Its 2012 and the Mighty Wainscotts are finally settling in
at their new homestead in Denton, Texas.
Denton is a city of around 100,000 about equidistant from Dallas, Forth
Worth, and the Oklahoma border. It
is small enough to enjoy Christmas trees on the town square, and still big
enough to have a Target. Some
things have definitely changed. The
children are now prone to eat their scrambled eggs wrapped in tortillas, we do
catch ourselves saying “y’all”, and we now have pet lizards instead of pet
hamsters (actually one “official” pet lizard and the lizard who resides year
round in our mail box.). There are
things we are all enjoying. Our
commutes are under ten minutes and we often wear short sleeves in January. We have a house much grander than we are
accustomed to with a swimming pool, big closets, and space for all the
children. Nearly all the windows
go to the floor, which thrills our Dachshunds, and Sarah loves her big bathtub. It is also nice to be close to Bill’s
family after 18 years in Virginia. Acclimation is still tough. Finding a grocery store, or a doctor, or a hairdresser seem
both trivial and important.
Identifying a “church home” for a family of seven with pretty diverse
needs, and one that is open to establishing a deaf ministry, has been a primary
focus. As the children (and the
parents) get involved in small groups, we are hoping to build relationships
that will fill some of the void left by our big move. Mostly we miss
familiarly and being able to relax and feel comfortable. We still don’t
have our crumbs together (and are still to busy to get on Facebook), but we are
getting closer.
In addition to the big move we are
grappling with the health issues of our parents, perhaps expected during this
season of our lives but still devastating. In particular Sarah’s mom who has battled brain cancer this
year…there are no words.
Sarah’s new faculty position at Texas Woman’s University has
been a great match for her skills and interests. She is thriving, able to pursue teaching and research and
writing. She has already found her
niche in developing training for early interventionist serving deaf
children. Frankly there is great
need and little professional “competition” in this area, so it is easy for her
to blossom while making positive changes for children and families.
Bill is working as an interpreter at the Denton High School,
which Noah attends. Services for
deaf students are very different than we are accustomed to and there is a great
need for professionals with strong skills, like Bill. Bill will be beginning a master’s degree program in deaf
education this summer in hopes of transitioning to a teacher position. It has been a personal loss for Bill to
give up the ministry opportunities that he was able to serve in throughout our
time in Northern Virginia. He has
begun working with Younglife and continues to explore other options in the
region and beyond.
And the kids…
Noah (16,
ninth grade) is still “transitioning” to Denton High School. He played on
the freshman football team, has been involved with Fellowship of Christian
Athletes, and is member of Air Force ROTC where he recently took an extended
ride in a C1-30. Like a typical teen he oscillates between being sullen,
charming, snuggly and ridiculous. He is a good kid whose biggest vice is
sneaking candy with tell-tale wrappers in his closet, and experimenting with
music, vintage-look T shirts, and superfluous accessories.
John
(14, eighth grade) is making some new friends, and is pleased to be in a school
with other deaf kids. He is on the cross-country team and has been busy
cleaning the pool in the summer, raking the leaves in the fall, and recently
putting up the Christmas decorations. John attends the Wylde Life Youth
Group with Grace, and carries Grace’s clarinet to the bus top everyday. A high
this year was camping with the family at the Grand Canyon, which he recently
wrote about for school.
Grace (13,
seventh grade) is thriving, meeting new friends. She enjoys playing her
clarinet in the band, runs cross country, and is growing more beautiful
everyday. She is a constant helper, particularly with her little
sister. She is having fun decorating her new bedroom, baking in the kitchen, and
listening to her iPod. She recently went on a road trip with her mom and aunts
to Paris (Paris, Texas that is!).
Caleb
(9, fourth grade) loves being in Texas. He was a power player on the
Denton Wildcat football team, and has recently joined the running club at
school. He has a new pet lizard named Spike, and is usually full speed
either on wheels or with a ball in hand. He walks his sister, Maggie, to
school everyday. He is polite, kind, and quick with a joke.
Maggie
(7, first grade) loves glitter and poof, which makes her a great match for
Texas. Maggie takes great pride in her new reading skills and loves to
draw and cut and paste. She recently got her ears pierced and
has a big girl hair cut. She emulates her sister Gracie in every way, and
loves being closer to her cousin Macie. Maggie is working on her knock-knock
jokes.
New year’s
resolutions for the family include learning to ride a horse and learning
Spanish, exercising and budgeting, getting a puppy, adopting a baby, returning
to Nicaragua, having a party and getting a trampoline…oh and starting a
blog. We’ll let you know how it
all works out. Thanks for thinking of us as we try to feel at home here.
It’s like they say: “Texas, It’s like a whole other country.”
