Texas is Not the Midwest

I've been here a whole three weeks now, and one thing is for sure - Texas is nothing like Chicago, or Iowa, where I grew up.  Besides the very obvious "at least twenty five degrees warmer" aspect, I have noticed other things that throw me off every day.

In the spirit of documenting this journey, and because I like lists, I present the nuances of Texas (from a non-Texan point of view):

|| When you are able to turn left, yielding to oncoming traffic, people here don't put themselves into the intersection, waiting for a clear turn.  Nope - they wait behind the pedestrian line and wait.  It leaves you less room to turn and revs up my road rage!

|| In Chicago, there is a McDonald's on just about every corner.  #notkidding.  Here?  Donut shops.

|| There are no on ramps to the tollways.  Instead, there are highways that run perpendicular to said tollways.  You have to turn on those, go a few feet/miles, then merge on to the tollway.

|| There is also always a turn around section on above mentioned highways.  It's basically like a U-turn, but you have your own lane and don't need to yield to any oncoming traffic.

|| There is two year old preschool.  In Chicago, it starts at three, and even then is optional.  Some kids don't go to school until Kindergarten (which is also optional in the state of Illinois), but here it seems like everyone goes to two year old preschool.  And I'm not going to lie, I love having Tuesdays and Thursdays to myself.

|| Every mother wears Kendra Scott earrings and carries a Louis Vuitton bag.  Slight exaggeration, but still.

|| There are more CVS than Walgreens.  Quite the opposite in Chicago, but probably because Wags is headquartered there.

|| I have seen multiple restaurant dedicated solely to wings.  #notcomplaining

|| No basements.  So weird.

Even with all of these new things to get used to, I am still so grateful to have this opportunity.  Even if my driving and eating skills have had to develop a bit, we are settling well in to our new Texan lives.

Have you moved to a new-to-you region?  What sort of things threw you off?  Please share - this is fascinating to me!

~Linking up with Emily for Grateful Heart Monday.

Blogger Love (with a twist)

It has been ages since I've hosted a Blogger Love link up - which makes me sad because it is one of the highlights of my week.  Thank you to those who kept up with your posts! 

Over my unintentional break, I found myself thinking a lot about how I want this space of mine to look and feel.  One aspect I wanted to switch up a bit was Blogger Love.  I enjoy sharing my favorite posts with you all, but I also wanted to be able to share other "loves" of mine without posting every single day about one thing that catches my attention.  I'm still thinking of a great name (ideas welcomed!) but Fridays from now on will be Blogger Love + everything else.  It might include makeup, tv shows, drinks, recipes - you name it, it will appear during some Friday in the future.  I should also add that nothing that appears here will be sponsored - just purely items or things that I have been loving lately.

This is also still a weekly link up!  Link up your "favorites" posts as well - it's really open ended.  But as always, all I ask is that you check out the other links and spread the love too.

So, let's get to it, shall we?

This week, I'm loving...

This post by Christine Everyday.  Sure, it touches on a "hot topic" - gun control (which I do have strong opinions about), but that's not the main point.  It would be hard to find someone that can't nod along while reading this.

Stiegl Grapefruit Radler.  I mean, yum!  It's the perfect summer beer in my opinion.

Amazon one-day shipping.  I have Prime for the 2-day shipping, but lately I've been noticing that if I spend a certain amount, I can get one day shipping for free!  Is this always the case and I have just been missing out?

What are your loves this week?  Link up below and share with us! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Not Like the Rest of Them

I'm sure you all have had your Facebook feed overloaded with littles all dressed up in their cute back to school outfits - with or  without a sign exclaiming it was the first day of school, right?  I like to see these pictures, and for the third year, E took one herself.

This year, however, was a bit different.  Not only did we move five states away and attending a new school full of new people, but she was going to a "big girl" school - Kindergarten!  I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous - but you might be surprised as to why.

A week before school, the PTA hosted a playdate for all incoming kindergarteners.  As E was running around, I started talking to another Mom.  A few minutes in, she said "Isn't it crazy they are going to Kindergarten?  I'm not ready for her to grow up - she still needs me!".  I was a little taken back.  Sure, the thought of my girls growing older hurts a bit, but it doesn't make me sad! 

