The Backstory of the Ranch

My parents bought this piece of property in c.1990, while they still lived down on the coast. They dreamed of moving out here, but Dad couldn't completely convince Mom to actually do it until 1999, when Creator's Son was a year and a half old. They set up shop until 2009, when we made the decision to move to town.

It was great being raised in the middle of nowhere, with dangerous creatures everywhere and spiny cacti everywhere else. I'm really not being sarcastic here, it was. It was great being able to step out my front door and a startled deer look up and run off, or go for a walk and see a snake sunning itself in the middle of the path. Then Dad quit his job, and things started getting pretty tight. He was out of work for at least 8 weeks, and things were really not looking good, when lo and behold: he got hired for HCTC as an I-Fix worker (aka a computer repair dude).

The real reason we moved though, was because Dad got that job. It was in town which didn't sound too bad by itself, but gas prices sky-rocketed and Mom and Dad realized it would be cheaper to rent a house in town then to stay out here. So we had to up and move to town.

It was super hard to leave the house I'd grown up in, plus all my trees, AND two cats. They had to drag me kicking and fighting into town, but both houses we rented in town were absolutely amazing to live in. Nothing, however, can beat out here. We moved back after (drum roll) Dad quit his job! Now we're back to stay, and I'm glad.

Me playing with a stick that my brother convinced me to call a bo staff

This is me in front of our gate

My brother and me outside on our swing set after a long day of saving the universe.

All three of these are from before we moved, just so you know.. I'm much older now.

An Update on Me

Well, by now you probably think that I disappeared off the face of the earth, never to be heard from again, or the earth swallowed me up whole or something like that. But, unfortunately for those who don't like listening to me gush about puffles and the like, that is not so. I'm still here!

Ok, so if you think aaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way back to my first post, back in August of 2010, you'll remember that I said I have lived in three different homes. That hasn't changed. I still have lived in only three different homes. We moved back to my first house, out in the middle of the Texas Hill Country (Maybe I'll tell you the story behind that next post). It is just as awesome, if not more awesome, than I remember. Lots of trees, the Hollow, and lots of good rocks. So that move took us a while, and that's mostly what I've been doing to not blog in so long.

I would've posted on Saturday (maybe), except for one very, very good reason: I was busy.  I was busy auditioning for REGION Orchestra. Later on, as we were about to leave a Target, Mom got a text from my private lesson teacher, who also happened to be one of the judges. I made 6th chair first violin out of over 200 people trying out. To make this even more astounding, there are 36 first violin chairs. And I was up against high schoolers.

Something else that happened since the last time I blogged: Mustang came down for the last time before the big move. We had a ton of fun goofing off, playing our strange games and whatnot. One special thing that is worth noting and is almost too hilarious (but didn't seem like it at the time, at least not to Mustang and I): Mustang, her dad, and I were out eating at Culver's. After we left, we convinced him to go to one of the nearby Redboxes to see if they had The Avengers. That Redbox was out of stock of it. He decided to take us to another very close Redbox. They were out of stock too. We had just given up, when I remembered there was a Redbox at a gas place... So we turned the other direction from home and went to the place. We scrambled frantically out half laughing like lunatics and half sincerely hoping that it was there. We were in luck: they had ONE left. Mustang slid the card. And then slid it again. And again. And again, until we called her dad over. HE slid the card about four times, then Mustang busts out laughing. Once she finally got ahold of herself, she said between laughter spasms, "I forgot to press pay!" Then she continued laughing, and I joined her while her dad pretended to glare at her. Finally, we got the movie home, laughing all the way, and watched it. As we bounded up the front steps, grinning and laughing, I called to my brother "We got it! The Avengers!"

One last thing that is coming up in the next couple weeks is my birthday. I turn 11 exactly 2 weeks from today.

Well, I guess that's all the exciting stuff for now. I'll be trying to get back in my blogging spirit now, so... wish me luck, I guess!

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is hard. I mean, all of us probably know a person or two that they would have NO problem saying a final goodbye to, but we also probably know at least two or three people that we would do anything to get out of saying that final bye to.

Saying goodbye to a family that I have known pretty much for as long as I can remember is really, really hard. It was almost unreal to think that it was the last time to see them. But I know that these friends will remain with me always, whether they live in Texas or not.

On the other hand, yesterday was my last orchestra concert of the season, so I had to say more goodbyes. It wasn't as hard to let go of my orchestra friends, because I know without a doubt that I will see them again in August, during String Camp.

I know that I should believe I will see my other friends again, without a doubt, but it is hard to do that while I know it could be years before I see them, or it could be months. No one will know before hand, but as they always say, hindsight is 20/20.

I know that things will be different without them, and that they will leave a hole. But it is not the end of the world. That will be on December 12, according to some. They will certainly be missed, and missed a lot.

Saying that final goodbye is hard, but this may be a better place to be for them. Adventures ARE funny things, it is true. It is also true that they come in unexpected ways.

May you find many adventures in your new home and state, my friends at GFG!
Firefly