A Full-time Working Momma

Greg will be a full-time doctoral student starting this fall. We decided that to help make this happen, I need to work full-time. It is an absolute blessing that I found a job here without my CA teaching credentials (still in the works), but it worked out. Yesterday, I received a message with my new work email address. The first part of my email is “msmckinzie.” Sounds teacher-official, doesn’t it? I begin my new job as a 6th grade math/science teacher this coming Monday… lots of staff development. Students don’t come until later in August. My school is projects-based learning with a lot of technology integration so the newbies report early to kick it into gear. There is a part of me that is absolutely giddy with excitement. I think that you know you are in the right profession when you can get so excited about working.

Notice I said “a part of me” is giddy. One of my struggles in my reverse culture shock and going through major life transitions is this job.

You see, I love using my gifts as a teacher. It is the profession I chose back in the college days. It’s the job that brought home the bacon during our Memphis chapter. BUT, I have never worked full-time while also being a full-time momma. I went to Peru, our 17-month-old Ana in tow, and I knew my main mission was to be a momma. My heart has been grieving this life of a stay-at-home-mom for months now. And it isn’t just Ana anymore. I love our three littles like crazy, and I am going to miss waking up with them, taking them to school, attending school events, and the list goes on. (as a side note, I am so incredibly thankful for a supportive husband that loves those three littles like crazy too)

Greg sees all of my tears. He knows I am a basket case in emotional times. God bless him. I was having one of those “ugly cries” one evening, and we sat down to talk about it. I explained to him that I could not put my finger on all that was going on in my head. He let me extrovert, and he heard my words and my grief regarding this situation with my job and the kids.

He said, “Megan, it’s like you’ve forgotten all that we saw in Peru.”

Well, that made me a little bit mad. I have not forgotten Peru, and I will testify at a podium in front of thousands to share what I witnessed God doing during our time in Peru. But the more I thought about his words, the more I realized he was right. I had forgotten.

Greg has gotten a Hebrew word tattooed on his wrist since returning home. It is the word “Shemah,” and it means “listen.” After he got the tattoo, he asked me what I would get for mine (this is a complete joke because he knows I will NEVER get a tattoo). I thought about it and replied, “What is the Hebrew word for ‘faithfulness?'”

If God taught me anything in our time in Peru, it is that he is faithful. Going to that foreign country was a step of faith. Continuing to live in that foreign country was a step of faith. Enduring years of sadness and loneliness because I couldn’t speak the language well was a step of faith. The decision to have children and raise them away from my home country was a step of faith. Why do we take these steps when we can’t see what lies ahead? Because we choose to walk in the Spirit, and we know that we serve a faithful God. He tells us he will provide when we cannot see the provision. He tells us we can walk on water when we feel that we are sinking. He tells us we will survive the flames when the fire seems too hot to endure. He promises to be faithful, especially in those times when we are unsure and doubtful. (and his provision may look way different than that life of living comfortably, but it always causes us to grow and it is always enough.)

One of my favorite parts of Mark’s gospel (chapter 9) is the man that asks for his son to be healed but doubts.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit.“You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

First of all, I love how Jesus repeats the man’s question, “If you can?” The man has come to Jesus because he knows the stories of him healing so many. It’s not a question of can. The question is will he heal him. And then he mentions belief. Everything is possible for one who believes. The man replies with something that echoes in my head quite often: I do believe, but help me when I have trouble believing.

We sold our belongings and moved back to the states, because we feel that God has led us to this place. (It sounds a little bit like what we did before Peru, huh?). California is foreign to us. There have been and still are many unknowns to us, but we took a step of faith to come here.

I didn’t forget. I just needed reminding. God is ever faithful. He knows my heart and how much I love our children. But he also knows how to provide for us here… in this chapter of our lives. I can already see his fingerprints all over my job placement. He has made it very evident to me that I am in the right place.

You know what makes me giddy? Thinking about what God did through the work in Peru. Thinking about how inadequate I felt as a Spanish-speaker, and then getting to see Living Libraries become what it is today despite my inadequacies. I am giddy about starting my new job on Monday because I love doing what I am gifted to do. But I am most excited about what I cannot yet see. What does he have in store for his kingdom here that I will get to witness? I am in that place of feeling inadequate all over again, but it’s not about me. It’s about his kingdom and whether I choose to be part of it.

