Well, the deed is done ya’ll. Kevin accepted the job, we packed up our stuff (too much stuff), drove 17 hours with two dogs on board and a Honda rolling along behind us, but alas we made it! We are here. Home.
It’s sort of a strange thing calling this 650 square feet of your prototypical apartment space home. Of course we’d love to move back to where our family is rooted, but honestly, we don’t know what our future holds and for now this huge, overwhelming city is our home.
We’ve been living as Texans for all of about a month now and while we can’t possibly have a fully formed opinion of this massive state, I can give you some of our semi, well rounded first impressions.
Texas Pros
- Roads – My first thought upon crossing the state line was, “Wow, these roads are insane.” And goodness gracious are they ever! You can get lost on the never ending options of winding roads leading every which way. I kid you not, it looks like an underground ant colony. I’ll make sure to take a picture next time just so those of you who haven’t been here can see exactly what I’m talking about.
- Texans – Unlike Floridians, Texans are some of the nicest and most sincere people you’ll ever meet. Folk’s smile, they let cars in, wave in an act of appreciation, and drive with an incredible amount of respect for everyone on the road. I’ve heard more please’s, thank you’s and excuse me’s from complete strangers more in the past few weeks than the years I’ve lived in Florida. Even the Walmart employees ask how we are and if they can help us find anything. It blew us away, and I have to say it’s quite refreshing.
- Crowds – Everything is less crowded and we’re not sure if it’s due to having more space, buildings seemingly more spread out, or the fact that there tends to be an on-going choice of restaurants and things to do allowing for more “breathing room” or so to speak. Even their back roads have three lanes instead of two!
- Sports -We’re already in love with their hockey and basketball games. (Don’t worry, we still love the Orlando Magic and Solar Bears!) The stadiums are always packed, people are lively, and everybody pours their hearts into cheering on their favorite teams. I’m not a huge sports fan (I wouldn’t even call myself a fan of any team per say) but the people surrounding me usually end up sharing and spreading their enthusiasm. You might even get a flew claps out of me. 😉
- Weather – The weather is similar to Florida in that one day it’ll be in the 50’s and the next right back up to the high 70’s. However, the heat here is so much different than Florida. Texans complain they can’t breathe outside when it’s in the 70’s and we’re like, “You don’t KNOW heat!” 😀 In all seriousness though, it’s beautiful here. The sun rises and sets are just as pretty as Florida’s and it’s nice to not sweat all the time. Even on hot days I’ll have “good hair” from the lack of humidity. Come summer time I’m sure I’ll be changing my tune, but for now I can dig it.
Texas Cons
- Bugs/Rodents/Snakes – So far we haven’t seen mosquitos even when it’s hot and I suppose that would be due to the lack of humidity in the air. However, they do have GIANT “mosquitoes” that scared the living daylights out of me at first but apparently, they’re harmless and they actually eat mosquitos. Who knew?! Florida could use some of them! Even though I run outside a few times a week, I have yet to see a snake. Considering all the dry, empty space surrounding us, I’m a little afraid to run up on a rattler but knock on wood (knock knock knock) that won’t have to happen. We have “lakes” running around our apartment complex and I have that Florida mentality to always be aware of gators sunning out by the water. I no longer have to have that problem seeing as how, well, it’s Texas AKA not swampy. Kevin, however, has seen a few rats and I could definitely do without rodents. Ew.
- Cars – So did you know that cars have to go through inspections in order to get a Texas tag? Not that I wouldn’t prefer our cars to be in tip top shape, but who has the money to fix every leak, spill, bump or bruise?
Anyways, that’s our life for now. Kevin’s been busy with his job and I’ve been staying entertained with my part time job, discovering new meals on Pinterest, and caring for two pups and a hubby. 🙂
I’ll write soon.
xo
Ashlyn
