Status Report: Austin or BUST!

Well, we're home and readjusting to life in the California heat (ok, ok, Texas was hot too!) But we thought we'd give you an update on our trip.

Truthfully, it's by far more hot and miserable here right now. I think we hit a pretty good week out there, though. They're having more thunderstorms this week. That's what keeps it so green out there! The humidity was essentially not a factor for us, although that may change when we return in September.

All in all, we were very happy with our visit, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We hope ya'll have kept up with our blog.

We wanted to be sure to have an open mind, not force ourselves into any decision, just be relaxed and see how we felt. And we really had nothing but very positive feelings. There is enough about Austin that is so similar to Sacramento so as not to feel too far removed or displaced. But the differences make you appreciate it all the more. The location is spectacular, I can just really envision it being a wonderful place to raise a family - or retire! People in Texas are just plain nicer!

Here's a short list of the things we really liked:

• Music is everywhere - even during the day, even at the airport
• It is very green, no brown dusty fields. Many places almost feel coastal.
• We are half hour from Lake Travis - one of the most gorgeous lakes in the country
• We are one hour from Schlitterbahn - the #1 Water park in the country, with the #1 Water ride - the Master Blaster Rollercoaster/Waterslide (season pass for the kids anyone?)
• The natural springs are abundant
• There is never a lack of things to do - any day of the week, for any preference
• The average temperature is 68 degrees, with 300 days of sunshine each year
• They love dogs in Austin ;)
• The river is gorgeous and provides lots to do - hiking, swimming, floating, tubing, fishing, restaurants, etc...

There is far more about the city life that is attractive as well. It seems to be a great place to start a business, it is clean and has a great handle on the homeless situation. Austin consistently ranks one of the best places to live, for many reasons.

Ok, you say, it seems the Sacramento area has a lot of similar things to offer. Why get up and move everything to TEXAS!!! We've wondered the same thing. We're in our comfort zone here. It's all we've known. We love our house, but can you imagine living in a home that has no mortgage?! And one we get to build custom!!! There's no comparison, especially at our age. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us.

So, here's the long and short of it: Sure, we may be giving up some creature comforts of California in order to pursue this dream (not sure if anyone has mentioned this was really Michael's idea in the first place!) but the payoff is beyond worth it. Sure, we could technically make it in California, but we would not be living the life we dream of.

Simply put, Michael and I want more. We want more time, more money, more freedom, more opportunities, more music, more ministry, more family, more enjoyment of life. And, based on our experiences last week, and all of our research, Austin gives us this opportunity.

For all the things we want to accomplish in our lives, we feel like California is just not the place to make it happen. We don't want to work so hard and so much just to scrape by. In a very simplified way - it seems silly to stay in California, for us anyway. And, I have a feeling more people will begin to see this, a lot more people, and soon.