I am sad about not being with the kids, but somehow God is going to work it out. All he wants me to do is to take that step of faith. He will help me to overcome my unbelief.

Provision

We have received amazing support from our families, friends, and supporting churches since returning home from Peru. I have definitely been absent from blogging. A lot has happened in our time with my parents, and we have now made our move across the country to the beautiful state of California. Before this move, many prayers were lifted for some specific items of God’s provision. We believe that God is faithful and that he provides. Sometimes our impatience gets the best of us or we allow our worries to blur our steps of faith. Transitions in life are hard, especially if you are a planner (like me), and you don’t function well when not knowing what’s ahead. I write this post to reference God’s faithfulness to us in our reentry journey. He has been so good, and I still live by this biblical principle: to the one that much is given, much is expected (Lk 12:48). I know that he has given us so much.

We got to stop and see the majesty of the Grand Canyon on our trip out to CA.

1. Greg’s school

Greg submitted applications to three different PHD programs. It came down to Boston and Fuller. Fuller was his first choice, and Fuller was also the first option to fall into place. We are so thankful for the opportunity Greg has to study something he loves so much over the next three years with many respected experts in his field.

My sister-in-law gave me a great idea to take a pic of the kids in front of the Fuller sign this year, and then one our final month here.

2. Housing

CA is expensive. To make a long story short, we were approved for Fuller campus housing. We found out that we would have a two-bedroom apartment. We arrived to our new home, and we absolutely love it. The apartment is a great lay-out for our family. There is plenty of space for the things that we brought. We live close to the campus and walking-distance from many shops. We couldn’t be happier regarding our housing situation.

our new street. We love the palm trees!

3. A job

I am the main bread winner for the years we are here. It’s hard to be out of one’s profession for 8 years and expect to land a job in teaching in a state where one isn’t certified. I had some high-stress days back in the spring when I was getting my license renewed (that could be a whole other post by itself), but I renewed my license and am still waiting on my CA credentials to come through. Many LA schools require an English Learner’s Authorization (which I do not have). To be honest, I was a little nervous about finding a job without the correct credentials.

I signed my contract this week for a 6th grade math/science position! The school is a public charter school working to alleviate poverty in a gateway community of Los Angeles. The four hallmarks of the school are service learning, technology integration, projects-based learning, and parental involvement. After meeting with staff, seeing the school location, and waiting for other options, I am positive this is the place for me to be. I am receiving a good first-year salary, and they additionally provide an insurance benefit package for our family (a huge blessing!).***

4. Our kids

The move has been hard. We are surrounded by other Fuller families with kids close to our kids’ ages. They are enjoying the playdates, and they seem to really like our new apartment. We are almost certain about an arts-based public school that the two oldest will attend this fall. We are located very closely to a large hispanic grocery store that carries many foods we love, including Inca Kola!!! That made the kids happy. We are still unsure of our PreK situation for Cohen, but we trust that something will work out soon.

Inside Out was the perfect movie to see our first week here.

and for a great price!

So… how’s that for an update? We are so thankful for his provision. For any of you that pray for us, thank you. We are excited to be starting our Seminary (take 2) journey here in Pasadena, CA.

 

***I met with my HR department today. During that meeting, I got to meet the two executive heads of the charter school. One is Peruvian (his parents are from Lima and Cusco). The other is a graduate from Fuller! She called my hire a divine appointment. It doesn’t get more obvious than that for me. I shared with them that I have always dreamed of connecting Living Libraries to a school in the states. They are very interested in seeing what we can do for a future partnership. I have prayed that God would use me in a school setting that promotes parental involvement. This school has a 96% parent participation rate. I am so excited to work in my new school family and to learn and grow with those around me.

Learning to Swim

Our kids didn’t have many opportunities to swim in our time in Peru. Ana took lessons one summer, but it was like one teacher to 15 kids… impossible. For the last two weeks, 2 sweet sisters have been teaching my kids the way of swimming. I couldn’t be prouder of how much they learned. We literally went from all three in floaties to no one in floaties! Cohen even went from being scared of the water to jumping in and getting rings from the bottom. Our little fish are ready for the CA summers now. Thank you Sarah and Amanda for two amazing weeks! You have forever impacted my kids in the ways of water games. 🙂

We literally went from sitting by the pool and sprinkling water… to jumping into the deep end!

