Saturday morning at breakfast, we opened up a can of worms. I asked Mac if he missed Boston (where he had been living before we married, honeymooned in the Northwest and moved to Texas). He said, "Not really," other than that he missed playing music. Then he asked if I missed Missoula (Montana, where I had been living before we married, etc.). Herein lay the worms. "Yes," I said. (Every day, I thought). And so, he kindly and bravely proceeded to ask what I missed. I don't think I had allowed myself the luxury of voicing it before, which as it turns out, was perhaps the wisest thing. All of the sudden I missed it so much, I managed to turn an otherwise sunny Texas day into a rather vivid shade of blue.
So. Rather than bore you (and depress me) with all the things I miss about home, and bein' that it's Thanksgiving time and all...I've decided to list all the things I do really like about living here. Can it, worms.
- The people. In general, people are super friendly here...but beyond that, we have made some amazing friends who have made us feel so loved and welcomed.
- Our church family. Again...loved and welcomed us more than any I've ever been in. I know we are where God wants us to be.
- The sunshine. Sure I miss the seasons (oops, it slipped out), but I have to admit the almost constant sunshine is wonderful. I actually think people are emotionally healthier here because of it. Besides, knowing I'll probably never have to scrape a car window is heavenly.
- The rain. Someone told me that Austin gets more rain than Seattle, we just get it all in dumps. I believe it too. When it rains here, it POURS. And I adore a good dump of rain.
- Austin is one of the craftingest, thriftingest towns I've ever seen. You can guess how I feel about that.
- Maybe it's just the crowd I've fallen into...but women seem more secure and well-adjusted here. I have yet to hear one who even hints at thinking she is fat or ugly. I know this seems like an odd comment, but I kind of grew up thinking that's just what women did...so it's weird--and nice--to see something else.
- The recent discovery of a grocery store that carries a bunch of my hard-to-find favorites: fruity tootsie-rolls, milk & dark chocolate covered honeycomb, carob raisins (and maltballs, which I have yet to try), dried chile mangos (and pineapples!?), Silk nog (and pumpkin spice Silk which I also haven't tried)...and in general...just more vats of snacky goodness to sample in bulk. Annnnnd said store is located right by Michael's (which has been selling wool yarn on the cheap), Barnes & Noble (which apparently has free wi-fi now), and World Market (which sells Haribo gummies and my dream couch).
- Everyone needs a chance to start over somewhere...sometime. I've got the best husband and friend in the world to do just that with.
There's a ton more, I'm sure. A ton more to discover. 31 years old and making a home in a new place for the first time...I guess it all just takes time.
