If you are coming here to read today’s post and you missed part 1, you can find that here!
I was standing in our tiny kitchen in our two bedroom apartment, making my lunch for the next day, when H got home. I vividly remember this day. He came home and informed me that his AD got a job at another school and wanted to take us with him. Ummm, excuse me? I didn’t even know that was possible. Better yet, he wanted to make H his Defensive Coordinator. Yea, you read that right, his DC.
At the time, this was only my third year in this business. A lot of the events that were happening, I had no idea that it was even possible. I didn’t realize that people “took them with you.” I didn’t know that it was possible for things to change so quickly and that it was normal for people to move this much. I knew our circumstances in Crane were forced, but this situation that we were presented was a choice. H was about to go from being a junior high coach to a defensive coordinator. Not something that is heard of often in the coaching world. We realized that this was an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up so in the summer of 2016, we moved again to Ferris, Texas.
Three families and one single guy were all apart of the move to the DFW area. The only person who had somewhere to live was the AD. So what did we do? We all lived in the same house for about a month and a half. It was one of the best things that has ever happened to us throughout this whole process. Our AD not only took H and all of these people with him and gave them promotions, he also (and his wife and kids) voluntarily let seven adults, four kids, and two dogs live in a four bedroom, two bathroom house.
Never once were there problems and we undoubtedly became incredibly close. We planned dinners together, got into a shower/use of the bathroom routine. The dynamic of our relationship grew to one that I hope other people get to experience one day. We support each other in everything we do. We are each other’s babysitters. We go to all of the children’s events, not because we have to but because that is what family does. We would do anything for each other and we are very understanding of how each of us work and when we need our space.
The best part of it all is that we never had to be the “new person in town” alone. We got to experience all of the new with each other by our sides. We get to see each other’s kids grow up and as they grow up, we get to make new traditions. Most of our extended family lives far away so we had no choice but to make each other our new family. Being a football family takes teamwork. When our husbands are gone most hours of the week, it makes it easier when we can lean on each other and look for support. It requires physical demands and emotional commitment from everyone involved.
It’s funny how the way He works and what His plans are. When I look back at it now, the timing was perfect. We were newlyweds, had no kids besides our precious fur baby, making it the perfect time to move to a new place. H and I were excited to start a new life, create new memories, and take advantage of new opportunities. This is never where I expected to be in my life but now I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I am so thankful for the family that we have created. I don’t know what the future holds but I do know that the Frat House will always stick together.
