You would think that people who have lived overseas for most of their married lives (in the Middle East, for crying out loud!) would find a move to Texas lacking in the excitement department, but I have to tell you folks, when we set out Wednesday morning it felt like a momentous occasion in the lives of the Linkers. We felt buoyed on a current of expectation and bright hope for the future. We felt that way all the way to Atlanta, where the passenger tire of our trailer blew out.
We’ve had a series of minor misfortunes since then (no heat or hot water until today, the wonderfully inexpensive medical coverage that we thought we were only paying ONCE a month, a leaky toilet, uninstallable dryer - you get the idea), we find ourselves this afternoon in a great apartment in an exciting city where Franklin has the opportunity to make money doing the thing he loves the most in the world. Besides a bitter and lasting resentment towards Texas Gas (which, by the way, is so common here that it actually helps us blend in with the locals), I think we’re really going to enjoy being here.
The next step in our master-plan is for me to get a job. For some reason this totally freaks me out. Not the having of the job - I’m looking forward to that - but the getting of the job. I’ve got a serious self confidence deficiency, and the thought of selling myself scares me spitless.
Most of the boxes are unpacked and the apartment is starting to look like us (for better or worse), so feel free to come and visit any time. We’d love to have you.










And then we heard from a company in Austin, Texas. Franklin’s instructor from Michigan had called them and suggested that if they were looking for builders, they should snatch him up. And they did. And we’re leaving tomorrow for Austin.