Some Bad News and Some Good News

So, the bad news is that I'm totally addicted to caffeine again.

The way this happened was that I went to yoga teacher training, which was just...almost beyond description. More about that soon.

So then I got home on a Sunday night. Monday: I started teaching yoga, Tuesday: my husband closed the deal on the sale of his company which meant that he is unemployed and we are moving back to Austin, Wednesday: my parents arrived for a ten day visit.

It was either coffee or heroin.

No, I'm kidding. (Well, not about the coffee.  That part was real.)

But all of the other stuff was just a set-up to deliver the real news, which is that, after five years in New York, the Coopers are moving back to Austin, Texas.

As you might imagine, emotions are running high, and in my case, conflicted. Coop is ready to move back--his business network is there, his beloved cycling group is there, his brother is there and he does better than anyone in the climate there.  He's NOT a cold weather person.

Kath doesn't want to move. She would have had to change schools anyway, because her school only goes through ninth grade, but she is really grieving leaving her School of Rock community here.  Plus, she hates the heat. And also, she's fifteen.  Fifteen is hard, no matter what, but especially moving.

Jane (12) thinks we should have done this a LONG time ago. In fact, why did we make her move in the first place?  And oh, can we buy our old house on our old street so she can run down to her best friend's house at a whim?

As for me, I'm all over the map.  The Austin we left is not the same Austin welcoming us back. I went last month for a flying visit to house hunt and heard someone HONK in traffic.  (I almost got out of my car to see who it was.) And oh, the house hunt!  The market in Austin is so hot that we are trying to discover properties before they even go on the market.  (Luckily, our realtor is a genius at this.) Something like 80 people PER DAY are moving to Austin.  It's crazy.

But, you know, I'm not remotely the same person I was when I left Austin, either.  I've had this very devastating experience with chronic pain, and then a total transformation through yoga.  When I left Austin, I was kind of a party girl --I was your go-to girlfriend when you needed to sit down and have a glass of wine. Now I'm a tee-totaling, vegan yogi.  I'm your go-to girl when you need to drink a green juice and talk about the Yoga Sutras.

So, anyway, that's the big news.  I know I haven't written in a while, even though I have so much to tell you. But Coop asked me to keep things quiet until he had wrapped up a number of work-related issues and I kind of felt like the news was burning a hole in my pocket.  Like, if I talked about other things, I was HIDING the real news. (Look, I don't make the rules in my twisted little brain.  I just report them.)

I'll keep you posted on the struggle to give up the coffee.  I know what you're going to say about how  a little coffee never hurt anyone, but y'all, when I drink it, I can hear my pulse IN MY EARS.  This makes it hard to hear the still small voice.

Let me know if you hear of a house for sale in Austin in the Rollingwood area, preferably before it goes on the market!

Comments

Oh, wow, that is a lot going on! Has the Austin area really changed that much in 5 years? Did you hear Garrison Keillor's joke about Austin real estate a few weeks ago? He was talking about how people buy high in the spring, and then sell low in August when they can't take the heat anymore. So maybe you should wait until August.
hokgardner said…
C'mon out to dripping with us. The schools are excellent. And I need more friends out here.
Laura said…
I'm so happy you are returning, Barb! Austin has definitely changed, and I'm not happy about it. But our walks around Town Lake will be the same, and we can add yoga to our conversation. I would try to get you to move to Travis Country, but there are no houses here either! I kind of like Jane's idea - make the current owners an offer! Can't wait to see you!xoxo
tanita✿davis said…
Oh. WOW.

A friend of mine took a stress test recently to figure out why she was feeling ill - and moving rates something like 75 points on this test. And moving AGAIN, when you've had five years to adjust to being someone else, somewhere else - wow. I feel you on the coffee. Definitely a better addiction than heroin just now.

I changed, when I was in Scotland for five years, and have come back confused about my role. Just who the heck am I now? But, it's sometimes good to return to the same-ish place, because you can make new rules about who you'll be now.

