He is Faithful

That's just the kind of life that made me who I am

Just taking my mind on a visit

Back in time 'cause I miss it

You wouldn't know to love it like I love it

Unless you lived it

And man, I lived it

My parents sold their house today.  They've emptied it of everything except the furniture, and they'll load a moving truck tomorrow to head out.

One might think that's the beginning of the story, that their move to be closer to us is the very beginning, but it's not.  We'll call it more of the middle. They're embarking on a new chapter and we are all so excited to see what God has in store for them (and us) as we get to experience life a little bit more "all together."

But I'm a storyteller, and this is a good one.  So I'd like to take the time and look back at the chapters that came BEFORE the one that is about to be written.  I'd like to acknowledge God's faithfulness and share their story.

(Chapter 1) My mom grew up in Sherman and my dad in Celeste, both living most of their lives in one place - my dad until college and my mom until marriage.  (Chapter 2) They moved a bit and ended up back in Sherman where my brother and I were born and my earliest memories begin.  (Chapter 3) We lived across town from my grandparents, faithfully attended FBC Sherman, and my first "Friday Night Lights" were in the stands at Sherman High School (where I was on the field my senior year with SSHS as Wally the Wildcat).

(Chapter 4) My family moved to Sulphur Springs when I was 4 years old for my dad to be the high school tennis coach.  Over the years he would do film for the football team, keep score for the basketball team, and I would attend more hours of sporting events than I can ever count...not to mention hours in the car, late nights on the road, and weekend trips for tennis tournaments.  (PS. I wouldn't change one single second. I loved every single bit of it, the relationships we made, and the memories I will always have.) My momma also worked for the school district, and there was NOTHING like having the same schedule as my parents, and them being off for all the vacations/holidays with us. I know we were so very blessed with that!

(Chapter 5) Here's the interesting part of the story, and a little known fact to most: Prior to my junior year, my parents both came over to Mansfield and interviewed for teaching positions...that was 2003 and the first time they really desired to live here. (I say HERE because that's exactly where God ended up planting my own family.)

God didn't open any doors for them to move here at the time, in fact He actually closed them, repeatedly.  But He was so faithful in providing some answers to my parents for specific needs/desires they had at the time, and it meant I got to go to SSISD schools for my entire education.  I got to graduate with my very best friends and make memories that will truly be with me for a lifetime.  I'm grateful for that, but I'm also grateful that those closed doors came with other options for my parents at the same time. So, after 23 years, my dad retired from coaching my junior year.  I can't even explain how weird it was to be on the sidelines my senior year as Wally the Wildcat and see my dad up in the stands.  It was nice, but it was SO different.

(Chapter 6)  My brother and I both attended Baylor University after graduating from high school, and with my dad out of coaching, this allowed for the freedom my parents wanted to be able to visit us when they could. There were SO. MANY. Saturday football games cheering on our Baylor Bears.  God also opened doors over the years, which included different jobs for my dad, building houses at one point and then working for the school district again, and then finally working for SSFBC at the ROC.

(Chapter 7)  Since this story is more about my parents than myself, I'll skip the details about how I got from Baylor to Arlington, but I moved to the Arlington/Grand Prairie/Mansfield area with my brother in 2006 when he began his masters at DBU and I finished up my bachelors at UTA.  My parents trips changed from Waco to Arlington, and we grew from a family of four to five, then six, and now we're at 10. My brother moved from this area with his family to work for a church in Conroe.  Brad and I have settled in to our home/church here in Arlington, and the desire my parents had to move here has lasted over the years...add grandkids to the mix and it only grew stronger.

(Chapter 8)  My mom retired from SSISD in 2015, and my dad "retired" for the 4th time in May of this year.  I've seen God's faithfulness more in their lives over the last year, providing friendships, providing financially, providing wisdom and guidance, providing a buyer for their home (quickly), and providing a second buyer when the first one fell through (also quickly).  We can see God's hand at work in every step from 2003 when they first wanted to be here, until today, when they are officially on their way!

A Trip Down Memory Lane
This past weekend, I made a surprise trip to Sulphur Springs to help my parents pack, and I had NO idea the emotions that would come with it.  I may or may not have cried halfway there, and ignored all the facts on my way out of town to avoid crying the WHOLE way back.  While I was in town, we took a fun little tour and drove by all of our old houses, the schools, and other places that were special to our family.

This was our very first house in Sulphur Springs.  I LOVED this house.  There are countless pictures of me "performing" on the stage fireplace in the living room, and I remember the coziness of that house made me feel SO safe and protected.  It was the beginning of a great life in our hometown.  We planted two trees we got from McDonald's happy meals in the front yard, and much to my disapproval, they're no longer there.  But the memories certainly are.

The Texas Street Rent House

We moved down the street (Alan and I moving our things in a little red wagon) to the house that would become HOME for the next 12 years.  I left for kindergarten in that house...and I left for my senior year in that house.  We built a pool in the backyard that is at the center of countless memories with dozens of my very best friends from church/school.

The Westbrook House (AKA The House that Built Me, as Miranda Lambert likes to say.)

My senior year of high school, with my brother away at college, we packed up our home of over a decade and moved in to a rent house while our new house, on the other side of town, was being finished up.  The rent house was the one we lived in for the shortest period of time, but it holds some VERY special memories from my senior year of high school - including getting ready for prom in a make-shift beauty salon and heading off to college (after unloading and re-loading our car because my parents battery died and Alan met everyone in my dorm before me...).

The Rent House, directly across from the Wall Mart ;)

Every one of these houses are special in their own way, and although I didn't live in this house as long/much as the others, it's a huge part of my story because life changed in this house.  In this house, I came home to visit from college.  In this house, I moved home and lived when I decided that Baylor wasn't the best fit for me (hands down the toughest decision of my life) and experienced some of my darkest days.  In this house, I talked on a land-line to my then boyfriend, Brad Hammons, and I brought him home to this house to show him what Sulphur Springs was all about.

The Austin Acre House

I got ready for my wedding in this house.  I don't think there really needs to be much more detail beyond that to explain how special this house was.  My grandmother also stood in a chair and unplugged the microwave in this house, so there are those memories as well. ;)

The House that Pappy Built

The last two houses my parents lived in, I never actually LIVED in, but that doesn't mean they're any less special, and considering I brought my babies "Home" to this house...it's absolutely special to me!!  This house is the house that the grandkids know as "Mimi and Pappy's House."  This is the house where the cousins had slumber parties and rested up after days at the ROC.  This is the house where we surprised both of our parents on the days of their retirements (mom's first and only, dad's fourth and not final).

The Kelli Circle House

Beyond the houses are the PLACES that have meant so much to our family.  The places where we met our friends that became family.  In SS, we started going to the same school as 5th graders, so from 5th grade on - the majority of our friends went to church AND school together.  Needless to say, we built memory upon memory.  I went to elementary school at the same place my momma worked, and then went to high school where my dad (and aunt, and uncle, and cousin for a year) worked. I don't have the time (or the tissues) to share all the amazing memories this town gave me, but I am forever grateful for every single one of them.