WE’RE MOVING!!!

We’re moving to Austin, Texas!!!!!

Just a couple weeks ago, Cam interviewed and was offered a really great opportunity in Austin. As a couple and a team, we’d always talked about the possibility of one of our jobs taking us elsewhere someday, and we pretty much had a pact. We’d only move if the job was truly life-changing and would really benefit our professional and personal lives. When this job and Austin popped up on our radar, we just couldn’t say no. (Even though we’ll be sad to leave our family and friends here and our current apartment that is perfectly positioned between Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s…heehee!)

I’m feeling all sorts of nostalgic – as I do when moving. (This will be my 7th move in about 5 years!) I wanted to share a little background of where life has taken me (and us) over the past few years and the excitement we have for going to Austin. If you’re interested in a trip down memory lane today, keep reading! If not – be sure to follow along on Instagram to see some moving updates! New apartment, new city, new dog parks for @itsmewex to hang out at.

I started blogging in Cypress, Texas – where I grew up practically my entire life. (I say practically because #funfact I was born in Florida, but moved to Texas when I was one!) It was true suburbia, but I didn’t really realize that until I moved away for college and realized that there is more to do in some towns than go to the mall and the movies. But I loved living there and going to the same grocery store, pharmacy, and nail salon for the better part of 18 years.

For college, I went to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Imagine a quaint college town with all four seasons, a strong fan base, and a downtown square straight out of Gilmore Girls and that’s Fayetteville. I LOVED it and totally thrived there – a weekly farmers market, hiking spots within driving distance, small, family-owned yoga studios, and more.

Why the heck did I leave?! To be honest, I had a mid-life crisis (that hit around my sophomore year of college) where I realized that although I loved Fayetteville, it might not be the best place for me long term post-graduation. I was studying Advertising and felt the siren call of big-city Houston calling me home. Long story short, I ended up transferring home to the University of Houston for the rest of my schooling, and Cam (being a year older) stayed for his senior year and we did long distance for that year.

It was hard, but moving to a new, big city by myself was such a good growing opportunity. My family did live about 45 minutes away (still in Cypress, TX at the time), but I didn’t get to see them all that much because if you read my post about podcasts earlier this week, you know Houston traffic is a b****, so that really kept us from seeing each other weekly.

Most of the time, it was me – chilling alone with some Gossip Girl on in the background in my one bedroom apartment that overlooked a little dog park. I learned how to cook copy-cat Chipotle burrito bowls, how to make new friends (a necessary tactic when alone in a big city), and how to survive hot yoga class. I learned how to be independent and I started writing a book. I made new relationships that I still cherish to this day, so ultimately – being in Houston was what I needed at that time.

The next year, Cam graduated and moved to Houston after getting a job here and it was SOO much more fun to be in the same place. Though we weren’t *exactly* in the same place as Cam was living with his parents in Cypress and lo and behold – my family had moved out of Cypress and into the downtown Heights area. So yay! I got to live with them and save on rent, but boo! Cam and I were mini-long distance due to that stupid traffic again. (A true theme in this narrative, lol.)

But alas – it was a great time for us. Despite getting sick, I finished school up, was offered a full time job at my internship, and we found ourselves going to Ireland and getting engaged at the end of September 2018. A long time coming and such a sweet ending to our college-aged chapter.

We started planning our wedding, moved to our apartment a week before Halloween 2018, and just kept moving through life together in the world. This was when some of those “what if” conversations started to arise over drives around town or whilst eating Tiny’s Cookies in Cam’s car after dinner. “What if we got a puppy?” “What if one of us gets a really good job, but it requires us to relocate?” “What if Bon Iver finally came to Houston for a concert?!” (Haha.)

So yeah, fast-forward and some of these what if’s came true. We got Wex at the end of March this year and we became a family of 3! I thought that was a huge change for us, but had no idea of what was to come…

So yeah – now we’re relocating to Austin, TX! I love Austin. We both do. We’ve both been a handful of times on separate occasions. It’s really the perfect place for us – it’s 2 and half hours from family and friends, they’ve got parks and pools a plenty, and don’t get me started about being able to paddle board for my morning movement at Lady Bird Lake!

So so excited. So bittersweet to leave this home I’ve made for myself here. I conquered the traffic, I made friends, and now it’s time to do it all over again.

If you have any Austin recommendations, or if you live there, let me know in the comments below! I’m definitely wanting to know where the best bites are and who I can share them with. Thanks for following along!

X,

Cristina