Welcome to Texas

I told everyone when we moved to Texas last summer, “I created a blog! I’m gonna update it all the time!” 

I’m a dirty, dirty liar.

In my defense, I did create one on Wordpress, but then I never blogged.  Not because my life is of such great consequence that I have no time to document it.  (Don’t you love those blogs where the opening line is, “Sorry I haven’t blogged in soooo long, but I’ve been sooooo busy!”  Read:  I’m so important.  Sure.  Whatever.  I’m already yawning.) 

I neglected to blog because 1) Wordpress is not particularly user-friendly.  Blogger is better, so here I am!  2) I went from being a full-time nurse to a stay at home mom.  It’s difficult to sound interesting and insightful with a toddler flinging Cheerios at your face and an eight year old whose social calendar has turned you into a permanent hostess.  There are always children in my house that did not originate in my womb.  Not that I’m complaining; I always wanted to have a home where all my children’s friends would want to come.  Wish granted!  As a result, I haven’t been blogging.  And there’s never any milk in my fridge.

For those of you who are still with me after that ridiculous intro… Way to hang in there, sport!  I’m going to get to the point here in a minute. 

So what has this first year in the Lone Star State been like for us?  So much better than I could’ve ever hoped.  We lived in Savannah, GA for 5 years, so we spent last summer in our South Carolina hometown with our friends and family before the move.  I cried for days when we had to leave everyone behind.  Then we got here and moved in to this great house with a huge backyard, where sweet Annabelle (our big, goofy Great Dane to those of you not in the know) can run and play.  The hike and bike trail that goes on for hundreds of miles throughout The Woodlands is only steps from our front door.  And our neighbors?  Possibly the coolest people on planet Earth.  They all practically knocked each other down to welcome us.  Truly, the hospitality here is epic.  I was so afraid that I would get here and everyone would be an NRA card-carrying liberal hater.  But no, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the area is as diverse as it is friendly.  The schools are fantastic, and the kids have adapted well.  Hubby loves his job.  We are happy here.  (Not in that Look-At-Us-We’re-So-Happy-On-The-Internet way, but truly happy.)

I do not miss being a nurse.  Not even gonna lie.  I still have to clean random fecal matter off of things, but it’s less horrifying to clean smeared baby poo off of a crib railing than to have to wipe it off a 500 pound bedridden stroke patient’s scrotum.  True story, both scenarios.  I don’t miss charting, or pompous doctors, or third shift totally destroying my circadian rhythm. 

I enjoy being home with the boys.  Who wouldn't?  Look at these faces!

I love being able to make their breakfast every day, and tuck them in to sleep every night.  I love being able to take evening walks as a family down to the waterway or the park (there are 4 parks within walking distance of our house).  I love getting outside and meeting people in the area.  Did I mention how friendly these people are?!

Speaking of friendly,  I got pulled over the other day doing 34 in a 20…which also happened to be a school zone.  And I still have a Georgia Driver’s License, a year after moving out of Georgia.  And I couldn’t find my current insurance card.  All of those factors would equal a cop running out of ink, you would think.  I held it together and hoped for the best.  I made a few jokes and apologized.  The cop came back and said that he was letting me go with a warning, and to go get my Texas driver’s license ASAP. (Which I still have not done. Hehe. I’m a rebel.)  When he walked away, he drawled, “Welcome to Texas.”  My jokes have NEVER worked on cops before, so I’m going to assume it was my cleavage that saved the day. 

Another perk of this area is that the live music is phenom.  We live in close proximity to The Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion, which hosts tons of awesome shows all year long.  So far in this very early summer concert season, we’ve already seen The Lumineers and Dave Matthews Band.  Both were completely swoon-worthy in every way.  Here’s a picture of me and my mega-handsome hubs the night we saw The Lumineers.

Besides taking care of my boys, finally having a house that stays clean 95% of the time, and cooking several nights a week (which I NEVER did when I was working full-time, props to moms who can pull that off), I’ve spent the past year writing a book.  To completion, believe it or not.

I’ve kept a folder full of writing projects over the years that I’ve never finished.  (Cue The Avett Brothers singing, “I haven’t finished a thing since I’ve started my life, I don’t feel much like starting now…”)  Most of my projects are about my kids, musings on life, and bad poetry.  Bad, bad poetry that I shall command burned upon my departure from this Earth.

The book I completed?  Fiction.  Fantasy/Suspense/Romance.  Yes, I said romance.  Read: SMUT.  Not 50-shags-a-day smut, but enough that I haven’t bothered to query an agent yet.  I’m too busy trying to think of the perfect pseudonym, so that if my grandmother reads it, she won’t realize it’s me and blow out her last good heart valve.  Or, gasp!  My preacher.  But he thinks my name is Jessica, so I miiiiight be safe on that one.  We’ll see. 

The story itself was born of a mishsmash of my weird dreams, my love of Karen Marie Moning books, and my (borderline obsessive) celebrity crush on Taylor Kitsch, a la Tim Riggins- after watching all five seasons of Friday Night Lights on Netflix.  In an embarrassingly short period of time.  So when people poke fun at me about my Taylor Kitsch Pinterest board, I just tell them it’s for visuals and character development.  Totally normal, right?

I’m really excited about it.  I have the best beta readers in the world.  They’ve encouraged me and championed me throughout the process.  I look forward to sharing more details soon.

I still miss my friends, but social media makes it much easier to keep up with them.  I’m currently plotting to have them all relocated here.

I don’t think I ever did get to the point, did I?

Oh well, I’ll do better on the next one.  Hopefully I’ll blog again before next summer.