Last week living in Texas!

Reflecting on the last days... 

It seems as though we have been on the go nonstop for a few months now... or maybe ever since we found out we would be moving out of state. It has been nice seeing all of our family members and friends who live nearby and will miss our presence for plans on a whim. It has also been exhausting -physically and emotionally- to be running in and out of and across town, trying to do everything and see everyone. We love that we are so loved and people are happy for us but sorry to see us go; but this 8 months' worth of anticipation has taken its toll!

Of course, we also have kept busy with working multiple gigs. You would think that summer teaching completely online would be nice because I don't have to be anywhere physically but it is absolute madness many times due to that fact. The content covered in 5 week sessions is intense as are the endless stacks of papers I have to grade electronically and the amount of email correspondence required daily. I have been doing my trial consulting on the side as well and a Humanities (The Impact of Media on American Culture) night class for the University of Phoenix. Al's been working with catering at a local bakery/cafe near our home as well as training clients at the gym. It is certainly going to be a change for me to go tenure-track and for Al to be back in school full time. He was recently approved and registered for the EMT program in NC! He starts in early August.  : )  We eagerly look forward to the future...

Al drew the gift card winners!

In the spirit of being research productive and hoping to get a jump on tenure-track life where the clock is ticking and the research needs to be out-flowing (as well as the teaching excellence, of course), I decided to conduct some focus group research over the first summer session. I posted flyers on campus and solicited student participation from professors. I was happy with the overwhelming response! 

A total of 14 focus group sessions later conducted in just 2.5 weeks, free food has been provided, extra credit has been applied, and 2 movie gift card winners have been drawn! I am ecstatic to have this wealth of data to come into my new job with. I also have devoted some time to revisiting a couple of other projects in the pipeline. I realize this tenure-track lifestyle I'm about to enter requires plenty of self-motivation, passion, commitment, and will power, so I am planning to channel my intense work ethic into the big 3 of tenure-track life: research, teaching, and service.
  

Art at Chupacabra Cantina, Austin, TX

As for the general life transition living in another state will undoubtedly be, Al says he has been ready to move for some time now. No regrets, no second thoughts, not a shadow of doubt in his mind we are making the best decision and our lives are going to improve on so many levels in this post-Texas era, haha. 

I can see us being a couple of those Texas-proud snobs who go about comparing everything to Texas and of course nothing will ever measure up! Well, except maybe the BBQ. That remains to be determined as Al's BBQ snob blog is forthcoming.  ; )

There are, however, 2 things that I already know about NC that are going to be infinitely superior to life in TX: 

View of the traffic from
my classroom at the Univ. of Phoenix

1) Less traffic = less road rage for me (lol!).

2) Better weather (read: hardly any humidity compared to Houston) = a distinct beautiful 4 seasons... not just spring and summer (aka hot and hotter) like TX has year round. Now those are 2 things I think we can easily get used to! 

Walking around a lake in Austin on an overcast afternoon...

In our last few days in TX, we had many more outings with friends and family. We greatly value the time that everyone took to spend with us and the happy/sad/generally emotional farewells we got to exchange with everyone. Those moments were, indeed, priceless for us both! We expect everyone to come and visit us now that we leave to a new part of the country many people have not yet had a reason to visit. Let us be that reason, y'all!  :D

Dinner & drinks farewell with Al's clients Renee, Imran, & "Buttons." They're going to miss him!                                          

Stevie Ray Vaughn statue in Austin!

Muscle men goofballs! Haha.

Happy Birthday, John! Man-dates are mandatory, hehe.

 

Camping on the beach in San Luis Pass - near Galveston, TX

Farewell dinner in Houston with family and friends at Tia Dorothy & Honey's house!

 And last but certainly not least, an artistic shot to remember all the delicious Texas food we will miss... We will be back to visit sooner than later! Now, onward and upward we go to our new life as North Carolina residents! : )