Top 10 Reasons Why i Like Living in Texas

So we've basically been in Dallas since July (if you want to get technical Coach moved here in April, KJ and I got here mid-June but our household goods weren't delivered until June 29) and I think it is now safe to say all parties involved are pretty happy!

A la David Lettermen, here are my Top 10 Reasons Why I Like Living in Texas (other than the fact that BK is from Texas): 

#10. The Shopping --  I have some of the best shopping I have ever had in any state I've ever lived in within a mile or two of our home.  From trendy little boutiques to specialty shops to large national chains, any store I could ever need is right nearby.

#9. The Food -- as with Shopping, the selection of restaurants is wonderful!  We have a favorite hamburger place, a favorite Sushi place, a new favorite taco place, a favorite place to grab a pizza and we even have a favorite smoothie place.  If we want Italian, Greek, Chinese, Mexican, seafood or something we didn't even know we were craving, it's all right here.

#8. Sports -- if you want to play it or watch it, Dallas is the place to be!  Hockey, Football, Baseball, college teams, high school teams, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, Top Golf, ... you name it, it's here. 

#7. Outdoor (and sometimes Indoor!) Adventures -- Six Flags is here, numerous water parks, a zoo (one here in Dallas and one in Ft. Worth),  indoor sky diving, Zip Lining, indoor rope courses and lots and lots of parks!  We have a wonderful park right outside the entrance to our subdivision and frequent regularly.  And yes, I've even started running again.  And there are lots of water sports, too!  We've already been paddle boarding and this summer I can't wait to hit the Hill Country and do some river tubing on a hot sticky weekend. Plus there are lots of cool swimming holes around. And if you feel the need to go snow tubing but don't like the cold, you can always go sledding at the Gaylord Texan like KJ and the kids did at Thanksgiving.

#6. The Weather -- so far, the weather in Texas has been very very good to us. We had an extremely pleasant first summer in Dallas. We had a handful of 100+ plus temps (maybe 5 days total?  7 at the very most) but they were not unbearable and we didn't really have any humidity. I was expecting much much worse.  We've had 1 tornado warning since we've been here (like "full-on sirens / get to your safe place NOW!" kind of deals) but having experienced that in Ohio and Alabama, it wasn't terrible.  We had a couple of "chilly" days (low 30's??) and an hour or so of snow flurries. Now, I know Texas weather can been extreme and highly unpredictable but again, so far so good. 

#5. Small Towns -- I love the quaint small towns we have nearby ... Grapevine especially!  Christmas was incredibly magical in Grapevine, there's always some kind of festival going on it and has some of the best #9 and #10 listed above!  Although they aren't considered "small" towns (because let's face it, EVERY thing is bigger in Texas), I'm looking forward to exploring San Antonio and Austin and we like wandering around Ft. Worth.  Not sure yet how I feel about Houston.

#4. Our House --  Coach and I agree this is quite possibly our favorite house we've ever lived in. This house is SO us. It's just right for our needs right now.  The layout is perfect for us, the room sizes are great and everyone has nice big closets, we love the media room and all our furniture looks great! 

#3. Our Pool -- seriously.  We love the pool.

#2. Texas Pride -- every where you look and every where you go, there's either a HUUUUUUGE Texas flag flying over head or there's Texas star somewhere.  I  actually started to take pics of the stars because they are so cool! 

Dang!  I just realized that I haven't even mentioned how much we love KJ's school, the art scene here, how pet-friendly it is here, the cool college towns or the great museums!  I probably should have made a top 15 list.

And the #1 reason why I like living in Texas:  The People!!!  Everyone here is so damn friendly and nice. No one cares where you're from or where you've been, no one cares if you're an Auburn or Alabama fan, no one minds what church you go to, no one has questioned my accent (or lack thereof) and no one has called me a (damn) Yankee or said "oh. You're from up North."  I have yet to meet a single gossipy or judgey person.  The parents don't gossip on the sidelines (they might wish their kid got a little more playing time but they don't engage in negativity towards the coach or the program). No one is pretentious or showy or fake or phony.  It's not a constant competition.  And I really really like that.

