This week marks our first anniversary as Texans and it’s hard to believe a year has passed since we packed up our lives in California and embarked on a 1700 mile road trip to begin our new adventure here in Austin.
Having collectively lived in 4 countries on 3 continents, as a couple it wasn’t our first rodeo (pun fully intended!) when it came to big moves. But moving as a family, it was a little more daunting…were we making the right decision, not for us, but for our family?
The first time I moved was in my 20’s, single and freshly out of college – I boarded a plane bound for London with 23kg (50lb) of my worldly possessions and headed off for a new life in the big smoke. Fast forward nearly 10 years, having found love quite literally on the other side of the world, I packed up my life again and moved to join my now husband in San Francisco.
California was everything we loved about a place we could call home – the climate was perfect, there were mountains to frame our views, the breathtaking pacific coastline to admire, and Napa practically on our doorstep. After my husband, obviously, the close proximity to the famed Californian wine region came a close second when winning my heart and moving to America!
We loved living in the heart of San Francisco, and have never been so fit walking up and down those hills, but with a growing family in our sights, a move down the peninsula to Palo Alto in the heart of Silicon Valley was the next logical step. While we could see ourselves getting old (or older!) there… unfortunately our bank balance couldn’t!
With the arrival of our daughter we had to look at alternatives – raising a family in the Bay Area was just an impossible dream. After much discussion and research, we decided we would look into the possibility of living in Austin. It had been (and still is!) voted in the top places to live in America, a growing city with a growing presence of Tech companies, house prices were within our budget and school districts among the best in Texas. With all year round Texan sunshine coupled with an affordable quality of living and a place we could envisage our daughter enjoying growing up in, we made the decision…Texas here we come!
So in March last year, we packed up our apartment, waved goodbye to the non essentials we couldn’t fit in our car and set off in sight of Austin. A road trip with a 3 month old baby isn’t for the faint hearted, but we took our time and made the most of it, passing through Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico en route to Texas. With a baby in tow, we had to make frequent stops throughout the day to feed and change as well as share the driving load between us so we took a leisurely week to make the journey down South.
Arriving on the weekend of SXSW (South By South West is Austin’s major film, media and music festival held during Spring Break) and staying downtown for the first month, we experienced first hand what the city has to offer. It was buzzing with people and had a fun vibe to it, it was lively and vibrant and coupled with great March sunshine we immediately felt like this was the right decision.
So here we are a year in… any regrets? None, so far anyway! Of course California will always hold a special place for us as a couple and being our daughter’s birth place, but we are now fixed on making memories in a new city. While for many ‘transplants’ missing family and friends tops their list of reasons why they miss their previous home, with having lived away from our respective families and friends for so long, starting over wasn’t as daunting for us. I can see how many people, like stay at home moms, can feel isolated and alone in a new city but thanks to social media there are many moms and baby groups around and getting to meet up with fellow mamas who’re in the same position make ‘transplanting’ that much easier. We are slowly making new friends – a life long work in progress! – and on the whole have found everyone to be friendly and welcoming.
In the past year we’ve experienced a few things that Austin uniquely has to offer – Austin City Limits music festival and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, we’ve bought a beautiful new home close to the lake with plenty of space for visitors and we’re getting used to the crazy summer temperatures, invested in copious amounts of sun protection sprays and creams and with plans for a pool and air con running continuously, have factored in a separate budget for the high water and electric bills!
‘When they say everything is bigger in Texas they’re not just talking hair styles’
We love the fact fuel is so cheap and grocery shopping is an adventure in itself. When they say everything is bigger in Texas they’re not just talking hair styles…houses are big, average roads are in fact several lane highways and grocery stores come in SUPER and PLUS size. It’s easy to get totally carried away when you’ve just popped out for milk but come back with a new outdoor furniture suite! Austin has lived up to its expectations in giving our little family the quality of life we dreamt of and our daughter is settling into a new preschool filled with happy little faces she gets to call her friends and kind teachers occupying her ever growing mind.
Like all good relationships, here’s to many more happy years together! Happy Anniversary, Texas!
The Hill Country Mom 