Leaving Houston - a BIG and NEW Horrocks Adventure

Most of our friends and family are well aware that Jordan and I (and Roy) recently bid farewell to the great city of Houston to embark on a new adventure in the Portland, OR area. As much as we love Houston, we knew it would not be our permanent home and we had been working towards moving "out west" so that we could settle down a bit and be closer to a lot of our family.  Jordan himself has been trying to leave Houston for years with little luck.  And soon after we got married we started peeking around but nothing seemed very appealing and it just didn't seem right.  I knew that for us to leave, doors would start opening and it would have to be a fairly obvious decision.

Well, at the end of July, Jordan was offered a job at the Orthopedic and Fracture Specialists in Beaverton, OR.  He told me on the way to the interview that he hoped it went "really well or really terrible"so that the decision could be made easily.  Turns out it went really well and we decided to take this opportunity.

Even before all this, I had warned Jordan that even though I am up for new experiences in new places,  I would be so sad to leave Houston (and Texas in general - you know how we Texans are) and that there would be lots of tears upon saying good-bye.  So for 6 weeks as we prepped for the move, I did a lot of crying.  Mainly because I knew how much I would miss the lifelong friends Jordan and I have made here individually and as a couple.  And I knew I would miss BBQ, tex-mex, HEB, bluebonnets, southern accents, and warm winters. But there were also many tears of gratitude for the blessed opportunities and experiences that happened here in Houston that have shaped our lives forever in such positive ways.

So on Sept 22 we packed up our little town home (which I've vowed to never do again!) and put all our belongings in a POD.  We then hopped in Jordan's corolla and began our trek (see pics below).

That road trip was long (9 days), but it was awesome.  We definitely felt like we were on vacation and were able to relax and enjoy the scenery!  Plus, our little Roy was a champ in the car and at all the hotels!  

And now we're here in Vancouver, WA staying with Jordan's mom, Teresa (who has graciously let us crash her place), while we wait to move into a home of our own.  It is cold, wet, beautiful, and different but I think we made a good choice and are going to like it for a lot of reasons.

And so, to end on a very profound note, I refer to a quote I once saw in a Miami airport after I had just been on a cruise: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" :).  I hate closing the good chapters of life (and our Houston chapter was the best yet!), but Jordan and I both know that a new chapter awaits and we are excited for that!  And as we have been watched over, cared for, and guided in the past, we have faith that the Lord will continue his blessings in the future.

Stayed tuned for more updates (and hopefully less wordy and sentimental blogging :))!

Asian shaved ice send-off with my Ben Taub peeps!

Roy was trying to help pack (turns out 1 year olds aren't very helpful :))

Jordan's surprise luncheon send-off at Kelsey Seybold

It's true, we do LOVE Houston!

Our besties!  They helped us so much!

We will definitely miss living so close to Abuelo in Austin!

Quality time with Auntie Em in Phoenix

Cute cousins in Phoenix

Never was there a child more happy to be out of a car and into a backpack than this one!  Roy was laughing and waving to everyone we passed by.  We all LOVED hiking around the Grand Canyon!

Roy proved that hiking the Grand Canyon is so easy, even a baby can do it AND that hiking the Grand Canyon is so easy, you can do it in your sleep

Not a flattering pic, but it definitely captures the experience at Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation (beautiful but windy!)

Beautiful day hiking and seeing the sights at Arches National Park

Cute cousins in Elk Ridge, UT!

Old roommates reunite and new baby friends are made (with Dave and Erin Dean in Lehi, UT)

Kissing cousins! I guess Anabel and Roy are 2nd cousins...we might have a little trouble with Roy in the future...

 Pando love fest at Grammie's house in Kaysville, UT (minus Seany!)

Justin among the competitors for the "Favorite Uncle" award!

And per Jordan's request, some nature shots: Grand Canyon

Monument Valley in UT/AZ

Arches National Park in UT

Full rainbow in the beautiful state of Idaho!