There are days I fantasize about putting our house up for sale, packing up our belongings, and moving out of Texas.

I’ve researched cities throughout the US. I can tell you the median home price, the best neighborhoods, the Good Schools ratings, average commute times, and the weather for more than a dozen US cities. 

I send Mr. Spreadsheets texts… daily… maybe just weekly, that go something like “Wouldn’t it be great if we moved to [insert city here]? The average summer high is [insert any temperature below 10,000]!”.

His response is usually something like “I have a good job here, we have a great life, our kids go to great schools, we have fantastic friends… why do you want to throw that away for the unknown?”

But I want adventure… as long as adventure comes in the form of a stable suburban life.

I want change, I want seasons, and I want to be closer to family.

I remind him that I lived in the same house from ages 3-18, went to the college my parents always knew I’d attend, and that while we’ve moved,  we never done anything “crazy”.

But then I am reminded that “adventure” comes at a price.

When we moved to Austin, I had this fear that if anything happened we’d be… well screwed.

I spent my few few weeks using Google Maps to find the grocery store, pediatrician, and library. It was terrifying. I had two little (tiny) kids in tow and no idea where we were.

I know where all those places are now.

I spent the first year or so longing for the friends we’d left behind in Dallas, afraid that if something came up I wouldn’t have the friends or family around to pick up the slack.

Let’s be honest, it takes time to make the kind of friend you can call last minute because you’re in a bit of a bind.

Sometimes in my rush to move on to the next adventure, I forget that the friends we have are more than worth living through another 40 Texas summers. The friends we have here are “lifetime” friends, the kind that you refer to as “old friends” when you’re old and grey, and the kind that are irreplaceable.

On Sunday night the Princess was sick… really really sick. We went to the emergency room, and traveled by ambulance to another emergency room. The doctors talked to me in hushed tones, brought in a surgeon, ran her through a bunch of tests, but had no answers.

It was a little bit nerve wracking.

As I was sitting in the emergency room, realizing that she would be admitted for an unspecified amount of time, I realized I needed to make plans for the other kids.

And it was so easy.

With one phone call, my brother-in-law  helped make sure my car was at the hospital so I could drive home once the Princess was discharged.

My sister was ready and willing to pick up kids, bring me necessary supplies, and answer any questions I had.

And a good friend… and lifesaver offered to take AsthmaMan all day without question, and brought us dinner.

I’m sure she had other things to do that day, and I’m sure that AsthmaMan isn’t the easiest kid to deal with (he punched her kid in the face a few weeks ago…), but she swooped in and made the whole situation easier.

When I picked AsthmaMan up the next day he was all smiles. He told me all about how Mrs. Goldilocks was the BEST! She fed him zebra donuts and helped him bake a cake… seriously… we all need friends like this.

When I think about all the pluses of Raleigh, Charlotte, Cleveland, Salt Lake, Richmond, and Nashville, I often overlook the one thing they don’t have- sweet friends, ready and willing to check in on you, help pick up the pieces, and who know you well enough to force you to accept help.

While I still love the idea of an adventure, I think maybe we’ll just take a vacation. Adventure will come eventually whether we plan it or not, but for now it’s time to enjoy the life we have and appreciate the small adventures that we experience every day.