Transition....

Lately the word transition has been a staple in the Thompson house.

Merriam-Webster defines transition as a: " passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another".

Passage from one Stage: Landon has had a little struggle with the transition to kindergarten. He went to K-4 last year at the same place he had attended daycare since he was around 12 weeks old. We were hoping going to a new school, meeting new friends, having new teachers, etc would not be so tough on him. We are now on the third-fourth week of school and things seems to be calming down and he is getting the hang of the new routine. Landon, like his mommy is not a huge fan of change. He craves consistency in all he does. I am glad he seems to have the hang of it now, for the most part. Mommy is getting used to it too. When I drop him off at school I am no longer allowed to walk him to class. I drop him off in front of the entrance and he walks in by himself. What a big boy!

Passage from one Place: We are in the midst of major transition in our family as well. We have made the decision to move to Florida for me to embark on a new job. I have given notice at St. Jude and my last day is September 30th. I am really going to miss my co-workers, which are some of the best friends I have ever made. I am going to miss St. Jude in general. It is a wonderful place to work and I am very proud to say I have worked at St. Jude. I will miss the patients as well. Though be it strange to say I love working with brain tumor patients. I have always had a weird fascination with them.

Passage from one State: I leave for Florida on October 1st, solo. Dennis and the kids will remain in Memphis for no more than a month while we wait to see if the house will sell and if Dennis' job will fall into place like we hope it will. During this time I will begin work on October 4th. I figure if I am going to make this transition I might as well rip the band-aid and just go for it. I will work and look for us a town home while I wait for Dennis and the kids to join me.

I am really nervous and yet excited about this next chapter in our life. This is possibly the largest transition we will make besides the usual ones (getting married, having children, etc). We will be moving to a place where we don't know many people and do not have family near. It is about 7 hours from the closest family we have in Pensacola. We will be a 16 hour car ride from our parents and most of our family and friends.

We have both known nothing more than Memphis for most of our lives. I would love for my children to be able to experience something different. To be able at a moments notice pack up and go to the beach, the Keys, Isle of Capri, etc. I want my kids to love and appreciate the beauty and the wonder of the ocean as much as I do and all the creatures in it that God created. I look forward to mild winters with our toes in the warm sand in December.

So yes, this transition is huge and scary. This transition is filled with uncertainty as well as excitement. It is sad to leave all we know but joyful to look forward to all that will be. I will miss my children and Dennis like crazy for that first month but I keep telling myself even now, with four weeks to go that it is temporary and this transition will pass by quickly making way for a better transition when everyone comes to Florida to join me.

As summer begins to fade to fall in the South, it is truly a season of transition for us...