I am excited for her.  She is making new friends, learning new things, growing independent.  She is learning invaluable social skills - all things I could never teach her at home on my own.  She comes home excited about her day; filled with computer time, coloring, spelling, and of course, recess. 

So, while I witnessed a lot of moms crying while leaving the school Monday, I on the other hand, was smiling. 

Stitch Fix - August 2015

My Stitch Fix box was the first piece of real mail I received at our new address and it was the perfect housewarming gift, if I do say so myself.

I had been missing my fixes since I put them on hold two months ago when we moved out of our old house.  Two months doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are craving any sort of "normal", two months is forever.  I was so happy to see this on my (new) front porch, even if it wasn't a "keep-it-all" box.

Please excuse the poor quality of photos.  I am trying to find the perfect spot in the new house to hang the clothes - this wasn't it.  Those aren't stripes you are seeing in every piece, it is the blinds!

 Ivy + Blu Joy Eyelet Dress - $84.  I liked this dress on, it fit well and was longer, which I prefer.  I thought it would look cute with a jean jacket or blazer, but couldn't convince myself that white would stay clean in my house.  Returned.

 Brixon Ivy Pinson Drape Cardigan - $54.  When I first pulled this out, I thought it was definitely going right back in and shipped back.  But I always try everything on, just in case, and I'm so glad I did with this.  It fits perfectly and the second layer gives it something special.  Kept.

 41Hawthorn Breyson Pleated Tab-Sleeve Blouse - $58.  Those aren't lines in the shirt (although they would be cute on this).  I am a sucker for shirts like these, especially when the arms roll up.  I love navy and this fit really well.  Kept.

 Brixon Ivy Bixby Clover Print Blouse - $64.  I really wanted to like this.  It was different, black and white, and the sleeves rolled up.  However, boxy shirts and I don't really get along, and this one was not a great fit.  Returned.

Bay to Baubles Hemway Triple Stone Necklace - $28.  I love the color of the stones on this, but it was an awkward length for me - not long, but tshirt neck length.  I might just request no jewelry from now on because I haven't loved anything they've sent me.  Returned.

I'm still waiting on my "keep the whole box" fix.  But as long as there is at least one piece in each box, I remain a happy customer!

If you are considering trying out Stitch Fix - here is my referral link.  If you do use it, thank you - I receive product credit!  If you get Stitch Fix and blog about your fixes, leave your link in the comments, I'm always looking for new items to pin!

That Was Unexpected

This past month has been anything but planned.  Sure, we planned on moving out of our old home, staying in a few hotels, and moving to Dallas.  But everything else I didn't really think about.  Unfortunately, that meant that this little space of mine was left feeling quite neglected. 

The important thing is that I'm back!  And I'm coming back with all kinds of ideas for my space.  First off, I'm making the big move to Wordpress - I've finally been convinced!  You might have seen on twitter that I was locked out of my Blogger account for quite some time.  All of my requests were going unanswered, but somehow on my fifth attempt they unlocked my account!  Thank you to everyone that tweeted on my behalf.

Also, I'll be making some changes to my Friday posts.  They will still incorporate Blogger Love, but will have a little extra as well - starting next week!

I have some new ad spots available too!  You can check them out here and use code "DALLAS" to take 50% off any spot!

For now, I'll leave you a list of everything I've been up to over the past month, because, who doesn't love lists?

// Moved out of our old home

// Stayed a week at our friend's house while they were on vacation

// Moved in to a hotel in Chicago for over a week

// Had my last day of work!  Which resulted in me turning in my laptop, which didn't help with my blogging break.

// Had a quick girls trip for some major retail therapy

// Had way too many "goodbye" dinners, drinks and nights out

// Went to Iowa for a week

// Stayed in St. Louis with my sister for a few days

// Had my first flight with both girls by myself to Dallas (we survived!)

// Closed on our new home!

// (Patiently?) waiting our things from IL to arrive so we can begin to make our house a home.

I'm so happy to be back - I've missed you all!