Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
wrapping up the past few days...
My father in law is off to pursue great things. He left yesterday for Pennsylvania for five or six days, and then is heading to Tanzania for 27 months. He has joined the Peace Corps, and we, as a family, are SO proud of him. What an ambitious endeavor. I cannot imagine packing up and leaving the house you've been living in for over 20 years to head to a fourth-world country. What a courageous thing to do. He seems so excited and ready to take on the challenge. If anyone could do it, it'd be him.
I have arrived at my brother's house in Leander and must say....I didn't realize how much I was looking forward to relaxing on their comfy couch. This sucker has been calling my name almost all day. I took Scout to get her hair cut today, and it looks adorable. She didn't want to cut it short, so we left it long and just cleaned up the cut.
I've been feeling a little icky today....tired and want to take a nap. Our allergies have flared up and we are both feeling a little stuffy and gross today as well. Welcome back to Central Texas!
More later.
hi there!
Oh hi,
Been sitting on pins and needles much? We are in Georgetown, and spending as much quality time with our family as we can while also battling a little bit of jet lag and dehydration. Didn't plan on that last one. The dry air (even in this humid part of Texas) is stifling.
We landed in Austin, and gathered our luggage. We hit up the rental car desk and grabbed keys to our Hyundai sedan. We jumped in the car and headed to feed our mexican-food-deprived stomachs. We met up with friends over salsa and chips and carne guisada. We went to the record store to satisfy our indie music cravings and Hey Cupcake! to satisfy our sweet teeth.
Then we made a bee-line for Georgetown to be with our family. Things are really great right now. It feels good to be surrounded with cousins, siblings, in-laws, grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends.
Austin area wildfires
Our beloved home-city is being ravaged by wildfires as I type this. They started this weekend and have already burned miles of farmland, parkland and residential properties as well as some businesses. From Bastrop (in the south east) to Leander (in the north west), our friends and family were put on evacuation notice over Labor Day weekend.
I started receiving text messages and emails about whether or not our house in Pflugerville was safe. There was a fire in the neighborhood next to ours, and they were taking water from our lake to extinguish the fire. Our house was mildy in danger, but the hardworking firefighters contained it in a matter of two hours.
Here's a picture of the biggest fire in the area of Bastrop (credit to Deanna Roy who took this picture). That's Austin in the foreground.
My brother posted this only an hour before he was told they might have to evacuate their house in Leander. There was a fire across Crystal Falls Road (where their neighborhood begins) that was consuming the local Lowes. Their house lost power, and they began to gather everything that was essential and irreplaceable and throw it in their cars. My brother posted several times how surreal it was that he was having to make that decision; what to take, what to leave. He was surprised at how little he couldn't live without. How basically everything besides his wife, his kids (dogs), and his self could be easily replaced.
Thankfully, my brother didn't have to evacuate (yet) and are safe (for now). There are many that did have to evacuate...that lost everything. EVERY. THING. Here's a link to how you can help those in need:
Here's a link on how to get updates from your county (in the local Austin area counties including Bastrop, Travis, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayete, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson. They'll send you a text message alerting you when to evacuate.
I read somewhere that there are already over 1200 homes that were lost to wildfires in the area as of November, and over 600 of them were lost just in the last couple of days. Keep Texas in your thoughts.
I started receiving text messages and emails about whether or not our house in Pflugerville was safe. There was a fire in the neighborhood next to ours, and they were taking water from our lake to extinguish the fire. Our house was mildy in danger, but the hardworking firefighters contained it in a matter of two hours.
Here's a picture of the biggest fire in the area of Bastrop (credit to Deanna Roy who took this picture). That's Austin in the foreground.
My brother posted this only an hour before he was told they might have to evacuate their house in Leander. There was a fire across Crystal Falls Road (where their neighborhood begins) that was consuming the local Lowes. Their house lost power, and they began to gather everything that was essential and irreplaceable and throw it in their cars. My brother posted several times how surreal it was that he was having to make that decision; what to take, what to leave. He was surprised at how little he couldn't live without. How basically everything besides his wife, his kids (dogs), and his self could be easily replaced.
Thankfully, my brother didn't have to evacuate (yet) and are safe (for now). There are many that did have to evacuate...that lost everything. EVERY. THING. Here's a link to how you can help those in need:
Here's a link on how to get updates from your county (in the local Austin area counties including Bastrop, Travis, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayete, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson. They'll send you a text message alerting you when to evacuate.
I read somewhere that there are already over 1200 homes that were lost to wildfires in the area as of November, and over 600 of them were lost just in the last couple of days. Keep Texas in your thoughts.
Time apart
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure about that, but I know that the absence of my friends and family seems to bring a sort of longing in my heart that can be tangible pain at times. The hardest part of this new endeavor thus far has been the missing of family and friends.
This weekend, I was able to reverse the day-to-day and spend time with my besties and away from my husband and daughter. The excitement of spending two whole days with my friends with undivided attention plus TexMex seemed almost too much to bear. Then, just two days before I was set to return to the land of scorching heat and humidity, the parental guilt kicked in. I felt horrible for leaving J&S and knew I would be missing them the entire time I was gone.
That didn't stop me from having an excellent time.
But it did make for some really conflicting moments of internal dialogue standing in security checkpoints. I almost felt sorry for the guard in Houston who asked me how my day was. I almost came apart standing in front of him--not what he asked for that day when he clocked in, I'm sure. I cried from the minute we arrived at the airport until almost two hours into my flight. I couldn't help it. I missed my friends, and wanted to smuggle them onboard with me.
I love our life here in Cali. I love this incredible opportunity we've been given, but if I could have my friends here, it would be perfect. I'm looking forward to making new connections here with new friends and old.
