New Territory

The Cookuses are saying goodbye to the beautiful town that we've lived in for almost the last decade!

North Texas has been on our radar for a long time. I think my city-raised self figured I'd end up in the metroplex after college eventually. Stephen drew the same conclusion sometime during our relationship. We both just kind of figured we'd eventually end up teaching up the the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex after we graduated and got a hold on life. It's a fantastic place for music education. Stephen's parents and sisters slowly made their own ways up over the last several years and it was only a matter of time before it was our turn.

For the last few years, we've been in this in between area of absolutely loving our life in Waco, while also having this lingering awareness that Central Texas was not meant to be our permanent home. We love the town, the people, the culture, all of it! It's a wonderful community with such charm and it truly is the perfect place to raise a family. And yet we've still had this longing to join the rest of our family up north. Every so often, we'd pursue a move, but we were always met with closed doors and unanswered questions. So we'd stay. We'd wait.

Finally, we felt that this last school year would indeed be our last school year in our beloved city.

So why now? Why this year? Honestly, this move has been anticipated for so long that there are several things that are pointing us in this direction.

We knew the moving to a bigger city would mean we'd be able to more aggressively pay down our debt. God told us to pursue debt freedom during my pregnancy with Ryan and we have been slowly making progress ever since! We've followed the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace method for almost 2 years and this move will get us to the finish line much faster.

We also know the value of raising children with family around. Stephen and I don't have any family in Central Texas and while we've been involved with the same church since before we were married and have met many wonderful like-minded families in the area, nothing compares to grandparents and cousins. Especially when your husband is a band director who works 60 hour work weeks in the fall.

I'll be honest when I say I had some preconceived ideas about what moving to the Metroplex would be like. There were little pockets of towns that I thought we would fit well in, towns that I secretly hoped God would lead us to. I don't really think I'm the big city type. I much prefer the slower and quieter pace of a suburb or sub-rural town- the grassy fields, the empty streets, the small family type of feel. I liked the idea of living in a place similar to Waco, where there is one target, one fairly small shopping mall, and you can get about anywhere in town in 15 minutes without having to worry about traffic. I had this idea in my mind that Stephen and I would both have jobs lined up at least by the last day of school. We'd spend the summer looking at cute rental houses and register our boys for a really fantastic daycare center. We'd essentially have the exact same circumstances as we do here in Waco, just 100 miles north with a higher salary and closer to grandparents.

Or at least, that's what my flesh wanted. I did get an amazing job offer, but it didn't come until two weeks into June. We learned very quickly that the cost of living in Dallas is much more than we initially anticipated, so it's back to apartment living for us for a little while, and in an area that's definitely more populated than I expected! And we're still waiting on direction for where Stephen will be working. Definitely not in our plans. But in all of this decision making and restarting of life, I'm overwhelmed with this anticipation. Even though I'm scared and a little bit sad about leaving the comfort of our current community, I'm so eager to step into this new place God has set up for us, this new ministry opportunity He's presenting us with in North Texas.

I feel so much like Peter right now, stepping out of the comfort and safety of the boat to walk on water, eyes fixed on the Savior, putting one foot in front of the other in order to make it closer to His will. He's obviously going to catch me if I take a clumsy step, but it doesn't change that there is so much around me that I don't know. I bet Peter had this preconceived idea of what that simple boat ride would be like. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe it's just me.

Either way, there have been so many instances in my life where God suddenly reminds me that, regardless of all my planning, He's the one directing my steps. Zachary is big testimony of God's wonders for my life. And even after all of that, I'm still learning what surrender looks like.



Proverbs 2:8 "For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."