Tonight, Dave and I took the kids to Wendy's for an early dinner and then to Eufaula High School for the men's soccer game. Two of the students that I work with are on the team and after a season of cold, rain and sick children, I decided tonight would be a perfect night to watch them play. We spent an hour walking Amelia up and down the stadium steps so she could see "the top" and explaining how the boys in red clothes were trying to get the ball away from the boys in the black clothes. At the half, just as the sun was beginning to set, I scanned the stadium for Dave and Amelia, who had embarked on yet another trip up the steps. They were sitting side by side, content, at the very top corner. Dave called to me and pointed at the sky. The remaining clouds were shadowed with various shades of pinks and purples and melted into a buttery horizon. We all just sat there a minute and took it in.
The past two weeks, I have been homesick. Not for any particular place; just for anywhere other than south Alabama. But on nights like tonight, I am reminded of why we moved here. We are living the life that we hoped for. Of course, it is possible to appreciate a sunset in Southern California, but the fact of the matter is that we didn't. It was hard for us to slow down.
Tonight was a great night. We shared french fries with our little girls, we watched Israel and Ignacio tear it up on the soccer field and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset. The complexity of our lives has been extensively diminished by our move here. Our calender is a little more empty than it used to be, and sometimes, I'll be honest, I just don't answer the phone. I am learning, very slowly, to enjoy life. Maybe it took our move to Alabama, or maybe it is my old(er) age kicking in. Whatever the reason, I have never been happier.