Has it really been almost a month since I last blogged?  Wow?  Well, let's see . . . As usual, it's been a busy couple of weeks!  

KJ's lax season is winding down but volleyball is in full swing.  It feels like this travel volleyball season has gone on FOREVER.  We were supposed to participated in a tournament at the U of Delaware last weekend but at the last minute the team decided to do a tournament closer to home and the girls ended up winning it all.  KJ, like T, has had a difficult time juggling the two sports (T had to juggle dance team and lax in high school).  Actually, I shouldn't say that.  She's been very clear on what she needs to do to be a contributing member of each squad and has to make some tough decisions.  I think she's done a great job (especially maintaining her grades!  Honor Roll again baby!!!).  It's been her coaches who have had a harder time.  She's had to miss some lax for volleyball and vice versa.  The weekend they won the volleyball tournament she had to miss a lax game and her lax coach was a little upset with her.  On the flip side, she's had to miss volleyball for lax.  Fortunately, she's playing great on both both squads and has had two lax goals this season so far and numerous assists!  Big Daddy is SO proud!!!

Easter in Dallas was a ton of fun and we had such a great time at Six Flags with T-bone and Pony Boy!  Johnny Frat-Boy had never been on extreme roller coasters before and I think he had a thrilling time!  We had a wonderful brunch at the Westin and after T and Fratty headed back to Oxford, KJ, Cosmo and I spent the afternoon exploring downtown and did the tour at the Book Depository at Dealy Square.  Fascinating exhibit and the history nerd in me loved it!  We also walked around the campus SMU.  Monday, while Cosmo was at the office, KJ did some shopping at Grapevine Mills and had a fun lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and walked around the quaint town of Grapevine.  We fond the new Steel City Pops and chilled with some pops and had lunch at a great Mexican restaurant before KJ and I flew back to Baltimore.  Cosmo likes the Dallas branch and his apartment is very cool, kinda feels like an upscale New York loft -- HUGE bathroom, granite counters, chef's kitchen, etc.

Cosmo flew home this weekend and my parents were also here for a few days on their way back to PA from wintering in FL.  It was a nice, low-key weekend.  The weather was nice, but only in the low 60's w/ lots of sunshine,  We had Jimmie Cone for the first time this season on our way to dropping Cosmo off at the airport.

Gotta busy week coming up -- lots of landscaping going on and we're going to open the pool soon.  KJ has lax and volleyball this week and I've got to get my car registered in Maryland since my Alabama registration is about to expire.

Sneaky Spot

T and I cleaned the Sneaky Spot yesterday while KJ was whooping it up at Six Flags.  I guess I should back up a minute and explain what the Sneaky Spot actually is.

T was not quite 5 years old when we moved to Birmingham.  We were taking the tour with the realtor when we opened a door at the top of the stairs which lead to a little office/study.  T took one look at it and said, "Ooooohhh!  A Sneaky Spot!"  And the name stuck.  It's a really neat little space / bonus room with built in shelving, an angled ceiling and a parquet floor.  When the girls were little they used it as a playroom and had the Little Tykes kitchen set up there, they played dress up, read books while relaxing on the beanbag chair, colored, etc.  Then, as the girls got older and outgrew the Sneaky Spot, it became a bit of a junk room.  If you didn't know where something belonged, "just throw it in the Sneaky Spot; no one goes in there any more."  I tried to take it over as my office at one point and Cosmo installed a counter for me to do scrapbooking, etc.  It just never took hold.  So, the Sneaky Spot became more of a Catchall Corner over the years.

We tore that room up yesterday and I'm happy to say we have a nice, clean, organized Sneaky Spot once again. I keep all of our photo albums up there and T and I had a lot of laughs over some old photos.  KJ was a beautiful baby and toddler but had the worst smile.  It was more like a grimace.  We used to have to bribe her to smile in photos.  Even now it's a bit of a struggle to get her to smile in photo but she's kind of learned if she just gives a quick grin, I'll snap the photo and leave her alone.  As long as she doesn't do a bunch of those awful duck-face "selfies" I'm OK with it.