texas

My mom and I were talking the other day about how 2017 makes 10 years since my family moved to Texas. That really made me start to reflect on all the experiences that I've had in this state over the past decade and I began to realize just how much Texas is now apart of me in ways I had never thought about before.

I was only 14 when I found out that we were going to be moving to Houston--and I was devastated. I had lived in Ohio from the age of two. It was really all I had ever known. I hated the idea of moving to... Texas. I imagined cowboy boots and thick southern twangs. It sounded gross. And it didn't help that my brother and sister were getting ready to go on missions, meaning I would end up basically an only child as soon as we moved. I felt like I would have to make this transition all alone. I decided I wanted to spend the very least amount of time there as possible so I devised a plan where I would graduate a full year early from high school. I never even gave it a chance. 

But, of course, things ended up not nearly as bad as I had anticipated because I quickly made some really great friends. It helped that our ward had a youth program quadruple the size of our ward back home and all of my church friends went to the same school as me--something I'd never experienced before. That group of friends ended up meaning so much to me throughout high school. I don't know what I would have done without them. I made so many fun memories during those three years and still when I drive through The Woodlands I can't help but have flashbacks to those times. Sometimes I almost wish I hadn't been so stubborn and graduated that whole year early.

In 2010, I moved to Idaho to attend BYU-I and when people asked where I was from, I didn't really know what to say to them. I had lived in Texas for three years, while I'd lived in Ohio for twelve! I never really felt like a "true Texan," but my claim on Ohio was already beginning to wane. So I would usually just say Texas and leave it at that (unless they pestered me with questions like, "why don't you have an accent?"). 

Every time I came home for my semester off, it felt very temporary. I always envisioned myself meeting someone in Idaho and getting married and moving to some random unknown location tied to my future husband's job. All of those things did eventually happen, but I never in a million years would have guessed that my husband would end up getting a job in good 'ole.... Texas. 

Zach and I moved to Austin in 2014 and I totally fell in love with that city. I loved the hills and the trees and just the whole vibe. It's a very laid back town--smaller than the other large Texas cities--with lots of fun places to eat and shop. And it being the capital of Texas, I found myself really starting to--for the first time in 7 years of living here--develop some real Texas pride. 

When Finley was born in 2015, my appreciation for Texas grew even deeper. My dad always has said that Finley is the first "true" Texan in our family because she's the first one to be born here. Finley's birth certificate will always say "Birthplace: Round Rock, Texas." Texas will always be apart of her. 

Then last fall, Zach was transferred from Austin to Houston and that has really solidified us living here for a long while. The HP office here in Houston is one of the largest in the entire company so there's plenty of room for Zach to grow here. In fact, Zach started a new job with a new group this past week! So we will definitely be here for a while.

As I drive around the Houston area now as a 24 year old wife and mother, it's crazy to think how far I've come since I was a whiny teenager who just wanted to get out of here. 

Sometimes, I do still want to get out. This is definitely not the plan I had for myself. I sometimes look around and wonder, how in the heck did I end up right back here after 10 years? 

I don't really know. 

But what I do know is that I love it here.

I love having no snow in the winter.

I love shopping at HEB (it really is the best grocery store). 

I love seeing the Texas flag waving all over the place and knowing the Texas pledge of allegiance by heart.

I love that Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio all have something special about them and none are more than a quick day trip away. 

I love the bluebonnets that pop up every spring.

And I really freaking love Buc-ee's. 

I don't know how long exactly we'll live here, but there's no denying that Texas is apart of me now. A very large part. And I'm very proud to be a Texan. 

God Bless Texas

cheesy, but I had to do it ;)