H-Town
When I was filling out my New Year's Reflection form, I decided to make a little calendar of the year to help me keep tabs on the major to-do tasks for the year, like planning Henry's birthday party, making our Halloween costumes, getting Christmas presents, etc. All of those things have to get done, so I might as well start thinking about them in advance instead of stressing out when they absolutely have to get done. For example, my birthday is in early February, which means I should start planning it in January.
Last year I had an incredibly quiet, solo birthday adventure as I was gearing up to have a second baby and was staring a major deadline in the face (our application for a charter was due to the state at the end of the month).
This year, I immediately knew what I wanted to do: I want to travel with my family to Houston for a weekend of reconnecting with old friends and favorite places. I started looking for a place to rent on airbnb.com and started making my list:
- Breakfast at Baby Barnaby's (and pre-breakfast donut holes from Cristy's)
- Playing at the Menil Park
- A trip to Stardust Antiques (I'm getting weepy and nostalgic just thinking about it)
- Eating hot dogs at Happy Fatz (and cupcakes at Crave)
- Having a play date with my mama friends and our families
- Running by myself at Memorial Park and walking around the Arboretum
- Dinner with Andrew and Libby for sure (and maybe bring them back to our place for conversation around a fire pit?)
- Star Pizza?
- Lunch with my mama friends sans kids?
This month marks our two-year anniversary of living in Austin, and, honestly, my heart still aches for Houston. It's hard to explain Houston's appeal to an outsider, but I definitely still miss H-town.
Part of me wonders if I should make my birthday party about putting down roots in Austin, but I think part of connecting to a new city is maintaining ties to the old one. The more I fill my heart up with Houston love, the more I'll have to give to Austin.
Matt at the Houston Art Car Parade, pre-kids
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3 comments:
I know how you feel. I'm sort of the opposite to you. I'm living in the woodlands moved from houston and before that moved from my hometown Austin. I've been living in the Houston area for about 3 years now. There is alot of amazing things Houston has to offer but I miss my friends in Austin terribly.
I hope you have a lovely birthday in Houston :) I'm a huge fan of the Menil Collection. I could go to see Cy Twombly if I lived closer everyday.
I've lived in New Mexico for almost ten years, but I still miss my friends in Minnesota terribly. I do find that spending time with those friends who have known me for so many years give me a sense of comfort and rejuvenation that makes me more present for my life in New Mexico. If I can feed that part of my soul then all of the other parts of my life are happier too. I think it's great that you're treating yourself to a weekend in Houston!
Those Crave cupcakes!! I can still tasted them.
I definitely understand missing things from your previous community (hence, the 13 reasons for why our move was bittersweet on our holiday card...) so it's nice to be writing this from Baton Rouge - while Marc is at his one day of school per week at our old church here. It definitely makes it easier that our "old" town is less than an hour away! :)
Have fun in Houston!
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