I left my heart in San Francisco. I crave the crisp, cool days. I miss the mysterious sound of the foghorns, lulling me to sleep. From our little house, I could admire the glowing majesty of the Golden Gate Bridge that links the jeweled city with the Swiss-like hills, cafes and boutiques of Marin County.

The city is ringed with a dramatic coastline, riddled with jagged rocks and guarded by barking seals. It is an ocean unfit for swimming, but wonderful for soothing the soul. The city itself saturates the senses. Those who have been there, say it is a magical place-so special its description cannot be put into mere mortal words.

There wasn't a day that went by that I did not appreciate it to the fullest. We were incredibly fortunate to live in the Presidio, the former military post, which is now a national park and rents housing to people who office on the property. Our teeny house was built in 1913, had basically no closet space and only one bathroom for our family of four, yet we relished its charm. The real asset, however, was our location. It was like living in the most sought-after suburb with the ability to tap all the city's resources! We were surrounded by ancient redwood trees and immersed in a living monument to nature. We were within walking distance of the ocean and the bay and within a few minutes' drive of major museums and landmarks. We knew we were lucky to be living in a place so rich in history and beauty.

I do not share this with you to make you seethe with jealousy, but to set the stage... For the first time ever, I was deeply happy with where we were living. My husband is in the very mobile profession of golf course management, and our family has moved a lot-even more than military families. See if you can top this-we had moved six times in five years.

To be sure, San Francisco was ridiculously expensive and we would have had a tough time ever affording to buy a house there, but we loved it! We looked forward to exploring the area and all it had to offer-it was a place where every day was an energizing adventure. So what if we couldn't save money or go on expensive vacations-living there was like a vacation!

You can imagine my dismay when my husband told me that we were going to have to relocate after only having been there for a year! My heart sank-literally. I felt sick. I had always been the good corporate wife and supported his career moves, but this was way too soon! Still, I knew it was unavoidable and I had better face my fate like a brave soldier.

Where were we going, you ask? Texas! This was the last place I thought I would end up - and I knew nothing about it, except that there were a lot of armadillos, rattlesnakes and cows there... To say I was devastated would be an understatement. The only saving grace was that by an unlikely coincidence, we had friends from England who had relocated to the Dallas area the year before. We planned to go stay with them over Thanksgiving. If we thought we were going to go through culture shock, surely theirs would have been much more profound!

To make a long saga short; our friends could have been hired by the Visitors and Convention Bureau for their hearty endorsements of Texas. I was still sick and having migraines, but I thought, if I had at least one friend there, I just might survive the move.

My husband had to start his new position right away. We had to endure six months of only being together for two weekends a month until we finally made the move... Over Easter break, the children and I sojourned to the Lone Star state to essentially decide our whole life in one week. The rental market was non-existent and I wanted to (finally) buy a house anyway (I needed roots!). This meant we had to find a house, check out schools and secure a mortgage all in one week! I had to do all this on my own, since my husband was at work, and with my nine-year-old and three-year-old in tow... It had, after all, been my idea to bring them along...

Fast-forward to the present... The house prices were vastly different than what they were in the Bay area. For what we paid for our beautiful 2,800-sq.-foot house here, we could have maybe bought the front door in San Fran... Seriously, the prices there are at least quadruple what they are in our area now. We have a huge backyard and live in a lovely community. There was also an unexpected bonus and happy ending to my moving story...

We now have neighbors that have become an extended family. I did not think anything like this was possible in this day and age. How many of you live in neighborhoods where you hardly know anyone-and you just see the closing garage doors at the end of the day? In our neighborhood in the Dallas suburbs, we convene every evening in our cul-de-sac. The adults chat and the children play. Virtually every weekend there is a block party of some sort.

At first, we were suspicious-how could people be so nice? Now we know it's genuine. My brother who visited recently witnessed it first-hand. He was amazed and said it was like being in a big fraternity. Certainly, the environment is very different from what we were used to in San Francisco, but our family is basking in the glow of being surrounded by good, caring people.

Over forth of July, I sat in the bed of our neighbor's pickup truck. We were watching a nearby ranch's fireworks display. The children were so excited, and since we could not hear the theme music of the show, they invented it. Sitting there with my new friends, my kids with big smiles on their faces, I laughed aloud. In my wildest dreams, I never would have predicted I would be sitting in a pickup truck on the fourth of July-and having a wonderful time!

Now I tell you this to offer encouragement to other families who are planning a relocation. As bad as you think the move may be, sometimes you have to think that there is a reason for it and there may be an unexpected surprise at the end of all the agony. Just hang in there!

