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?