Well, the title of this blog post doesn’t leave much to the imagination, so I’ll jump straight to the point: Derek and I are moving back to Texas!
In some ways, it barely feels like any time at all has passed since I shared the announcement that we were moving from Houston to the California Bay Area; in many other ways, that post feels like a lifetime ago.
The truth of the matter is that we’ve spent nearly three years living here in Northern California, and returning home to Texas is as bittersweet as bittersweet can be.
On the one hand, being closer to our families again will be such a refreshing change. Plus, we truly love Texas! That said, California has worked its way into our hearts, and leaving behind all of this magic and beauty will be very painful.
Leaving a place you love deeply—even if it means returning to another place you love deeply—isn’t easy. I shed plenty of tears when we left Texas, and I’m sure I’ll shed a few more as we prepare to head back.
Still, I’m very excited for all the new adventures that await us in Texas—especially because we’re not moving back to Houston, but to one of our all-time favorite cities in the United States…
Yes, we’re moving to Austin, TX!
Derek and I got married in Austin in April 2017, just one month before our move out to California. We chose Austin as our wedding location—rather than our hometown of Houston—because we both always loved the vibe and scenery of the city.
The hills, the parks, the lakes, the colorful street murals, the hip coffee shops, the amazing food trucks, the laid back outdoor bars…Austin seems to have everything that Derek and I enjoy the most, and we’re so excited to experience it from the perspective of residents rather than visitors.
We’re hoping our love for the city remains just as strong after we begin calling Austin “home.”
3 things I’m most sad to leave behind in the Bay Area:
- The weather. I mean, obviously. San Jose has amazing weather—the 4th best of any city in the nation, apparently! On average, we get 0 days below freezing and 2 days above 90 degrees out here in San Jose, plus 260 days of sun. Austin, on the other hand, had 56 days above 100 degrees last year! 🔥
- The nature. Not that Texas doesn’t have nature…you can find a hill every now and then, if you know where to look. 😉 But Texas sure doesn’t have a Yosemite, or a Big Sur, or a Half Moon Bay…and knowing that we’re saying goodbye to those places really does make my heart feel a bit crushed 🙁
- The wine culture. One of our favorite weekend activities here in the Bay Area is driving 20 minutes up into the Santa Cruz Mountains for some wine tasting. If we’re craving a night away, we’ll drive the 2 hours up to Napa or Sonoma for a full weekend of wine tasting. Austin has some great craft breweries and distilleries, but those just aren’t the same for us winos.
5 things I’m most excited to experience in Austin:
- TEX-MEX. Y’all, I freaking love me some Tex-Mex. California, you can keep your super burritos—just give me all the fajitas. Mmmmm.
- Austin’s quirky charm. The food trucks, the Congress Bridge bats, the public art, all the funky shops on South Congress and the laid-back bars on Rainey Street…Austin really does have a lot of charm and character, which is one thing many Bay Area cities are sorely lacking (sorry!!). I’m excited to be moving back to a city with a lot more visual variety.
- Summer activities. The silver lining of all those sweltering summer days in Texas? There are plenty of ways to keep cool! Floating the San Marcos River just outside of Austin was so much fun, and I’m itching to do it again this summer. I’ve also never been to Hamilton Pool or Barton Springs, so those are definitely high on my Texas bucket list.
- Laid-back outdoor bars. I know, I know—you’d think California, with all its nice weather, would be the state with the best outdoor bars…but it isn’t so, my friends! Texas, and especially Austin, has a ridiculous number of hip patio bars, beer gardens, and other places to drink outdoors. Going out in Austin always feels like going to a big backyard party, and I love it.
- Being closer to family. As much as Derek and I love California, we’ve always felt a bit isolated out here. My parents live nearly 2,000 miles away from us, and his are much further than that. Although we won’t be living in the same city as them, we’ll be much closer to both sets of parents, as well as Derek’s sister and my sisters.
Another unexpected perk of living on the West Coast was all of the new travel destinations it has unlocked for us.
We tend to prioritize destinations that are most accessible from where we live (why spend 20 hours traveling when you could spend 6 and go somewhere just as cool?) and with SFO as our home airport, we’ve enjoyed nonstop flights to places like Hawaii, French Polynesia, China and New Zealand.
But hey, living in Texas means we’ll be better positioned to do more travel in Europe, Central America and South America!
In the end, I’m glad that we are able to say with confidence that we have truly made the most of our time here in California. Now, we’re heading back to Texas with no regrets and full hearts ❤️❤️❤️
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