Law Students

My City

By Anonymous

I live in a beautiful city. I loved Chicago and still miss it dearly, but that doesn't change what I feel for Austin. I have to keep reminding myself that part of what I miss about Chicago is a life and lifestyle that is no longer my own. I miss meeting friends for drinks and then walking home along the Chicago River watching the lights from the buildings dance on the water. I miss walking to shop, leisurely wandering from store to store, rarely buying anything but just soaking up the sights and energies of State Street and Michigan Avenue. I just miss walking in general- I used to walk for miles and never noticed the distance.

But now, with a Landon who is obsessed with being outdoors, who needs space to run and a driveway to draw on, Austin is the right place for us. I love our dogs, our backyard, our space to spread out, and I especially love our big kitchen and back deck that call out for dinner parties and backyard cookouts. I miss living downtown almost everyday, but I'm filled with contentment about where we are now.

One of my goals when JP is done coaching and before he goes back to business school (or doesn't, that's still up in the air) is to spend more time taking advantage of Austin. We did this little hike yesterday- took about an hour of our time, including driving there and back, and it was so fun. Landon was a very serious hiker and marched around the rocks with a focused expression.

Lovely isn't it? My never-been-to-Texas law school friends were shocked at how green Austin is, I had to remind them that Texas is a huge state with many varied terrains. We had a wonderful time together drinking margaritas, hiking Mr. Bonnell, swimming in Barton Springs, shopping on South Congress, eating Tex Mex and breakfast tacos, and talking until I was hoarse. I'm exhausted- the tequila tasting until 2 a.m. Sunday morning might not have been the best idea, but we had a great time.

And I greatly enjoyed having another photographer in the house because for once, I got to be in the pictures!

Landon was very sad to find his lady friends gone this morning. I was too. Luckily we have a long list of plans for their next trip to my new city.

Full post as published by Lag Liv on June 01, 2009 (boomark / email).