Images of (my) Christmas

Lights in Round Rock. These lights were synchronized with Christmas music.

With all the moving and chaos over the past few months, we decide on a nice relaxing evening; or in otherwords, we didn't plan anything. It was nice to not have the stress of decorating, buying or cooking for the holidays. One thing we did enjoy was the Christmas lights. I don't know what it is, but there's always something magical about driving around and viewing the Christmas lights. And Austin does not disappoint; there is even a list of the best lights in the city. Even though we only made it to a few of those on the list, I think we saw some great displays. My favorite was the house that synchronized their lights to Christmas music. Somehow they used a radio frequency so that cars driving past could hear the music on their radios while watching the lights. I appreciate how much time they put in for all us viewers. 

The tree at Zilker Park.

Now this is a flashy nativity.

The extent of our Christmas decorating. Maybe next year I'll do a tree.

Light up the night

For our second free event, we attended the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for its Luminations night. It was a chilly 40 degrees in Austin, but we figured since we're used to Utah winters, we could brave it :) When we arrived, there was a banjo band playing in the courtyard next to a clear spring pool, kids creating crafts and people following the luminaries towards an area with Christmas music. We decided to walk along the paths, where they had quite a few benches to sit and enjoy the evening. This is definitely a place to return to when it's spring and the flowers are blooming. As we left, we stopped at the Hey Cupcake! trailer to get one of their amazing cupcakes, which I intend to blog about in the future. It just so happened we were the last customers, so they gave us 4 for the price of 1!!! I would say that was a perfect way to end the evening.   

A cool walkway covered in vines.

Sitting on a large, wooden bench.

A pool of spring water.

Adrian and I above the walkway.

Luminaries lighting the path.

Take a dart and throw it at a map

Since I announced my move to Austin, one of the most popular questions is, "Why Austin?" Sure it seems random because I only announced it a few weeks ago, but this decision has been a long process. The timing of my move is quicker than I even thought; I wasn't planning on moving till next summer. But when everything is yelling at you it's time to move, you go.

At the beginning of this year, I made my decision to go to grad school; the first question was where. I was definitely wanting to leave Utah because I've been here for so long (11 years!!). Adrian first suggested Arizona because that's where his dad lives. Then we were looking at San Antonio. Then Austin. My family lived in Arizona for a year when I was younger and the only things I can remember are the intense heat and the fact that everyone had a pool; Arizona was not my first option. So I began to look into Texas.

I will admit that one of the main factors in deciding where to live was weather. I have lived the majority of my life in places with snow (Indiana and Utah). Winter to me equates to hibernation and cold. I loved going to California for Christmas and seeing lights on palm tress. When I went online and searched for the weather information on Texas cities, Austin was the most moderate. Sure there's the humidity and it does get fairly hot in summer, but very little, if any, snow. Winter is actually the nice, cool season!! I could go for that kind of a switch. Plus, compared to the other major Texas cities, Austin doesn't have many of those pesky natural disasters like hurricanes.

Once we decided on Austin and I looked into the University of Texas, I become excited. The university has a lot to offer: great professors in what I want to study, great resources, a progressive attitude towards journalism and diversity(!!). I'm excited to visit the school when I arrive in Austin. Hopefully everything will work and out and next year I will be attending as a grad student.

Other perks to Austin are the great community and social activities. Austin is known as one of the top spots for live music. Pretty much every night you can find a band playing somewhere. Plus there is a great downtown area, 6th Street, that they sometimes shut down for festivities. As for culturally, Austin has many museums, including the Blanton Museum, Mexic-Arte Museum and George Washtington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. I am extremely excited to be around more diversity and cultural activities.

The more I learn about Austin, the more excited I become. I'll be closer to a beach. Austin has bike trails, natural springs and a lake. Wow!! There is so much to do. My official moving date has been set for Oct. 25. In a week I will hop in my car, filled with all my belongings, and head off to my new adventure in Austin. And once I'm settled, anyone can come and visit. By that time, I'll be the perfect tour guide.