We left Canada and moved to Texas for work 19 years ago. Living here completely changed the course of our family's lives.

"Nineteen years ago, on a freezing January night, my husband proposed we move to Dallas for a work opportunity. I jumped at the offer, eager for a new life in a warm climate. After all, we'd been living in Alberta, Canada, for 50 years, and I've always hated the cold. So, we got ready to move south with our 13-year-old daughter and a big dog. At the same time, our oldest child went east to a Canadian university, over 1,700 miles from Dallas."

"The summer heat made our move even more challenging, as we had most of our belongings transported from Canada to Texas in a large container. We chose not to upgrade to a climate-controlled storage unit because it was quite expensive. So, I spent hours worrying about my artwork melting in Dallas' triple-digit temperatures. Thankfully, that didn't happen. However, the heat also meant it was too dangerous to transport our dog in a crate by plane."

"We celebrated Canada Day on July 1, and on July 4, 2006, we moved to Texas. The early days of living in Texas weren't easy. We'd built up a community and network of go-to places and pros in Canada, but here, we were starting from scratch. We had so much to figure out, from finding a good dry cleaner and a reliable local bakery to sourcing medical providers who'd take our new insurance."

Nineteen years ago a family left Alberta, Canada, and moved to Dallas, Texas, for a husband's work opportunity. The move included a 13-year-old daughter, a large dog, and an eldest child who remained at a Canadian university 1,700 miles away. The family sold, donated, and packed most possessions and relocated on July 4, 2006. The summer heat complicated the move, with belongings transported in a non-climate-controlled container and concern about artwork deterioration. The dog could not fly immediately due to heat risks and arrived about three months later. The family had to rebuild local networks, find services, and navigate U.S. healthcare and insurance.

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