Hooray for swimming!!!

Waterfall Fun

Collin and Kristin came into town this weekend for Mother’s Day. On Saturday, we decided to take a family hike to Machine Gun Falls.

beautiful wild Rhododendron growing along the pathway leading back to the falls.

made it to the creek bed… almost to the falls.

beautiful!

so much fun

Reentry: Post 2

A lot has happened that I want to take the time to write about: our celebration Sunday welcoming back our family and the Smiths, how the kids have been dealing with our return, how Greg and I are processing this time. But today, in the midst of my ongoing “look for a job, call and email lots of different people” saga, I wanted to share a story that spoke to my heart the other day.

Cohen has asked me more than once when we are going to go back to our house. I know from questioning him that he is referring to our home in Peru. It is weird for them, because they left before Greg and I sold e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. out of that house. The picture in their mind is just how they left it, everything still in its place. He is also really funny when he asks, “Are we going to stay here forever?” It’s been weird living in a place like visitors for so long. But on one afternoon walk, I explained to him that we would be moving later this year to a completely brand new place, and we would live in our own apartment or house. He thought it was really neat that we would have our own house again.

This week has kind of been a big week for us. I am applying for many different jobs: writing cover letters, answering supplemental questions, scanning and uploading documents. But the other thing is that we will learn whether or not we make it into Fuller housing this week. We have been on the waiting list since this past fall, and the word was that we would find out the first week of May. Fuller housing would be so convenient for us since we only have one car right now. Greg would be on campus, and I could use our car to commute to my job (that I hope to have). It’s also cheaper than the surrounding apartments that we have looked at renting. We really want to hear the news that we got in. It would also be one less headache for us to worry over if we just knew where we were living. But…

We may not get into Fuller housing. It might be one more headache to worry over. It might be one more thing that I have to… have faith that God will provide. The story I want to share is a story that features Cohen praying. On this past Monday, he said the prayer before our lunch and he also prayed before our dinner. He thanks God for everyone sitting around the table. He thanks God for his bicycle and his school, but this past Monday he added something new. And I don’t even think he is aware that this is the week we find out.

“God, thank you for our new house.” There it is. So simple, but so beautiful to this momma’s heart. Cohen knows that we will move to a new house. There is no doubt in his mind that we will move to a new house. What is his attitude? He has never seen this house, but he is already thanking God for it.

Faith like a child. I want to be like Cohen when I grow up. I want to be thankful for my new house.

Reentry: Post 1

I haven’t written a blog post since returning to the states. Our lives seemed like they were in the midst of chaos before we left Peru, and I can’t say that it’s gotten much better. I have several stories that I want to eventually record, but tonight I want to document something that happened a couple of weeks ago (on AG’s birthday).

First of all, culture shock hits a lot later than I thought, and I realize it will still creep up on us over the years. I left Peru stressed, and it has felt like a continual state of stress since coming back. There is a lot going on in my head. I am thinking so much about preparing for the future (getting my license renewed to teach, going through the process to get my license in a new state). I am thinking through the logistics of a cross-country move and what that will do to our eight-year-old that already is having a hard time dealing with this move. I am trying to be mom in a different routine and live with my parents (who I am beyond grateful for, but come on, who wants to live with their parents?). I am dealing with changes in the culture, and I am trying to fit how I have changed (which is a lot) into this new mold that I used to call “home” but doesn’t quite feel like home anymore.

On top of all of these things, I have allowed my grief for Peru to stay deep inside of me. If you know me, you are probably surprised. I am one to wear my emotions on my sleeve, but apparently I only have so much sleeve space, and my body just doesn’t have the emotional energy to focus on it all.

We ended up being in TX with Greg’s family on AG’s actual birthday. We tried to make it as special as possible. She got her ears pierced, and we went to see the new Cinderella movie (which I highly recommend). We had a special dinner with milkshakes afterward. She opened presents from her cousins and grandmother and us. I had picked out a birthday card for her and written a very long letter to her inside.

