Farewell Texas

In our last few weeks as Texans I have been trying to savor every good thing that we will miss about living here. The list is actually longer than I thought it would be. You see, when we moved here 3 years ago right after our 3rd wedding anniversary, which means that half of our marriage was spent here. Wow, that makes me feel old! I did not know what to expect. Save for the year and a half that I lived in Virginia and Connecticut as a baby (my dad was in the navy) I have lived in California with my family my entire life. Andrew was born and raised in California so he didn't know what moving across the country would be like either. It is safe to say that Texas surprised us for the better and will always hold a dear place in our hearts. It was a fun adventure living here and we met some of the best people and ate some of the best food in the whole world. As a result, none of my clothes fit, but it was worth it.

Here are some of the things that I will miss about life in Texas:

Our friends. But most of them are California transplants so we'll still get to see them often :)

The BBQ.  Specifically The Salt Lick and Franklin's in Austin.

 

The cheap cost of living. Texas definitely has California beat on $ per square foot.

HEB. Oh Herbert E Butt, the one and only grocery store. If it weren't for your complimentary booze and sushi samples I might miss Vons and Albertsons a little more.

I will miss giggling at the prospect of buying "butt" water and "butt" ice cream... we preface everything we buy there with butt because of the name. Yeah, we're mature like that.

Tex Mex, queso, and breakfast tacos. Yes, most of what I will miss about Texas is the food. That should not come as a surprise.

Beautiful sunshine. (And equally beautiful air conditioning.)
Texas is flat, even out here in hill country, but it makes for some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Shiner ruby redbird. 

It's a citrus infused beer that tastes like Summer and is almost as refreshing as a quart of Bluebell ice cream, which I will also miss. I think I can get both of these in California, but they're hard to come by and will always remind me of Texas.

Lazy days at the pool.

Sure there are pools in California, but none are so refreshing as the pools in Texas when it is 100 degrees out. In Texas I didn't care about getting my hair wet or ruining my make up by canon-balling into the pool. It's so humid your hair and make up always looks like you just got out of the pool. *I will not miss the humidity!

I will miss Austin, Houston, and Dallas. Equally. I don't want to offend anyone, but it turns out San Antonio is the weakest of the main cities in Texas. I can say that with certainty because I lived here. Yeah the Alamo and River walk are nice, but you can knock those out in an hour and be done. Austin has all the best concerts, 6th street and all the weirdos (Their mantra is "keep Austin weird"), Ladybird Lake, and the closest Ikea. If we ever move back to Texas I would want to live in Austin, or Round Rock a little north of it because of traffic. And because it's where the Ikea is.  I also really love Houston. Not just because of the Galleria, though that definitely tips the scales in its favor. And Dallas is just fabulous. Do they have a Real Housewives of Dallas yet? They need to get on that stat.

I will say that we are leaving at just the right time. The Texas chapter of our lives has come to a close and it feels like it's time to go. I will also say that Summer's here are completely miserable (so, so hot!) and I won't miss them even for a minute. Oh and the {abysmal} drivers. Wow. Just wow. Prayers for a safe drive home are much appreciated!