The Stockyards

The day after Nigel and Sarah arrived in TX we all went to the stockyards together. Tim had been before to check it all out, so it was a great place to start. The stockyards are just outside of downtown Fort Worth. Here you'll find several blocks of restaurants, museums and shops. There's also a rodeo and the twice-daily cattle drive. It has the feel of a tourist trap, but it's still a must-do if you come visit us here in TX.

A pair of boots at Leddy's that probably cost
more than our mortgage, rent and car payment
combined. These folks are serious about their boots.

In case you're interested in the logistics of a drive. We'll have to visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame to learn more.

We're pretty certain these same cows are brought out each day for the show and aren't actually going to the slaughterhouse, but you still couldn't help but feel a bit sad for them. We're guessing even PETA doesn't mess with Texas.

Nigel in a stagecoach.

Nigel got to sit on this Longhorn named
Pecos Bill. Technically he rode it because it
took a few steps forward.

One of the many restaurants at the stockyards.

The Move

We bought our RVA house in 2004, so we had accumulated a ton of stuff. We had a yard sale this summer to weed out things we didn't need, which helped. Tim packed a lot of stuff before he left for TX; Sarah's brothers and Tim's friend/Nigel's Uncle Joey helped pack, toss and organize the rest a few days before the movers came. Nigel was a real trooper considering most of his toys were packed away in the garage for the better part of two months (we had to de-clutter while the house was on the market)

Our totally awesome friend Debbie and one of her daughters had Nigel over to play the morning that the movers came, but he made it home in time to see the inside of the big truck.

The day before Nigel and I left for TX.

Have we told you lately that our house is still for sale? It's a great buy! Give Anne a call!















Flying with Nigel was a breeze. We had talked about what would happen — in extreme detail — for weeks. So, when we got to the TSA agents he knew he had to take his shoes off and walk through the "tunnel." Once we were on the plane, we ate the lunch I had packed. He asked me "are we flying?" and then went right on back to eating his sandwich. He woke up twice during his nap, but never once cried or screamed (other parents on the flight weren't so lucky). There weren't any TVs on this flight, but thankfully I had bought a portable DVD player the week before. He watched two short Thomas the Tank episodes (thanks, Rachel B!) and then we touched down. Because I was flying alone with Nigel, we opted for a direct flight. Obviously that's costly so we won't do it each time, but it was well worth it this time!

Saying Goodbye to RVA, Continued

When people would ask us if we were going to miss RVA, I'd always say "I'm going to miss our friends." We have amazing friends, and that was so apparent during those two months that Nigel and I were apart from Tim. Our neighbors Wil and Mandy hosted a cookout in our honor, my former coworker/friend Megan endured several dinners with a cranky Nigel and helped me pack, our pals Debbie and Steve and their two girls had us over for dinner, my former boss/friend Chad gave us a ride to the VW shop... the evidence of hospitality goes on and on!

Catie and Neil (and Ms. Catie's baby — Harper, who's since been born) brought us dinner, met us for walks and playground time, and invited us over for dinner several times.

Nigel had a blast saying goodbye to his pals Cane and River. They really got a kick out of playing in an empty house.

We're glad we got to see my pal Sarah, whom I'm known since middle school. (Our first and middle names are exactly the same and her last name and my maiden name are only off by two letters)

Our neighbor Martha was kind enough to have us — as well as her daughter/our neighbor Danna and another neighbor Caroline — over for snacks.

Our neighbor/friend Mandy. The three of us often went for walks or traveled west to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

We had a "cupcake party" so Nigel could say farewell to all of his little friends.

Saying Goodbye to RVA

A few months into Tim's job search, we pretty much knew we were going to end up in another state. Texas was the likely choice since there were so many job openings, and that's where many of his interviews were coming from. So, we started to say goodbye to our friends and family — and even to each other.

In August, Tim flew down to Houston for an interview with an energy company. It was a contract gig, but better than nothing. Less than a week after the interview, he was offered the job. When he got down there, though, the more desirable (read: stable) job at HUD was offered to him. (Ironically, Tim had applied to the HUD job just days after he was laid off in March. The process hiring process took that long.) So, a few days into the temporary assignment, he resigned and came home. This is a picture of Tim and Nigel prior to one of Tim's flights to Houston.

In Richmond, our house was just a few blocks from the South of the James Farmers' Market. We went weekly to pick up our share from our CSA, as well as to get one of Tex' famous hot dogs. (If you're in RVA and haven't tried one of these dogs, DO IT!) This picture was taken the morning of Tim's flight to Houston; later that day Tex, a Texan, was driving down to Austin. We hope we run into him down here.

Packing before a flight.

Before Tim took off for Fort Worth on Sept. 11, 2010. We wouldn't see each other again until he flew back to RVA on Nov. 6 to drive the car and dog down to TX.

We're Here!

Tim started his new job with HUD on Sept. 13. Nigel and Sarah stayed behind in Richmond, Va., hoping our house would sell relatively quickly and at least one of us would be on hand to handle paperwork. Well, the house still hasn't sold — in fact, there's an open house this Sunday — and the time apart was hard on everyone. So, we took the plunge: movers packed up the house on Nov. 3, it arrived in Texas on Nov. 11, and Nigel and Sarah flew here on Nov. 13.

For the next year we're renting a house in east Forth Worth (after that we'll just switch neighborhoods); we're about 7 minutes from downtown via the highway. Stay tuned to this space for updates and observations from Texas. As soon as Sarah locates the camera cord, we'll upload some pictures, too.

So long, buckaroos!