A thousand words

I think we've mentioned that we live near a LOT of Asians. Here's a strip mall across the freeway from us: four Chinese restaurants ("Asia Cafe" doesn't get a sign for some reason), and a Chinese dance studio as a bonus.

(If you were to assume from the two Indian restaurants that they are the second most populous non-white demographic here, I think you'd be right about that too.)

This is weird after moving just an hour north of San Antonio, where Hispanics make up 60% of the population and the rest is almost entirely white. I like the variety. And in particular, I like Asian food.

The Move

It's been just over a week and we are mostly out of boxes.  Haven't finished tackling the bedroom/bathroom and toy boxes yet.  As far as the garage?  Ha!  

Jonathan's sister Christine flew in from New Jersey in order to help us move as sanely as possible with four small people and a house full o' stuff.  (Thanks Christine!)

We've found most of the important things.  A small box Jonathan set aside to take in the car got packed up by mistake and is still missing, along with his hanging cords and cables organizer.  Some things we are scratching our heads about.  I couldn't figure out what had happened to my potted peace lily, until I found it in a box two days later.  Seriously, who puts a live plant in a box?!?  With a little water, it perked up.  Peace lilies are my kind of plant: hardy and neglect tolerant.  The Christus statue that Jonathan's parents gave us as a wedding gift survived only through sheer luck.  It was merely wrapped in a sheet of paper and placed in a box with lots loose odds and ends and hard objects.  I'm very happy it arrived in one piece, but what was the mover thinking?  And how did it stay safe? Perhaps there was some divine intervention there...  The butter dish my mother gave me after my last one broke was not so lucky despite being securely wrapped in several layers of paper.  Go figure. The blender comes in 4 pieces all of which were in the same cupboard.   Naturally it arrived in 4 different boxes.  Still scratching my head on that one. 

When we arrived at the house we discovered that the refrigerator was NOT included after all.  Nothing quite like having to make an emergency major appliance purchase.  This is the second time we've had to do that, the first being the electric dryer purchase after we were assured our old house was hooked up for gas.  Not.  Oh well.  What can you do?

After moving, I have come to the conclusion that we have a lot of books.  A LOT of books.  Right now we have 4 large bookcases and 2 small ones filled with books and we really need another one.  Or fewer books.  Hmm. 

Despite some craziness, this move we were truly blessed.  Not only did we have the help of Christine, but my sister Andrea helped watch the kids and cooked dinner for us.  Last time we moved it took over a month to get *mostly* settled.  Sisters are wonderful.

Hello New House

Last week we moved into the new place.  It's about 1000 square feet smaller than the old house, so it is snug.  I have to say that I do miss the huge closets, large kitchen, and the playroom at the top of the stairs the most.  On the other hand it was time that we downsized some of the stuff that we really don't need/use.  The move provided the perfect opportunity to chuck or give away things.  After the move, there are still some more things that ought to go.

Austin: First Impressions

We've met a few of the neighbors, and they seem quite nice.  The neighborhood itself is an eclectic mix.  Just by looking at the yards you can tell there is a variety of personalities and lifestyles.  The neighbor to the left's yard is all astroturf in the front and backyard.  Two houses down on the right and the yard looks like something out of better homes and gardens with perfectly manicured bushes.  I'm guessing that yard was probably the yard that Andrea saw the homeowners out with a ruler and scissors trimming wayward grass.  The house directly across the street has solar panels on the roof.  Their yard is a designated a "wildlife preserve."  They have native grasses and cacti growing.  Other neighbors have reported that they do indeed get critters living in the yard from time to time.  Two houses from that yard is a desert motif complete with 3 large wooden wheels.   There is a homeowner's association, but from what I can tell, their primary function seems to be upkeep of the community pool, playground, and informational newsletter rather than forcing draconian rules to make the neighborhood a cookie-cutter suburban "utopia."  I'm on board with that!

Demographically our street has older empty-nesters, young families, and childless couples.  There are two boys Matthew's age on the street, but they've been out of town, unfortunately.  Regrettably there aren't any girls Melissa's age nearby.

This part of Austin is heavily populated by Asians.  The school the kids will be attending is highly ranked, and also nearly a quarter Asian.  Gastronomically, Jonathan and I are both quite pleased about this.  In the last week we've had Thai, the best Chinese food either of us has ever had, and to top it off, there's a delicious Filipino place a half mile away from the house.  Jonathan likes to practice his Tagolog whenever he gets a chance and the owners were quite happy to oblige.  When we went to the Chinese place, we were probably one of two tables that had European ancestry, the rest were Chinese. 

There are parks, playgrounds, and even splash pads all over the place.  We've only been to a few so far, but have plans to go out as often as possible since our yard is so tiny. 

Traffic is indeed as bad as everyone says, but not too bad if you don't venture far from home.  Jonathan times his commute downtown to avoid the worst of rush hour.

The best part of the move?  We are about 12 minutes from Andrea, Jeremy, and my darling niece Gwendolyn.  Hooray!