Rerouting… — Los Hicksons

It's the end of August and we're on the other side of the dog days of summer. I haven't shared an update in awhile and it's mainly because there has been a lot of change, and I am finding it difficult to process and to put into words what it has all felt like.

I will say this: there is no way I expected 2020 to look anything like this for our family, and I'm sure many of you can relate. Trips cancelled, plans on hold indefinitely, realigned goals, completely unexpected changes in direction, and many unanswered questions. Add to that browsing the internet for "fun" face mask patterns, not wanting to look at another device due to "zoom fatigue", and navigating how to safely see others in person while prioritizing social distance over my preferences.

Even as I type these words and remember how painful a lot of these unexpected changes have been for me, I hear that still small voice in my mind - my Heavenly Father, lovingly reminding me that none of this was unexpected to Him . Although that doesn't make it any less painful, it is a comfort and a grace.

We left New York City in mid-July.

Our home of 11 years, where we spent the majority of our marriage, became firmly rooted in a cherished, committed community, welcomed our two fierce daughters into the world, along with our dog, Bess. (Lest we forget - which sometimes we do... a common phrase in our home being: Did Bess get fed today? Whoops!)

We spent the weeks leading up to July packing up our apartment and deciding what would come with us in the minivan we rented to make our 1,300+ mile drive from NYC to Miami, and what would go into a POD temporary storage container. On July 19th, the same week we celebrated our 11th NYC anniversary, we drove off waving goodbye to dear friends as they stood on the curb in front of our apartment building. Our home. Now our home was filtered down to what could fit in a Dodge Caravan, which was impressive to say the least: Two adults, two kiddos, a dog, six suitcases of assorted sizes, five plastic bins, two trash bags of dirty laundry, a collapsed kennel, a stroller, a travel crib, six houseplants, and snacks and entertainment for the journey.

We drove out of the city and memories flooded my mind while the tears filled in my eyes.

On the drive, as we navigated from one place to the next we would sometimes miss a turn and we’d look down at the map to see the gray bar at the top with this blinking across the top: Rerouting...

Doesn’t that just describe everything from the past five and a half months perfectly? Rerouting... also maybe Re-rooting?

One way to describe how I have felt is like a plant that has been yanked out of the soil. All of my roots exposed, surrounded by clumps of earth and dirt that I couldn't let go of. Knowing that I would be re-planted soon, knowing that our little family would continue to flourish and grow in healthy soil somewhere else... but still feeling raw and vulnerable during the transition.

I just read about a gardener in the email I get every morning with recent news updates, and what he said resonated with me:

Marcus Bridgewater — known to his fans as Garden Marcus — built a following on TikTok for his calming videos about plant care that often double as life lessons.

In one clip, he plants a sweet potato vine in a new spot to help it flourish. “It can be difficult to re-root, establish new relationships, grow beyond the old form,” he narrates, “but it can also be what’s needed to create new and healthier roots in our future.”

So, we’re re-rooting.

And that is good. Really good. And we are so thankful for that, but there are still times during this process where we need to allow the space to grieve because change is hard, whether big or small.

So what does all this mean? We are now living with Rob's parents for the foreseeable future, and I am working remotely with my job, while Rob is hoping to re-boot all things Huddle Up, Lucie is gearing up to start kindergarten remotely, and Felicity is continuing her daily teletherapy sessions. We talk a lot about what will come next and wait (impatiently) as God faithfully helps to piece so many unanswered questions together. As we look forward with anticipation to what the next season will bring, I am also learning that it is a gift to have this space right now, this landing pad where we can get out bearings, reflect, dream, hope and have a thankful heart.

Much love,

Los Hicksons

Soaking in as many days in Central Park as possible

Seeing Aly one more time. We framed a piece of the wall boarder that Aly and Lucie made together to give to Aly to keep.

Fafa had a procedure on her eye muscles while we were still in nyc

A few days later she still had a little bruising but she was all smiles.

Took the Ferry to get to see a bit more of the city

600 sq. ft. packed up int the POD to head to temporary storage.

topped off with the best cookies on the planet from Levain.

Can you tell we aren’t used to being in a car? It took us TWO HOURS to realize that we did not have Lucie buckled in!

Recharging in Panama City Beach, FL before heading to Miami.

Lucie settling into her new room at grandma’s house. She kept a piece of her wall boarder from NYC too and had us put it up above the bed.

Super hero nature walk around the suburb

Visiting Abuela who lives about an hour north

Water balloon T-Ball with cousins… basically Lucie is living her best life with her cousins right now.

Playing with vintage polly pocket toys that belonged to my sister as a little girl. Lucie was mesmerized.

Backyard Little Mermaid re-enactment. Complete with popcorn for the audience.

Bess living it up in her sun spot with the garden hose