Navigating Houston

Soooo... I start a blog about moving to Houston, and I don't write for two months. How do I explain myself? Well, here's an example of why it was a good idea I didn't write for the general public: I wrote a letter to my mom. The day she got it she posted a video "It's a Jolly Holiday with Mary" from Mary Poppins on my Facebook wall.

What other videos (besides babies laughing and baby animals frolicking in a meadow) could cheer someone up as much as Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, right?

Another example: While walking the trail at Memorial Park one morning, I saw a woman walking by herself and smiling for no apparent reason. I turned to Evan and said, "What the hell is she smiling at?"

Obviously, things haven't gone according to Our Plan. At all, in fact. Until last week, we were in a freefall leap of faith. Luckily our feet landed on that firm ground of greener pastures--the main reason we moved to Houston in the first place.

So here's some insight into life in Houston, Texas.

What I've Learned So Far:

1. The grocery stores are the cat's pajamas. A quick trip to one can put me in a blissful state for a minimum of two hours. My favorite is Central Market with Whole Foods as a close second and the completely redone Kroger in third.

Why are they so great? The options. Correction: The truly healthy options. I'm not used to that at all. At least I'm not used to traveling less than an hour to get high quality groceries.

At some point people stopped caring about where their food comes from. The food industry isn't like it used to be. The quantity produced is the priority, not the quality.

Now I know the grocery stores mentioned are not perfect saviors, but they're a giant step up from Walmart.

Free range, cage free eggs from chickens fed from a vegetarian grain diet? Yes, please. Local honey with honeycomb included? Don't mind if I do. Freeze dried fruit, which may possibly be the best snack ever? Mmkay, I'll take five bags. Not to mention that Central Market was featuring Hatch green chile all month.

2. The search for The Perfect Mexican Restaurant is not nearly as easy as you may think. I have tried chains. I have tried local holes. And yet nothing comes close to Tarahumara's in Norman, Oklahoma.

My checklist for TPMR, all of which Tarahumara's has:

-fast and friendly service (Dear Original Ninfa's- You fail at this. Big. Fat. Epic fail.)

-tasty queso and salsa (not Velveeta, folks; preferrably both automatically come out free of charge)

-tantalizing fajita meat

-enchiladas that will make you "slap your daddy" to quote my papa (and more options than the red meaty sauce, something like sour cream sauce)

-fluffy, fresh sopapillas (preferrably served free of charge)

-margaritas that have the ability to make your life better (hey, a margarita at Tarahumara's made me a lot braver at communication with the man who is now my husband)

So far I have tried Pappasito's, Lupe Tortilla, Cafe Adobe, Original Ninfa's, Tia Maria's, and Bravo. Next up is Los Cucos.

3. Memorial Park is a great place to go, whether for fitness (see #4) or relaxation.

4. Unemployment works wonders for my fi'ness.

While some may think it's all about sleeping in and watching tv, daytime television leaves much to be desired. Now I will admit I watched seasons 1-3 of True Blood in about a week, but I work out twice a day.

5. The restaurants are amazing. Although I may not have found The Perfect Mexican Restaurant yet, I have found other tasty cuisines. I love Hobbit Cafe (www.myhobbitcafe.com). The menu has plenty of choices. The food is fresh, and the scenery is inspired by Lord of the Rings.

Fuzzy's Pizza is another favorite place. My first time to go was about five years ago on what was technically my third date with Evan (it was a whirlwind weekend of about five dates). I had fallen into a hole on the beach in Galveston, so I walked into Fuzzy's with soaking wet jeans. Quite humbling, especially since I was in impress-your-date mode.

6. Another thing we wanted to do when we got here was find a church...and not get involved. I do not want to know any dirt about anyone. Although Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen may receive some flack, I can assure you that it's not some smarmy mega-church with no soul and phony people. I gotta say I love it when Israel Houghton is there. It is huge, but it doesn't seem that way when you're there. And honestly, the people there--both on and off stage--are quite genuine. No one tells you how to worship. It's not about saying or doing the supposed right thing in the supposed right moment. I don't feel any anxiety when I'm there, and that's saying something since I thought I was scarred for life from the church I grew up in.

7. Houston is not overwhelming. When you hear that there are five million people here, it can seem like way too much to handle. However, once you realize it's just a bunch of neighborhoods, it makes it a lot easier. It's not uncommon to run into people you know. And owning a GPS helps matters. I can actually navigate back ways now. Don't act like you're not impressed.

8. If you're one of my Oklahomans, come visit me. If you already have, come visit me again.