Some of you guessed it.
We moved! Again. Back to Houston!
As in we are not movING, we have already movED. A few weeks ago, right before we came to Chicago for the interim.
When we made the decision to move to Austin from Chicago it was under major duress. We knew we would have to be in Texas, and close to Texas Children’s Hospital, but Pete had lived in Houston with me our first year out of college and didn’t super love it and had basically said he would never live there again. And truth be told, I never thought I would want to either.
So we decided on Austin.
It was close enough to TCH, I had lived there in college and loved it so much, and Pete had loved it too when he visited me. We tried to stay in Austin after college, but the job/school situation didn’t work out. Making that quick decision when I was pregnant, it seemed like the obvious choice, and we really thought we would be there forever. And then when we were in Houston waiting to have Gracie and after she was born, we loved it, and kind of didn’t want to leave. But we had bought Mr. Banks. Which looking back was probably not the best decision, we were in such a state of flux not knowing what was going to happen to Gracie, making huge commitments like that didn’t really make sense.
But if you had told me that at the time I would have legit kicked you in the shins. I was pregnant and traumatized and needed to nest. And I will be forever grateful for the distraction renovating Mr. Banks provided during our tough time, and for being such a happy and healing place for us to live during Gracie’s first year. It was really hard and sad for me to leave Clifford, but when we went and visited the new owners there last week it made me so happy to see a family there loving the home, it was very meant to be. And I know some family is going to be very happy in Mr. Banks, too.
But we are back in Houston now.
Firstly because Pete has a work opportunity there, but also for lots of other reasons, some of which are part of Secret #2 that I will tell you tomorrow. And it is happy. Pete and I have had a lot of life adventures together, living in DC, New Orleans, Austin, and Chicago. And I think it is really good to do that in your marriage, if you can. It is strengthening to be on your own together, and bonding to be somewhere new. But at this point in our lives, and now that we have Gracie, we really just want to be closer to family and friends. When we were in Chicago it was so nice being able to have Pete’s parents near by, and it was so much easier to meet people and feel at home in the city having Pete’s best friends around.
We had so much fun in Austin, it truly is as great a city as people say it is, but I just don’t think it ever really felt like home to us. Pete’s job situation never panned out the way we thought it would when we moved there, and I felt really isolated without mom friends. I tried to make some, and I made a couple, but I was doing things like giving my number to cute moms at the pediatrician, who never called (womp womp) and then going on Facebook and seeing pictures of friends all hanging out with their babies together in Houston and I would cry. Hormones. But that is a whole other post.
So that is Secret #1. Sorry I was so trixie and keeping that from y’all. I know you guys all know we are a little cray, but I kind of fear redoing another house and living in it for less than a year makes me legit cray. Sorry Mr. Banks. And so because I know y’all are going to ask, yes we found a house in Houston. It needs very little work. We are repainting, redoing some cabinetry, fixing some foundation issues…If I am addicted to renovating, this is like my last pack of nicorette gum. I’m scaling back my obsession. And we super love the house. We haven’t named it yet, but it is beautiful and cozy and we will be moving in October(ish). Until then it is back to the garage apartment at my Moms house. Which should be interesting with everything else we have going on (Secret 2) and an almost toddler.
That was tons of words, and if you are still reading, I am flattered and impressed. So Secret #1 is out, and I can’t wait to share #2 with you tomorrow. It is the one I am most excited to share. Ahhh. So excited. Tomorrow.
But I do feel so much better now. I am an over sharer and keeping secrets is almost physically difficult for me. Unless you want to tell me good gossipy secrets, and then I am a steal trap. I promise.
