Misadventures in McAllen!

 Say my name, say my name!

For the next year I'll be posting about my adventures and misadventures in McAllen. So without further ado, here is my first misadventure:

While Joe and I were in McAllen for the day looking for a place to live, I was calling around to see what was available. One potential landlord asked me to spell my name, so I did. After a pause, she calmly told me--with dead seriousness--I was pronouncing my name "incorrectly." She then promptly corrected me. My full name is long and perhaps a bit unusual, and some do pronounce it wrong or throw in an extra letter somewhere, but in my 20+ years of existence I've never had someone tell me I was saying my own name wrong. She hung up before I could argue the matter. I wanted to say, "Thanks! I was never sure I was saying it right!" Ultimately we decided to go with another property, so, unfortunately, I won't have a landlord who thinks she taught a grown woman how to pronounce her own name. 

Moving to McAllen!

We are moving to McAllen!!! Hooray!!! Where? you might ask. McAllen is a midsized city on the US/Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley. It's one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. 

Things I'm excited about:

• The citrus fruit. Most of the citrus you buy in Texas comes from the Rio Grande Valley. I LOVE Texas grapefruit and I use lemons and limes daily.
• The Mexican food. Since McAllen is right on the border, there should be no shortage of good Tex-Mex/Mexican restaurants. I'm excited about finding a favorite!
• The cost of living. Houston is a cheap place to live. McAllen's cheaper. We should be able to save money without changing our lifestyle. 

 Things I'll miss:

• Friends.When I first moved to Houston I didn't know anyone here. But over the past several years  I've made some really good friends and I will miss them terribly! 
• Our apartment. I never realized how much I like our place. We have 6 years' worth of memories here. This was the first place Joe and I lived together and we were living here when we got married.
• Thunderstorms. I love the summer thunderstorms in Houston. McAllen won't have as many.
• The diverse restaurants. Houston has every kind of cuisine. What Mcallen makes up for in Tex-Mex it lacks in diversity. I will especially miss the Greek and Indian restaurants.

Although I'm excited about moving, I hate the process: the packing, the realization that you have too much stuff, the realization that you can't part with any of your stuff, the heavy lifting, the unpacking. Anyone have any tips?

Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Fourth! Joe and I met up with some friends to watch fireworks and listen to the symphony at a local park. We had a great time! It has been six years since we went somewhere to celebrate and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. We packed a delicious picnic of fried chicken and beer and enjoyed a great fireworks show! Although there were a few things I didn't like. The symphony wasn't loud enough, they didn't play long enough, and I wasn't a fan of some of the songs they played (songs from Dream Girls and The Wiz don't scream happy birthday America!). Another thing that I was disappointed in was my fault: I didn't take enough pictures!!! Overall, though, it was a delicious, pyrotechnic-filled night, and I can't wait to do it again next year! Happy Birthday 'Merica!!!!

Fireworks over Houston (obviously I did not take this photo).

Updates!!

I haven't posted in months, but updates are coming soon!!!! Sorry for disappointing my many followers (Hi mom!)!
 
*Mini Update*
Summer is here! It's time for pool parties, vacations, and frozen treats! Expect all three to be featured in future posts. Here's a teaser: Joe and I visited the Texas Hill Country in June. Although it's usually too hot and normally in a drought, I grew up there and love it. The landscape's beautiful. Here a picture of my in-laws backyard as proof: