestled with some stuff of his own, but that's his to blog about and not mine.

Long story short, the Area Director position in Abilene opened up and we were asked to interview for the job. Yes, I say "we" because as a Young Life staff spouse, I am in the trenches with Jason as he does this ministry. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Yesterday was an amazingly full day of meeting some awesome folks, interviewing, really good questions, some pretty impressive answers on our part (ha!), and a job offer at the end of it all. So, I'm still a Carolina Girl through and through, but now I'm an Abilenian as well. Who knew?

Just in case you were wondering what the weather in Texas was like...

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While it may be 75 degrees in NC, check out what it's like in TX today...

Shameful Absence

I know, I know. I'm hanging my head in shame as I look at the date of my last blog. Awful! Of course, I'm flattering myself that there are those of you out there who are looking at this thing daily and saying, "Where is she? Is marriage that much fun? Has Texas completely taken over our girl? Will she ever write on her blog again?" Yes, that is extreme flattery to think that and still I will answer those questions with:

In Mansfield, Texas having a bit of an anti-email/blog Pity Party.

Yes. Oh yes.

No, I'm Tarheel born and bred.

Yes. And more frequently.

I have a dozen topics on my mind that I would like to write about but I think I am going to follow a writing discipline mentioned by Rebecca and actually work on them as writing pieces before they are posted. That's not to curb the spontaneity of my rambling thoughts, but something that will hopefully hone my writing skills. I'll let you be the judge...

Have I mentioned that I married a man who can cook? Yes indeed, and this weekend he tried out some new recipes: Garden Vegetable Risotto with Asparagus, Flounder with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and New Potatoes with Rosemary.

Things, they are a changin'

For one thing, I'm getting used to the odd way that Texas works their highways and on-ramps and service roads. They're all jumbled together and the service roads are actual roads that have lots of traffic. When you exit off a highway, you're exiting onto those service roads and so you have the right-a-way. If you're driving down the service roads, you have to yield to the traffic whizzing towards you at 65+ mph from the highway. It's crazy but it's also starting to feel normal to me. I mean, hey, if you want to tell me that I don't have to slow down as I take the exit ramp, I'm all about that!

Jason told me before I moved out here that one thing I could count on was that in every strip mall there is always a doughnut place and a nail salon. Yup, totally true. And sweet home away from home, the king of all doughnuts, the creator that originated in my hometown of Winston-Salem - KRISPY KREME - exists just 15 minutes down the road. Praise the lord.

Tonight, I experienced the fall/winter lifestyle that is known as "Friday Night Lights" when we went to my first Texas high school football game. Yes, football season has begun and it is a WHOLE other world. I come from the land of basketball, home of the Heels. The ACC conference I understand. The SCC and Big Twelve I do not. So, my football education begins in earnest tomorrow. Well, maybe. I may nestle into the couch with a new book and just watch Jason hoot, holler, and shout at the TV.

And here's the newest change in the Petree household...

Summing up a LONG Absence

I am now Leslie Ruth Petree!

Texas is ridunkulously hot. Let's just say that we had 48 straight days of 100+ degree temperatures.

Marriage is really fun.

Nesting is pretty fun too. And we're learning lots about compromise :-)

I'm having serious beginning-of-the-school-year withdrawal.

I'll post a longer blog within the week. We decided to purchase a new Mac and make Jason's laptop mine. So as soon as that happens, you can be assured that a nice, juicy blog will appear here. In the meantime, here's some shots of our happy day (courtesy of my new father-in-law)...

Wondering what I did in Texas over Christmas & New Years break?

Finally in Mansfield on Christmas night...


My Christmas gift, handcrafted by Jason













In Paris, Texas to see Matt & Rachel Sanchez and...



Baby Ava Sanchez!









On the road to Abilene to meet Jason's family










Hop in the Mule with Jason, Will & Brian...


To walk the railroad tracks with Scout













Dirty hands from picking up loose railroad stakes!









A beautiful Texas sunset before a yummy dinner of fajitas...










After dinner, a sing-along (silly songs by Richard Petree!)



(Note the family resemblance)

Singin' with Uncle Jay













Could a Carolina Girl become a Texas girl as well?
















Back to Mansfield for dinner, dancin' and champagne on New Year's Eve...















On my last day, breakfast with Heather and Lance at Cracker Barrel...









and then back to Carolina. As the plane touched down at RDU, I realized that I'd left a piece of my heart back in Texas. Just a week more and I'll head back to visit it...