Wow…it’s been more than six months since I’ve updated. Did you think this blog was dead? Had you forgotten it even existed? If either is the case, I can’t say that I
blame you – I’ve definitely had moments over the past several months where I’ve
completely forgotten about it and wondered if I’d ever resurrect this thing or
just let it go the way of so many other blogs before it, begun in earnest but
quickly forgotten once the writer realized the amount of work and maintenance
required in the blogosphere.
If you’re actually reading this, I want to thank you for
giving me another chance. I can’t say
I’d be so kind after such a hiatus.
But if anyone out there is reading this, you may be
wondering what the catalyst was for me to begin writing again. Truthfully, I’ve thought about it several
times, but I just haven’t had the motivation to begin again. But last weekend, I finally got the push I
needed – my family came to visit me in Austin.
Since it was a long weekend, my dad and sister decided to fly out to see
me and experience this awesome city that has become my home in the last nine
months. We’d been planning the trip for
a long time, and I really can’t believe that it’s over already.
What I realized as they were leaving, though, is how many
people I know and love that haven’t
really been able to share this experience with me. It’s such an amazing thing when you move
somewhere totally new to be able to share that with someone who lives
in a different place. And what hit me
today is how many people I haven’t had a chance to really share this with. And how I don’t know when or if some of them
will be able to visit me so I can really show them.
And then I remembered this blog. The whole purpose of it is to keep in touch
with those from home and hopefully in some small way to allow them to join me
in this incredible experience. It’s about
keeping those ties and bonds going by sharing with others what I’m doing.
The hardest thing about moving to Texas from South Carolina
has been leaving so many people I care about behind.
Don’t get me wrong – I love Austin, and I’m having an awesome time here. And day-to-day, things are great. But it’s when I have contact with someone
from back home, when I’m thrust back into the life I was living before this,
and when I’m reminded of everyone that I’m missing that I start to remember
some of the sacrifices I’ve made to get here.
All good things have their trade-offs.
This past weekend with my family was wonderful: we went on a
brewery tour, walked around the capital, ate some good ol’ Texas barbecue, and
even donned mustaches together. But
saying goodbye made me think about all of those who haven’t seen or experienced
Austin with me. And so I decided to
revisit this blog.
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| My sister and my dad in downtown Austin. Diggin' the shirt, Jim! |
I know I’ve said in pretty much all of my posts that I’m
going to be better about updating you.
And I think we can all agree that I’ve fallen through on that so
far. So I’m not going to make those
promises anymore. But I’m hoping that last
weekend will really push me to make more of an effort to keep this thing going.
So instead of writing a 45 paragraph post recapping the past
7 months, I’ll end with a brief list of some of the highlights:
1)
I got a job as an office assistant at a law firm
in town. It may not be exactly what I
wanted, but my coworkers are awesome, I have a guaranteed parking space in downtown
Austin, and I get health benefits. Not
too shabby, if I do say so myself.
2) The roommates and I moved apartments in December. The old place was great, but our new apartment has 3 bedrooms. And no mice.
3) In March, my roommates and I volunteered for the
interactive, film, and music festival South by Southwest (SXSW). It’s a crazy-big festival, but the highlight was
when Briana Green came to visit!
4) I attended a beard and mustache competition in
Austin (for those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s exactly what it sounds
like). It. Was. Epic.
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| Joanna with one of the beard and mustache contestants. That's the shape of Texas on the left and a star on the right. Can you believe this guy didn't even place?! |
5) I’ve now been to several roller derby bouts in
Austin (one of my coworkers is on a team).
If you live in a city where there’s a roller derby league and haven’t
checked out a game, you definitely should.
They’re awesome.
6) Every Monday, my roommates and I go to Gibson
bar for Mustache Mondays. We wear fake
mustaches and get cheap Maker’s Mark drinks (see the picture below). It may very well be the highlight of my week.
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| Mustache Monday with a few special guests...shout out to the family! |
7) Last week, the Austin City Limits music festival
tickets went on sale. The 3-day passes
sold out in less than 45 minutes. I got
two of them: one for myself and one for
my sister. I know you probably couldn’t
care less about that, but I’m super stoked.
There’s so much more I could say, but it would be way too difficult to recap everything. Thanks again for reading this, everybody - it truly means a lot to me.
And you're welcome for all of the mustache pictures.
