We lived in Houston for over 6 years when we moved away.
We had our first home together there. We got engaged overlooking Galveston Bay. We survived a hurricane while I was 8 months pregnant there. We had our first child there.
So although it was time for our family to move on to somewhere new, I will always love Houston.
Lately I’ve had many moments that I’ve really missed parts of our life in Houston and wonder where I’d be or what I’d be doing if we still lived there.
What started this whole wave of nostalgia is the fact that the Rodeo will be starting soon. I remember growing up in ole’ San Juan, seeing signs for the annual rodeo and thinking that was “ugh, so lame”!
That girl had no idea what a real RODEO was. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is more than a rodeo. It was concerts, carnivals, animals, shopping, food (you can get deep-fried ANYTHING!) and ya know, the rodeo.
We lived two blocks from Reliant Stadium so I would see the set-up progress day by day and then after it was all over, watch it come down, piece by piece.
Literally, I’d come home from work and there would be more pieces taken out of the ferris wheel. It looked like a pizza with a couple slices out of it.
We weren’t HUGE fans that went every day or saw a bunch of the concerts. In fact, I’d only seen one the first year we were in Houston (Reba – awesome!) and I don’t think Keith ever did. We missed the BBQ cook-off every year too but as the years went on, we got more involved. We took Brooke through the livestock exhibits and showed her all the baby animals. We got the aforementioned deep-fried treats.
Today is Go Texan Day. We used to dress Brooke up every year.
At work, we held a chili cook-off and when the Trail Riders made their way past our building, we all went out, took pictures and waved.
The rodeo is really just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve started missing so much more…my old friends and coworkers, Brooke’s daycare, Tex-Mex food, the ocean 40 minutes away, Brooke’s pediatrician & physical therapist, queso from Texadelphia, 4 professional sports teams 10 minutes from home…
So while I really do love it here in Knoxville and believe know it was the right move for our family, sometimes it makes me sad that all these people and things we loved so much aren’t a regular part of our lives anymore.
Tell me about a time you’ve moved on (literally or figuratively) and how you dealt with missing what you left behind?
So enjoyed this post, my dear! You know I can relate after moving so many times these last few years. Your writing had a sweet tone, even though you were talking about being a little sad, it was a sort of nostalgic feel to the post, instead of one of melancholy.
To answer your question, I myself also struggle with leaving Colorado. We were high up in the mountains so the winter was extremely intense, but there were still so many things I loved about being there. It was a place that was all ours, and Colorado will always have part of my heart. I’ve dealt with moving on by moving forward, and really trying to see my life in “seasons.” We don’t mourn Spring when Summer comes, instead we get out our lounge chairs and sunscreen! So, I enjoyed Colorado, now I’m enjoying Arizona. I still get the alerts from CO though to give myself perspective – yesterday I got alerts that the roads were closed up there after a snowstorm while I was enjoying a 70 degree, sunny AZ day in flip flops! That helps!!!!! LOL!
Megan Aronson recently posted..Accepting the Unacceptable ~ Finding Peace in Pain
Hi Megan!
Thanks so much for stopping by and your kind words!!
Keith and I both still follow the Houston news outlets and some of our favorite spots. I guess it helps us still feel connected.
I really like your idea of seeing life in seasons. It really keeps things in perspective!!
I leave a piece of myself every time I move. Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and home town in Maryland. It’s never easy but yeah I’d be missing that Tex Mex, it just ain’t the same outside of Texas (husband’s from Odessa).
Rachel M. recently posted..I hate kids bicycles and Sam desperately needed new shoes
You really do have pieces of your heart all over the country!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
You know, it’s kind of weird to me. I remember reaching a point a few months after I moved to Reno where I was incredibly homesick and didn’t think that Reno would ever feel like home. I actually worried that I had made a huge mistake. I really don’t even know how or when that started to dissipate. It was, like, one day I just looked around and realized that I was really content living here. Sure, there are still some things that I miss about “home,” but I don’t long for it anymore. I know that I’m right where I belong. 🙂
Aramelle {One Wheeler’s World} recently posted..A Dream Come True