These are the things I repeat to myself now: I can be new here, too.

Waiting to wave flags for you as you win through this, too.

Your friend,
☺t
I understand the struggles involved when moving with teens. We've done it several times now, always to a place that is new-to-them, and each time with a 15-16yo. (Thank God for texting and online communication!) It can be rough on both parent and kid, I won't play that down, but it gives you a chance (all of you!) to define who you really are in a new environment.

We moved back to our newlywed hometown after a 22 year absence. In that case, I think it helped that we were apart for so very long; everyone had changed, not just me. Some friendships are missing but others have grown in place. And if you are still willing to sit and drink green juice while others are having a glass of wine, I foresee some wonderful conversations and rekindled relationships n your future.
Best wishes to you & your family!
(And maybe step down from coffee to green tea before totally giving up the thing that is helping you cope right now?)

*Kath might appreciate that my word verification includes the word "stay"... but you can remind her that college choices are only a few years away.
I am so glad that life is still offering you complicated issues to deal with....imagine how bored you would be if it were easy?! The little voice is there, just don't let the "stuff" drown it. I think a move is a wonderful way to recharge and change, in very tangible ways, to be the person you WANT to be and blame the move!
" If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it" No idea who said it, but it is brilliant!
Clearly the unoverse has degreed that a green juice drinking yogi in Austin is a must. Go with the flow. you are, btw, bravely nuts.
jennyp said…
Moving is always equal parts exciting/scary. And 15 is just, hard. Hard to live through. Hard to parent. I have an 8th grade student who was very unhappy to move here this year. She bonded with another newcomer (they are now "twins") and she has a huge circle of friends. As you know, it just takes time, but for a teen it seems like forever. And I agree, college isn't so very far away! (Noah insists he is going to college somewhere cold because he has never seen snow, but I think he would come running home pronto!)
Lisa said…
What about drinking green tea-it has a tiny bit of caffeine and healthy so they say. Good luck and I can't wait to take one of your classes-I hope you find a home studio.
Ann in NJ said…
Wow! One problem at a time - Coffee may have to wait until you are done with the move. I think there is no "good" age to move children, so much depends on their personalities. And even if Austin hadn't changed, you have (opposite is also true), so you just deal with the hand you're dealt. Use that yoga training to take a deep breath when you need it. Best of luck!
Anonymous said…
First time commenter-
What an exciting/hard/scary thing moving can be. I hope that some of your old friends have also evolved. If not, you have some wonderful things to teach them. Lisa is on to something with the green tea. Go to Teavana. It's loose tea crack, or pretty darn close in my imagination. And if your soon to be highschooler really wants to be back east, then she can work hard and apply to colleges; it's a healthy carrot given how competitive college admissions are.
Kimos said…
Now you have 2 friends in Travis Country! We really like it here. But she's right - housing zips by here.

You might try to be in aisd though. The high school is harder to transfer into than the middle school. Just saying.
Miri said…
So very happy for your family. Also a little overwhelmed for you. Change is hard, isn't it? But I am betting the journey is amazing. (Oh. And even though you don't make up the rules of your brain, they make me laugh. So thanks for reporting them.)
Susan said…
Wow - life does turn on a dime, doesn't it! All the best with the house hunt and move. Looking forward to hearing all about it.
Ei said…
I don't know what happened that I never know when you post blogs any more, but that sucks.

We have a sweet young thing working here, a graphic designer, who I adore who is moving to Austin in August with her soon to be husband. I should send her to you for...yoga...life lessons...crap i don't know. I think everyone should know you.

You know I'm facilitating a Gifts of Imperfection group which met last night. I have a member that struggles with chronic pain and I was telling her about you. And then I grabbed my iphone and showed them all the picture of your scorpion pose and they were all VERY impressed. And I just felt like today was an important day to stop by and say "Hey Barb, I'm insanely glad I know you." So there's that.