Covid19 Refugees-(Re)turned-Texans!

It seemed surreal when the world as we knew it, began to shut down. We were living in Colorado Springs, as we had been since 2008. While in Colorado, we experienced many earthly calamities, to include the Waldo Canyon Fire that burned over three hundred homes and the Black Forest Fire which carried a similar tragic impact. And then there was also a bomb cyclone in 2019, which is kind of like a snow tornado. The winds were 80-90mph and there were drifts of snow that were several feet tall. We thought we had seen it all…but then this came.

Dwight was already a reserve member of the Air Force so we were both working from home. His time to serve came in March of 2020 and he was headed to Nevada for six weeks. Now that we were both full-time health coaches and a good bit distanced from deployments, six weeks felt so not fun. But, we geared up. News coverage of Covid-19 had already begun, so he walked me to the basement before he left and pointed out that we had boxes of MREs (military food) and water, "just in case." I thought he was crazy. I also remember seeing, in that moment, a stock pile of toilet paper because somehow I'd gotten my Amazon subscribe and save and Costco runs mixed up—resulting in a lot of extra toilet paper. Who knew?!

So, Dwight took off for Nevada and we began life without him. I'll admit that single-parenting while Dwight is away does seem way different these days, as a full-time work-from-home mom. We've worked very hard and have been able to grow a nice-sized business, supporting many clients and coaches in their journeys to optimal health. But add to that, three kids under the age of nine, all at home at the same time!?? Hello!!!

Within a few days of Dwight leaving for AF duties, things started getting shaky. Friends were saying things were going to shut down. Then the school announced a two-day closure to create a long weekend. I did start shopping for groceries that night and truly, within a few hours, there were no groceries to be ordered. I am certain we all can remember how odd it felt.

So, the next day I loaded the kids up to get gas and groceries. I will never forget going into King Soopers with all three kids. The only cart available was the very small, just-grab-a-few-things carts. Again, I had all three kids who were just nine, four, and two! Somehow we got some groceries and diapers, thankfully. I must be really good at Tetris because I somehow spent upward of $250 with loading up that small cart. The line to check out wrapped clear around the store. Then, no one was wearing masks. It felt so weird. The energy was that of panic. And the shelves were becoming bare. People weren't talking. It felt like isolation. Since starting my health journey in 2016, I'd been moving to a new place of peace and creating rather than panic and reacting. That day in the grocery store felt like a fight to avoid the draw of fear.

I don't watch the news, and in fact, haven't watched the news since 2011. The last newscast I remember watching was of Osama bin Laden’s death; Dwight was deployed to Afghanistan at the time. I remember, though Dwight was not part of that, it didn't make me feel good. So, I stopped watching. I still avoid the news and yet, I somehow still know what's happening in the world. After this odd trip to get groceries and gas with the kids, we went home and turned on a Christian radio station which played music 24/7 for several days. It helped.

That Sunday, church was closed. What?! We met online with our small group instead, and that felt closer to normal than anything we’d experienced since the shutdown began.

Fear gripped America. And the world. I would not have it. I fought it and sought calm and peace. The kids and I did things to have fun and to help keep things feeling as normal as possible. But it still didn't.

Finally, Dwight got orders to come home. By then, it was announced that school would be shut down through March (meaning the week before spring break and then of course spring break, which was the final week of March) and we'd be home-schooling that week. As a previous public educator, the thought of home-schooling a preschooler and fourth-grader, while running a business, and tending to a toddler did not get me excited. Nonetheless, the dining room became a makeshift school room—complete with white board and name tags. I was determined to pull out my previous knowledge and make it as good as possible for the kids this week and a half we'd be homeschooling. Thankfully, Dwight was home within a few days and the embrace of his hug felt so good. So we geared up for homeschool and working the business, and whatever else might come. And, then we started thinking...

It was still snowing in Colorado. Things were weird.  We were a long way from home. Food supplies, gas, water, etc. were uncertain. My parents have a cabin where we grew up, in Junction, Texas. Small town, rural, and being in the country....this cabin is simple, has well water, and is near the river. To us, this meant warm weather, clean air, an easy means for social distancing, and freedom to move and come and go. We thought, why not ride this out in Texas? So, we loaded up the dog and eight sets of clothes for each of us, and left the next morning. Our plan was to stay there for two weeks, while the schools in Colorado were shut down. 

And then, as we all know, the shutdown continued to extend...

While "hanging out" at the river, using Wi-Fi hot-spots to homeschool, Libby getting to start her days fishing, and teaching Zeke to ride his bike without training wheels, Dwight and I started seriously considering what we'd already been considering.

Now that we both are work-from-home or work-from-anywhere parents, why not move? We'd been thinking on this for a while. We love Colorado and the life we created there, but there was nothing keeping us from a relocation. So, one day we took a drive with our friends in the Texas Hill Country and felt Boerne might be the new home. It felt "right." Dwight and I both grew up in Texas and that's where the grandparents are. So, the kids have access to the grands and we have growth opportunity for assisting more people with our health coaching practice.

Our next step was to return to Colorado, check on our home, and inquire about listing it for sale even though we had only moved into it eight months prior. So, after the two weeks that turned into two months, Dwight and I flew back to Colorado. It was for sure strange to fly in May of 2020. The airports were so empty and quiet.

We made it home and all was fine. We met with a realtor and she was confident the home would sell, so we got very busy staging the house across a long weekend while Dwight did his AF duties on Zoom. We put it on the market the following day, as we loaded up our other vehicle to drive some additional things back to Texas. The house sold within 24-hours of being on the market. Clearly, this was what a dear friend calls a "God stamp."

It was hard to believe that all of this was happening. And was I sure I was ready to leave Colorado? I had absolutely loved our 12 years there and it was where our family grew from two to five, plus an amazing dog! We quickly began looking for a home in the Boerne area. After looking for a home for two days, one went on the market and our realtor called saying, “I think I've found the house!” We quickly drove over to Boerne from our country Covid retreat and she was right. We put in an offer and it was accepted.

Covid was big for us! It honestly did not slow us down or change our day-to-day too much, but it did change our location—big time. June 2020 marked our return to Texas and our kiddos becoming Texans. Truly, moving back "home" during such an uncertain time felt good and safe. We are thankful to have landed in this place and have felt such peace during such an unsettling time.  

We have met some wonderful people and feel really thankful for the truths people live by in the Great State. Thank you, Covid, for helping us be bold, helping us to see what matters most, and helping us to move towards that!