On another note, while I was gone....someone started going to bed by herself, using the word "Ye-ah" (think flava-flave) and somehow, her hair got curlier. How much fun did they have while Mom was out of the house?! Pirate baths, playdates, new parks explored and bagel Sunday! Luckies!
This weekend, I was able to reverse the day-to-day and spend time with my besties and away from my husband and daughter. The excitement of spending two whole days with my friends with undivided attention plus TexMex seemed almost too much to bear. Then, just two days before I was set to return to the land of scorching heat and humidity, the parental guilt kicked in. I felt horrible for leaving J&S and knew I would be missing them the entire time I was gone.
That didn't stop me from having an excellent time.
But it did make for some really conflicting moments of internal dialogue standing in security checkpoints. I almost felt sorry for the guard in Houston who asked me how my day was. I almost came apart standing in front of him--not what he asked for that day when he clocked in, I'm sure. I cried from the minute we arrived at the airport until almost two hours into my flight. I couldn't help it. I missed my friends, and wanted to smuggle them onboard with me.
I love our life here in Cali. I love this incredible opportunity we've been given, but if I could have my friends here, it would be perfect. I'm looking forward to making new connections here with new friends and old.
On another note, while I was gone....someone started going to bed by herself, using the word "Ye-ah" (think flava-flave) and somehow, her hair got curlier. How much fun did they have while Mom was out of the house?! Pirate baths, playdates, new parks explored and bagel Sunday! Luckies!
Things I'm missing:
1. Friends/Family (duh)
2. Queso (specifically, Magmud and Cowboy Queso)
3. Hopdoddy burgers (followed by...)
4. Amy's Ice Cream/Hey Cupcake!
5. Barton Springs on HOT summer days
6. Random nights on SoCo with my besty
7. Chuys
That's all for now.
p.s.: SERIOUSLY. I could cry. right now.
2. Queso (specifically, Magmud and Cowboy Queso)
3. Hopdoddy burgers (followed by...)
4. Amy's Ice Cream/Hey Cupcake!
5. Barton Springs on HOT summer days
6. Random nights on SoCo with my besty
7. Chuys
That's all for now.
p.s.: SERIOUSLY. I could cry. right now.
well, hello there. it's been a while, old friend.
So, what have we been up to since March 10th? Oh, the usual...moving across the country, playing on the beach, enjoying ocean breezes and loving life in general.
Best to do things in pictures.
Saying Goodbye to the LRD for now...
Last Magnolia Breakfast for a while
Middle of Nowhere, TX
Me + Scout, Golfland in Pheonix
8 Am swimming in Phoenix
AZ Cactus
California Wind Farms
Bucket Shopping on the Santa Monica Pier
Scout <3s In-N-Out
Happy Earth Day, everybody.
Best to do things in pictures.
Saying Goodbye to the LRD for now...
Last Magnolia Breakfast for a while
Middle of Nowhere, TX
Me + Scout, Golfland in Pheonix
8 Am swimming in Phoenix
AZ Cactus
California Wind Farms
Bucket Shopping on the Santa Monica Pier
Scout <3s In-N-Out
Happy Earth Day, everybody.
BIG news.
If you haven't heard through various social media outlets yet....we are moving! Jay and his company have been "in talks" about a move to the Los Angeles area for about four months now, and we've made it official! We move...next month! Ah! April 15th, you'll find us living it up (or pulling our hair out, trying to find a permanent place to reside) in sunny SoCal! More specifically, we're headed to Santa Monica.
How are we doing? Oh, we are losing our minds with excitement. But at the same time, it all seems bittersweet and surreal. We've always talked about a move and said "no, we could never leave Austin. We love it so much." But at the same time, we've always been open to the idea should the situation present itself. We will miss our friends and family most of all. And how.
So, in the next few weeks I'm going to be interviewing moving companies, resigning from my job, packing a month's worth of belongings for three into my Santa Fe and driving West.
It's amazing. It's ridiculous. It's scary. It's exciting.
It's happening.
How are we doing? Oh, we are losing our minds with excitement. But at the same time, it all seems bittersweet and surreal. We've always talked about a move and said "no, we could never leave Austin. We love it so much." But at the same time, we've always been open to the idea should the situation present itself. We will miss our friends and family most of all. And how.
So, in the next few weeks I'm going to be interviewing moving companies, resigning from my job, packing a month's worth of belongings for three into my Santa Fe and driving West.
It's amazing. It's ridiculous. It's scary. It's exciting.
It's happening.
Things I'm going to do after April 15th.....
*take scout to the beach
*tour houses with amazing views
*be cut/colour model for free @ Vidal Sassoon
*wear sundresses galore
*get some shades
*take scout to the parks
*teach scout to read
*teach scout to tie her shoes
*hike in the palisades
*Cali baby
*call family everyday
*cry a little
*rejoice in the new/now/familiar/strange
*teach scout to ride a bike
*tour houses with amazing views
*be cut/colour model for free @ Vidal Sassoon
*wear sundresses galore
*get some shades
*take scout to the parks
*teach scout to read
*teach scout to tie her shoes
*hike in the palisades
*Cali baby
*call family everyday
*cry a little
*rejoice in the new/now/familiar/strange
*teach scout to ride a bike
Christmas where it snows
We went to my family's hometown to spend Christmas this year. It was another memorable one for us. So much going on that we tried to capture on film. Scout must have been a good girl because Santa came to see her TWICE on Christmas Eve. She wasn't a bit afraid and even hugged him several times. So much changed from last year. She looks so grown up and is such a big girl. I find myself grasping at those bittersweet moments of fleeting childhood on a more frequent basis. How could anyone not smile just being around this silly little thing?
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