pros & cons

Even though I've been dreaming about moving back to Austin for what feels like AGES now, the truth is, Austin has changed quite a bit in the 11 years since I've been gone. And while I've ragged on Houston a lot in my 11 years of calling it home, there are actually things I will miss about being here...and things I'm not entirely excited about in the new Austin.

photo of Houston skyline by my buddy Gene Inman.

Let me just get this out of the way: I will not miss the HUMIDITY or the MOSQUITOES. I will also not miss: hurricane season, flash flooding, the Rodeo, the 425 Allen Parkway closures annually, the HUGE stray dog problem, the humidity & the mosquitoes. Wait, did I already mention the humidity & mosquitoes? Yeah, really not gonna miss those.

Things I Will Miss About Houston:
My girlfriends, of course. The girls I've connected with here are throwbacks to my junior high days & I'm so honored that I was able to re-connect with them right when I first moved here. So grateful that I have gotten spend so many fun times with them again in our adult years!

Corner Bakery chocolate muffins.

Cafe Express deli trio salad.

Salata salad wraps.

LaGriglia belinis, and the free before-meal pizza bread & after-meal cookies.

El Tiempo queso & sausage fajitas.

[wait I'm sensing a pattern quickly emerging!]

Living 15 minutes away from just about everything I need.

Texas Art Asylum.

The dude at Texas Junk Company.

Granitas at Agora coffee house.

The springtime jasmine aroma that fills the air & the brilliant pink azalea blooms that paint this city pink.

Memorial Park.

The hope of revisiting certain date spots with a certain someone.

My long-timer dog clients: Lady, Penny, Mister, Bo, & Charlie.

My cute 1890's house in the historic Old Sixth Ward neighborhood.

Direct flights.

The eclectic Houston skyline.

I'm sure there are more that are escaping me at the moment...things I'll miss once I'm really gone. But also I'm sure I'll be back to Houston at some point, and then I can revisit some of these like a long-lost lover. But until then, here's to looking ahead...embracing what will be new, different, and the same...back in Austin.

xoxo!