NOLA is where Alex and I learned to become a team...a unit -- where we planned our wedding & built the foundation of our marriage. It's where we found our precious fur babies & made life-long friends. It's where we bought our first car, I found a job working with people I love, survived tragedies, & made some of the greatest memories of our lives. But just like Chicago, we always knew NOLA would be a season -- fun, exciting, crazy, & beautiful -- but a season nonetheless.
I don't think there are enough words to fully express how terribly we will miss our NOLA family or how incredibly grateful we are for your immediate and never-failing support, friendship, and love. And NOLA, along with all of you, will always hold a special place in our hearts.
But as my heart breaks at the thought of leaving this little life we have built here, it immediately swells when I think of all we will be gaining in this transition back to sweet home Alabama -- where we both were born & went to school. It's where we worked our first jobs & made life-long friends. It's where we met, had our first date, got engaged, & became husband and wife. It will mean more time with our families...a huge career opportunity for Alex...a chance to finally plant some roots...and (eventually) starting a family of our own (#BabyHandback...#ButNotYetDad).
I was prompted a month or so ago to pose two questions to myself: "If you could sum up 2015 in one word, what would it be?" and "If you could sum up what you envision 2016 to be in one word, what would it be?" I thought long and hard about this and challenged myself to come up with an answer (I say "challenge" because as most of you know, I am a woman of MANY words). But after much contemplation, I settled on these two words: 2015 = "HOPE" -- 2016 = "TRANSFORMATION". Now, I will have you know, I came up with these responses before I had any idea that this huge change (or "transformation", if you will) would be coming to us this soon. I am saying all of this mostly to confirm that a woman's intuition is really a thing, y'all! But also to lead into my next point -- something I read recently sparked something inside of me and really summed up my feelings in a short and sweet little message:
I have prayed for this opportunity consistently for a while -- even when we were continuously told that it wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't happen for some time. There were times I would get upset, even angry, not at any one person, but just the situation...and the fact that I had absolutely no control over it (which being a self-confessed control freak, is a hard pill to swallow). After the last conversation regarding our future ended with a less than satisfactory timeline, I decided in that moment that I was going to fully give way to the old saying, "Let go and let God." And wouldn't you know it -- not even two weeks later the script was flipped and our "moment" had finally arrived. So I will continue to carry this little mantra in my heart forever and ever as to never forget: "...I am always divinely guided..."
In conclusion, those who know me well are aware of my possession of all the feelings (So. Many. Feelings.), so I hope you can all forgive me in advance (especially my poor, sweet husband) for the emotional train wreck I inevitably will be over the next couple of months. Because not only will we be making the "big move" in a very short amount of time (which obviously includes the stresses of purging, packing, canceling things, figuring out logistics, etc. <insert anxiety & mild panic attack>), but also it means that starting in April Alex will be doing a three month stint for work in Vegas (alongside Britney & JLo, heeey!) while the pups and I get accustomed to life in Alabama. It's going to be a lot of change and a lot of transition for us in the coming months, so any good thoughts, positive vibes, prayers, etc. that you have to spare would be greatly appreciated. It's a lot to take on, but we're ready to begin this new chapter in our lives, as chaotic and uncertain as it may be. And with that, again I give all of our NOLA community my deepest love and gratitude for the beautiful years we were able to experience here, and we hope that although you may be a little sad about our departure, you understand why this is so important for us and our family -- and help celebrate us home. :)
All our love,
~The Handbacks
Lisa, Alex, Benny, & Trix