To me, this birthday was an important day to remember. It’s the birthday between two major life transitions for us. In the letter, I explained to her how proud we are of her and all that she has been through and will go through. I explained that she was one of my constants going to Peru, and I wouldn’t know our life there without her. And now we are making another life transition to a new place, and she will be right there with her brother, sister, and Daddy as my constants. She was so excited to open her gifts that evening, that when she saw how long my letter was in the card, she exclaimed, “Momma! I don’t have time to read this!” She wanted to play with her new things and share the fun with her cousins. She’s eight. I didn’t really expect her to want to read a big, long letter. 🙂

Fast forward to after all the family leaving, her little siblings in the living room engrossed in a movie… AG was not in the living room. I walked back to her bedroom in her grandmother’s house, and I found her laid across the bed, buried in her pillow crying. After she heard me come in, she sat up slowly to look at me, eyes red from crying and a tear-streaked face. She was holding her birthday card.

me: Ana, I am so sorry. I never intended for that card to upset you like this.

Ana: Momma, it’s just so sweet. (blubbering it out just.like.momma)

She went on to tell me that she missed Peru and all her friends there so much. In that moment, I couldn’t hold it in. I began to sob with her. We held each other, and we cried. I told her that I missed Peru and my friends too. I told her that it’s okay to be angry and sad about it. I told her to cry as much as she wanted. I told her that I am scared to move again, but that I am so thankful to have her with me when we make the move.

Reentry is not fun. Transitions hurt. But one thing I feel that Greg and I have learned, it does no good to try and hide it from our kids. Ana is not in the dark on how I feel right now. We transition together. We cry together. We will rebuild together.

Our teammates that went to Peru with us just returned to the states yesterday. They will be coming to our home town in a couple of weeks to spend time with our sending church. Our sending church is dedicating a special Sunday to the work in Peru. This past Sunday the preacher just mentioned our teammates and how they were spending their last moments with the church family in Peru. I lost it. I couldn’t hold back the tears. I later told the preacher that if one simple comment makes me cry, I am in for a lot of tears at the end of the month at this special dedication service.

I look forward to that Sunday. I feel like it will give me some closure to a lot of grief I have kept inside. It will be so good to dedicate a morning with my church family thinking about all the things God has done over the past 7 years in the Peru work, and that will be good for my heart.

As for AG, I am so prayerful for her. It is still so hard to not focus on all the negative things that come from our decisions as her parents. A dear friend reminded me today that God is faithful. He called us to Peru, and we answered that call. He did things we never imagined while we were there. He is now calling us somewhere else. He will be faithful again. He calls. We choose to follow. We don’t serve a god of comfort. We serve a God that makes all things new. He will work for his glory. And AG is part of that plan.

“Some trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Our ten favorite “date spots” in Arequipa

I wanted to list the places that have become special to Greg and me in Arequipa. We didn’t get to take a ton of date nights, but when we did, we would usually go to one of these places. Some of our spots are special because we went there with the kids, but this list is for us. These are “our special spots.” (and it is no surprise that they mostly revolve around food)