I still miss San Francisco from the depths of my soul, but I love my new home and my new friends. We are finding many benefits from the move that we could never have anticipated. For instance, for the first time ever, we have been in an area where the public school system is top-notch. This is saving us a bundle in tuition costs, plus the children can play with their classmates in the neighborhood.

The society here is deep-rooted in solid family values. I see a great deal of respect between children and the adults in their lives. Adults are more firm with their children and the results show. Likewise, children are prized and flourish under the care of the "village."

Everywhere I go here, I am treated to "Texas hospitality." I have had to drop the rushed, stressed-out mannerisms of big-city living to adjust to the more mellow pace here, but I am still pleasantly surprised by how warm even complete strangers are to me!

I've now told my husband that my personal quota of family moves has been exceeded and to not even mention the four-letter "M" word to me for a very long time! (Let's hope we have that much control over our destiny.)

Here for my moving comrades is a mini-survival guide:

Once you have accepted a move, be sure to involve your children in the process. If possible, even though it's more difficult for you in the short-term, take them with you on a scouting trip, so they can be a part of the house-hunting and school selection process. As stressful as it is for you, it's even more difficult for kids, as they are passengers in the process and feel they have no control over the situation. Try your best to put on a brave face and find the positives in the new place-then you can cry (or drink) in private.

Make a checklist of all the things you will have to do to prepare (the list will astound you). The best way is to put it on a calendar, so you can give yourself ample time to get it all done. For instance, you need to schedule movers, car carriers, etc. Don't forget to research all the utility companies in the new place and obtain letters of credit from your current location, so you can avoid paying deposits. Make sure you give the proper lead-time to get all your family's medical, dental and school records. If you have pets, you'll need to get their shots up-to-date and determine how they will be transported. (We actually shipped two guinea pigs and a Russian tortoise to Dallas. Last minute, we found out that they could not go on our American flight, due to heat restrictions, so we had to quickly make arrangements with Delta!)

Be sure you know what the requirements are for air travel - eg. the type of carrier you will need, whether they can travel in the cabin, or need to go down below, etc.

Pay (or have your company pay-if it's a corporate move) for packing and unpacking. I had unpacking service for the first time and even though they don't put your things away for you, they take it all out of boxes and then take all the boxes away. This enabled me to have the entire house set up in three days, and I didn't have to work through a hazard course of partly full and empty boxes...

Don't forget to turn off all your utilities at the old place; get all of your change-of-address cards in and send a form letter to all the companies you pay bills to.

Shop for homeowners and other insurance lines. I had to switch companies when we moved-our company was twice what the others were in Dallas for some reason!

Set up new bank accounts.

Pack a box or suitcase with things you'll need right away, like towels and sheets.

Warning - research car registrations... Learn from me-if you lease a car, call your lease company or get through to the new DMV. We had the shock of our lives when I went to renew my tag. My driver's license was about to expire, as was my tag, so being a good citizen, I marched myself over to the DMV. I was told that my registration fee would be $1600!! Texas levies a sales tax on out-of-state leased cars here-which was very bad news to us. We had no idea and when we had tried to find out what the registration fees were, we had been told it was only $50. We had clearly not asked the right questions! To make matters worse, since I was not in a position to take care of that fiasco that very day, my license expired. What happened then? I had to take a written test and a driving test!! What a nightmare...

If you don't have family or friends in the new place, try to get your real estate agent to be your advocate. He or she can research this information for you, as well as provide a list of schools (and their rankings), places of worship and utility companies for you.

When you get there, locate an after hours emergency medical facility to use, if needed, until you can get good recommendations from neighbors or colleagues for pediatricians and other doctors, dentists, etc.

Try to get connected as soon as you can. This can be done in your neighborhood, place of employment, your children's schools or your family's place of worship, the YMCA, community centers, etc. Once you make contact with one or two people, you can get more help and advice, as well as start to form new friendships for yourself and your children.

The last item I'll mention is one of the most important. Take time for yourself! Many women go through a depression, mini-nervous break-down, extreme fatigue or bout of illness after a move. This does not occur right away. As women, we are the glue that keeps the family together. We have to be strong and make sure everyone else is adjusting and happy. Therefore, we don't take care of ourselves and we pay the price-in some way. Ask for help - from your husband, a baby-sitter, or someone so you can try to give yourself a break. Recognize, however, that you may feel a letdown, even if the move is one you really wanted. Be prepared for it and be kind to yourself.