Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Follow the yellow brick road
Follow the yellow brick road
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road
Follow the yellow-brick, follow the yellow-brick
Follow the yellow-brick road!


Can you hear the tune in your head as Dorothy follows the yellow brick road on her way to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz??

Well, the Watsons are off again. This time, our yellow brick road will be leading us to George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

We are praising God today for answering our prayers in regard to Danny's application to the Air Force-sponsored L.LM program. He has been accepted to study Labor Law for the 2009-2010 academic year, meaning we'll be leaving San Antonio next summer and heading north!

We have a lot to be thankful for:

• Our move to San Antonio was an upward career move for Danny, but it was about as last minute as it could have been. I was absolutely broken-hearted to have to leave Louisiana sooner than planned, and the stress of a sudden move on top of being halfway through my pregnancy with Tyler didn't help things at all. This time, we have almost a year to do research and make plans. For that time of preparation, I am thankful.

• We are blessed that this move will put us closer to home and to familiar faces. Danny's sister, Lou Anne, her husband, Travis, our sweet nieces, Lilli and Amelia, and our precious nephew, Collin, live near Raleigh, North Carolina, which is within reasonable driving distance of D.C. One of the things that we struggle with as a military family, is how to be sure Tyler and subsequent children have a sense of familial identification. Danny and I both grew up near our families and have lots of childhood memories of how things were always done. Our children won't always have that sense of permanence, so we strive to provide that as much and as often as possible. This will be an amazing time, especially for Tyler to be exposed to and be able to play with his cousins. We'll also be near enough to many of our dearest friends to be able to see them and their families more frequently.

• There is no shortage of things to do in D.C. Joy pointed out that Tyler and I could visit a different place every single day! We surely won't get bored. And, any visitors we have will have plenty to see and enjoy. I'd say that you all now have an excellent reason to visit D.C. We might even get to meet the President!

• Washington D.C. is not in the desert. It's not in the bayou. And, it's not in South Texas. Guess what that means?? WINTER!!! I haven't seen a winter in who knows how long. In fact, since we're from Georgia, we might not have ever seen a real winter. The coldest it got here in San Antonio this past winter was (I think) 38 degrees, which happened to be the same day as Ty's two-week doctor's appointment and my birthday. It was lovely to feel the brisk cold, but not so lovely since I was worried about my newborn freezing to death. This time around, bring on the snow!!

• Free education with a full salary. Enough said.

With every new transition comes some worry and stress. Here are the things on our prayer list, so far:

• Safe, affordable housing...D.C. is an expensive place to live, no doubt.
• A fulfilling church to attend--you have NO idea how much we will miss FBCUC. I could cry right now just thinking about having to leave our church.
• Transportation--do we take both vehicles? Sell one since the metro is so user-friendly??
• Packing and unpacking with an 18 month old
• Driving from Texas to D.C. with an 18 month old
• Godly friends to surround us

All of these worries will be handled. In fact, we know that God already has them handled. It's our job now to communicate with Him and allow Him to lead the way.

I recently wrote a post about my testimony. It's amazing how my relationship with God has been refined more and more with every military move. It's almost like I never paid attention to how God was showing up in my life (although I knew He was) until I began traveling the military highway (affectionately coined by me as the "yellow brick road") with Danny. I have been a Christian since I was a little girl, but I promise you that my appreciation for and relationship with Christ has been significantly impacted through these seasons of change.

If I had a mountain-top on which to stand, I would scream at the top of my lungs that our God is a God of fulfilled promises. Before every PCS, I begin praying for God's blessings on the other side of the move. I KNOW He will bless our lives through our relocations because He ALWAYS has. And, we expect His blessings because we want to be able to turn around and use those blessings for His glory. This is the one place where my faith doesn't waver a single bit.

When we moved to Texas, I could have soaked the Texas soil in my spit. I was so angry to have to leave Louisiana. I had a wonderful job where I did well and felt respected. I had an amazing group of friends who I leaned on in some of my most trying times. We lived in a precious house in a quaint neighborhood with the sweetest neighbors anyone could ask for. I had an OB who I adored and intentionally got pregnant when I did, not only because it was God's perfect timing, but also because I wanted her to be the one to deliver my first child. And, we had Cajun food and sweet tea...honestly, who could ask for more?

So, on this move, I really had to hunker down before God. I was down-trodden more than ever, but I never lost sight of what I knew God would do. I began every prayer by praising God for being a God of abundant blessings, and I would tell Him my anxieties and fears, but I would also specifically name His previous blessings and flat-out tell Him that I trusted Him for and expected more of the same in Texas. He knew that I didn't know how in the world He would do it, but He knew that I believed just the same.

Although I never lost sight of those expected blessings, it took a LONG time for me to feel blessed in Texas. Don't misunderstand me. We are a blessed family. We have all our needs met, and we are able to serve God and others. We have our health and a sweet, baby boy. Those blessings are amazing in and of themselves, but what I was trusting God for was the blessing of feeling a sense of belonging in a strange place; a reason to want to never leave Texas, just like I never wanted to leave New Mexico or Louisiana. That kind of strong attachment to a place makes a place home, and that's the blessing for which I am always looking.

The first six months in Texas were horrible. They distinctly mirrored the first six months of our marriage when I was suddenly taken to live across the country when I'd never lived outside of Georgia (essentially Gwinnett County) in my entire life. I dearly loved the man who was taking me across the country, but I would have bought a plane ticket home in a nanosecond had I had the chance. Come the middle of last August (gosh, it's already been a year), I was ready to load the car with all my stuff, head back to my old job, shack up with a friend, and give birth to my son exactly where I had planned. I was miserable. But, I knew a blessing was coming if I'd just be faithful and wait for God's beautiful plan to be revealed.

And, it came. It just took a while. It showed up after the first six months of being jobless, bored, and massively pregnant. It came after the birth of my son at a military hospital. It appeared after the onset of a case of post-partum depression and the loneliness therein that I pray I never have to live through again. The big blessing I was trusting God for came at His perfect time, exactly when I was ready to receive it.

I found my blessing in the House of the Lord.

I will forever remember our time in San Antonio for being a time when I grew closer to God than I've ever been. Maybe it was becoming a mother. Maybe it was just maturity in general. Either way, God has used First Baptist Church of Universal City to minister to my heart, my husband's heart, our marriage, our child, and our family. God richly blessed us this go around. Now, I dread leaving Texas and I never thought that would happen. Their big, aggressively driven, cowboy trucks get on my nerves, their BBQ is not that great, and the Texas pride is as big and as sickening as their belt buckles. But, they sure have a church here that is overflowing with the Holy Spirit. For that, I will be eternally thankful.

I'm so glad I trusted God for His blessings in Texas. He certainly outdid Himself. I can only wonder, in great anticipation, what blessing God will bring to us as we travel to a new spot on the yellow brick road. Pray with me that His blessings on this next leg of our journey will be bigger and more exciting than ever. Can someone say, AMEN?!?!?

I'm praying for His blessings in your life, as well. Thanks for meaning so much to us. We love you.

Psalm 139:16: "...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."