1. Zig Zag: voted best restaurant in Arequipa. Besides the delicious tuna steaks and meat trilogies they served on sizzling volcanic stones, “our” favorites were “The Sexiest Salad of Perú” (think artichoke hearts, fresh asparagus, mango, shrimp, quail egg, goat cheese, and red bell pepper with a balsamic honey glaze drizzled across the top), the creamed quinoa (to die for), and their homemade bread.
2. Crepísimo: the same owners as Zig Zag, but a nice date lunch spot. They have a whole menu of salty crepes and an entire selection of dessert crepes that can be served with or without ice cream. Their salads are amazing, and their fresh juices are divine. It is a perfect outing to share a salad, salty crepe, and chocolate crepe with the man I love.
3. TGIFridays: When a girl’s hometown is located 15 minutes from the tiny town of Lynchburg, home of Jack Daniels, there is a great sense of homeyness that one feels in Fridays. Even though the burgers taste nothing like the pictures in the Peruvian menu, Greg and I always shared the buffalo wings with mojitos–they were fantastic. Sometimes we splurged and got the ribs with JD sauce. Yummo.
4. El Gaucho: good beef, great all-you-can-eat salad bar and best fries in the city (and that says a lot for a restaurant located in the potato capitol of the world).
5. Capriccio: They serve the best cakes in the city, but Greg and I love their menu selection. We would usually always try something different, but we seemed to always want to share the fried mushrooms as an appetizer. The fried chocolate filled churros topped with ice cream were pretty hard to beat as an after dinner dessert.
6. Ekekos: This restaurant is part of a whole store, my favorite place to look for tourist gifts, but the restaurant has an unbelievable menu. There is so much to choose from, and Greg and I were never disappointed with our plates.
7. Ras El hanout (Moroccan cuisine): Greg and I LOVE Indian food, and we found that Moroccan food had some similar flavors. We are sad to hear that they have gone out of business, but we sure did enjoy some meals of tender lamb, hummus, and falafels there.
8. Chili’s and Starbucks in Lambramani: Chili’s is certainly a favorite of our whole family, but when just Greg and I went, we would do chips and queso, an appetizer and drinks. Chilis was comfort food to us for sure. Chilis is located in one of our favorite malls. Right across from it sits Starbucks. So basically, it would be our appetizer, dessert-coffee date night. And we could walk around the mall with our coffees to walk off those calories afterwards. 😉
9. Hong Kong Express: Arequipa is full of mediocre Chinese food places, but we loved this place for its egg rolls. Most Chinese restaurants in AQP only have wantons on the menu, but Hong Kong didn’t disappoint us with their egg rolls. We would just order egg rolls from them. Such a fun date night. Unfortunately, they went out-of-business around two years ago.
10. Cine Planet:  not much can beat the Jumbo popcorn and two drinks that we would order to eat with a movie. Besides our movie tickets costing about 3.50 a piece, our popcorn and drinks were around $7. I don’t think you can find that deal in the states. 🙂 We will certainly miss that.

I hope I didn’t leave any out. I will let Greg correct me if I did. These are the ones that have given me the best memories for sure. I am excited to find our new “date spots” in the next chapter, wherever that takes us.

Full Circle

When we moved to Arequipa in 2008, we found an apartment that was “almost ready.” “Almost ready” turned into six weeks. If you know Greg at all, it won’t surprise you at all that he had to have… a coffee maker. We lived in that room with our 17-month-old, nine suitcases, her pack-n-play, and a coffee pot for those six weeks.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture today after we cleared out the rest of the furniture. First of all, a pic of Manuela with JUST the furniture she is taking home with her. Her house will be transformed with a “McKinzie touch” I do believe. It makes us happy when the things that made our home here end up in homes of those we love so dearly. Here is Manuela and her new boatload of furniture…

Here is what we have left to sustain us through tomorrow (teammates feeding us tonight will obviously help in the eating category). Coffee, water, and internet: what more do we need? Aside from not having a 17-month-old with us, full circle! 😉

The other fun “full circle” story is our office for CUDA (the non-profit we started in the first year that we lived here). We lived one block from the Plaza in Yanahuara and our office was located in Alto Selva Alegre, one block from Holy Spirit Park. Now… we live in Alto Selva Alegre (about 3-4 blocks from Holy Spirit Park) and our office is in Yanahuara about 3 blocks from the Plaza. How crazy fun is that?!

Full circle, people. But we got crazy and flipped the office and house locations. Full Circle.

 

 

A new chapter… in 2015

Every tear I have cried in our final days represents a hundred smiles over the past six years.

And those are the memories I want to keep close to my heart in this final week that approaches. It is fitting that a new year has begun. It is natural to reflect on the past when a new year begins. The first phase of our transition has passed, moving the kids to the states. They have been happily playing with their cousins on the farm the past few days. My heart ached so much to see them say goodbye to our Peruvian family here. But my heart is comforted in knowing that they are with blood family that they love in the states right now.

Greg and I are finishing up the final details of moving out of our home. We have a few big pieces of furniture left to sell, a lot of people that need to come pay and pick up the furniture they reserved, and getting rid of all that little stuff that accumulates (food, pens, toys, etc). We are having our final garage sale on Monday. And one week from Monday, we will be reunited with our kids at the farm. I can’t wait. I miss them so much.

Our December Team Arequipa newsletter went out to subscribers a couple of days ago. I wrote my last team article. I wanted to share it here on the blog:

The time has come. This is my last Team Arequipa newsletter article. I was listening to “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” the other day while washing dishes. The weirdest feeling came over me. I remember bawling through that song our first Christmas here, because I missed my home and family so much. I know that many of my new teammates will be experiencing this same emotion this Christmas. But this seventh Christmas in Perú, the sentiment is different. Arequipa has become our home, and we are about to say goodbye to all things familiar to us here. The song causes me to bawl my eyes out but not in the same way.

We have scheduled final dinners and meetings with our loved ones. We have sold furniture and kitchen items that have been part of our hospitality ministry for so long. Our children have cried over seeing many of their toys and puzzles being sold one-by-one with the move approaching. We have made lists for eating our favorite foods and seeing our favorite places “one last time.” Greg is finishing up his theology classes with CUDA. I finished my final year in the library program. Ana will be an angel in her final school performance. We will attend Maggie’s Kindergarten graduation program. Cohen completed his first entire year of preschool all in Spanish. Lots of things are coming to an end.

Little things make me cry. I wrote out the final food menu for my kids’ time here (my parents will be flying them back to the states on December 28). Their favorite Peruvian dish is Ají de Gallina. I started bawling when I wrote those words for the last time on my kitchen menu board. Manuela has started bawling when we talk about the kids leaving. It is so hard to be so close to the move and see the effect it has on those around us.

The first two years we lived in Arequipa, I felt an incredible sense of loneliness. I struggled with the language. I missed friendships from home. I remember Greg telling me that he would pray for me to find a kindred spirit in a Peruvian. That seemed impossible at the time. Last week, I got back from a four day trip with one of my dearest Peruvian friends, Arelí. We traveled through parts of Perú that I had never seen. We laughed. We cried. We shared life. I can’t help but smile about that trip. God’s faithfulness is so evident to me. There are so many in the church here that have become the aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers to our children during our time here. That is God’s faithfulness to a girl that worried so much about raising her children on the foreign mission field.

My dad and I were walking from the city center back to our home, and he asked me, “Are you apprehensive about moving home?” I didn’t have to blink before I answered. Yes, I am apprehensive, because I don’t have a place at home. I don’t have a routine. I don’t have a job. My kids are unfamiliar with everything that is about to happen in their new schools. We have just sold everything that created what became our physical Peruvian home, and I am so sad. I feel like I am in a dream. Everything seems so surreal. But if God has taught anything to this Tennessee girl that struggled so much with learning a new language and doubted how in the world she could make a difference in another country, he taught me that he is faithful. Because even though I am not making it through many days without crying, every single teardrop is representative of hundreds of smiles that come from my memories here. This journey was so hard at times, but here at the end it has been so completely rewarding.

Greg and I see next year as the beginning of a new chapter. It can be scary to travel into the unknown. But we are confident that God is faithful. He is constantly preparing and molding us for things that he can do that are more than we ask or imagine. And he promised to bring to completion the good work he started in us. We have seen his faithfulness in Arequipa. We are so excited to continue to see the story of his faithfulness in Arequipa through our Peruvian brothers and sisters and in our new team members. Please pray for our family and the Smith family as we have some major transitions ahead. But take time to praise God for his faithfulness, and the incredible testimony of living for his name’s sake wherever we find ourselves in his story. Thank you all for encouraging us along the way. Thank you for your words, your gifts, and your generosity. Greg, the kids, and I are all very excited to see many of our stateside friends and family in less than a month. We look forward to seeing how God makes our new home among you.

Christmas in 2015???

I have already stated that this is a weird Christmas… our last in the beautiful AQP. I can’t help but wonder where we will be calling home one year from now. If Greg is accepted into one of his top three choices for doctoral work, there is no telling what Xmas 2015 will look like. (If he isn’t accepted, we are happy with living in middle TN leading up to Christmastime.)

Pasadena, CA (not much different than AQP)

Boston, MA (I will have to emotionally prepare for this snow.)

Dallas, TX (not much different than TN)