I keep hearing how wonderful TX is... True?

[vkay]

Southlake? ;)

 

That's where my favorite Barnes and Noble lives....

 

I love Sundance Square, too.

 

 

Bingo! I love the B&N there too! :D

[vkay]

Keller is beautiful, IMO... wish we would have moved there instead of DFW. Either there, Austin, or Houston.

 

As far as the bugs, it's not like they are everywhere you look, lol. If you have a good exterminator come a couple times a year, you will not see any.

 

There are a lot of mosquitos and geckos though.

Maybe I'm getting my terms mixed up since I'm relatively new. I'm next to Keller and I call Keller and this area the "DFW" area. Is that not correct?

:bigear:

[vkay]

Yes, I am close by! That makes me feel better about tornadoes. :D

[Janet in WA]

My 11 yo dd BF just moved to Flower Mound TX. Anyone know about that area?

My dh was born in Texas, but his family moved away from there when he was a baby. I was born in FL. Years after we were married and had kids, we had the opportunity to move back to Texas (Grapevine -- like Flower Mound, a small town in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex). My dh bought me a bumper sticker that says: "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as quick as I could."

 

We all loved Grapevine. Our oldest son was a high school sophomore when we moved there, and he actually had a problem adjusting at first because, as he said, "People here are too friendly." LOL. That kinda sums up Texas. Friendly. Informal, but sophisticated (in the larger urban areas). Also, Texas just loves itself, so the people there just pick up on that attitude.

 

Also, homeschooling there is about the easiest in the country. We started homeschooling there, and I've never had it so easy since.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Janet in WA

[Happy]

LOL, I was wondering, when I was typing, if Keller is part of the DFW Metroplex! :tongue_smilie: I've been here three years, and do not know, lol. I drove to Keller one day, and it took awhile, so I was wondering if it was far enough away to not be the DFW area, but it probably is, lol. Either way, I wish we would have moved there instead of this city!

 

It's the DFW area. Keller is a great place to live. We lived there for six years and loved it. We now live a few miles to the west straight up I-35W from Ft. Worth. I figure if I can drive from a place into either the heart of Dallas or Ft. Worth without getting out of a town, then my place is a part of the over all.

 

What's great about these smaller communities is that you don't have to drive into the 'bright lights' to do your daily living/shopping/working. The big city areas are there when you want them...the Kimbell, the Amon Carter, Bass Hall, the Stockyards, and Sundance Square are an easy driving distance. Dallas is a little further.

[Peek a Boo]

Texas Rocks!!

 

I'm south of the DFW area, but I'd move back home to San Antonio if i had the chance.

 

this far north is just too cold for me.....

[KidsHappen]

That sounds like hell to me. In fact, I think I'm the exact opposite of the OP, although I live in the same part of the world. A sunny day about 65 degrees is the perfect weather for me, but I also like snow, rain, chilly weather, everything, that is, except temps above 85 degrees. Let's make that 80. That's my cutoff for pleasant weather. I would seriously prefer ten below. I can always put on an extra layer, but I can't peel off my skin when it's too hot.

 

I have to admit King that this is also my idea of perfect weather. As soon as the air starts to turn crisp in the fall my mood soars. :)

[KidsHappen]

Wow, I just pulled up some rental prices in my town on realtor.com. You can get a 6 bedroom 4000+ sq.ft. mansion looking house for $2500 a month! A more normal house with around 2800-3000 sq.ft. around $1800-2000 a month. I live in Plano, TX which is a suburb of Dallas and has a population over 250,000.

 

I lived in Plano and we rented a 4 bedroom/2 bath with living room, dining room, family room, eat-in kitchen and a fenced in yard with hot tub in a very nice neighborhood for $1500 a month. It was about 2500 sq. ft. Here I can get a 3 bedroom/2 bath with 1400 sq. ft for the same price and it is nowhere as nice.

 

My brother just bought a house in Princeton which is a little to the northeast of Dallas. It is a 4 bedroom/3 bath with living, dining, loft in a growing area for $144,000. Of course, we will not talk about taxes and utilities. :001_huh:

[Happy]

Bingo! I love the B&N there too! :D

 

Keep your eyes open....I'm the one with short, dark, but highlighted hair, glasses and wearing a tee shirt and shorts carrying a *stack* of magazines and books to the chairs upstairs. If life is really good, I'll be balancing a Starbucks or Jamba Juice, too. :D

[Ferdie]

Keep your eyes open....I'm the one with short, dark, but highlighted hair, glasses and wearing a tee shirt and shorts carrying a *stack* of magazines and books to the chairs upstairs. If life is really good, I'll be balancing a Starbucks or Jamba Juice, too. :D

 

I think we need a DFW WTM B&N get together. LOL!

 

I am in Flower Mound not too far from y'all.

[PineFarmMom]

I like TX from Sept-May. I'd rather live in Siberia than TX in the summer, though. I've always lived in TX but I do like it. I've lived in Amarillo, south of Houston, north of Houston, San Antonio, Odessa, the DFW area. It's all been good. My ultimate lifestyle would be TX from Sept. through May and Colorado from June-August. Then I think I could handle it all.

[Happy]

I think we need a DFW WTM B&N get together. LOL!

 

I am in Flower Mound not too far from y'all.

 

That would be fun! Let's do it.

[PineFarmMom]

I think we need a DFW WTM B&N get together. LOL!

 

I am in Flower Mound not too far from y'all.

 

That's where we lived 3 years ago, when we lived in the DFW area. We went for a visit a month ago...my kids still miss it there.

[babysparkler]

My married daughter lives in TX and loves it. In fact, tonight while doing ichat with her my son in law said there is some talk down there of receding from the United States. I've not heard anything about it but since at one time they were their own 'nation' there are by laws still in effect that would make such a move quite possible. So Texans, have you heard anything like this?

 

I hear talk of it every now and then, but I don't really see anything happening. ;)

[babysparkler]

I'm in the DFW area... yes, we do get a tornado or two a year, but only rarely do they do that much damage. We had a roof replaced once from the heavy winds & hail of a tornado back in 2000 (much of FW and Arlington suffered damage from it). The nearly horizontal rain still always amazes me.

 

I LOVE Texas. We've been here about 15 years now and have decided that we will never leave. I actually like the warmer weather. I do miss the autumn leaves of the northeast every fall. Homeschooling is respected and not "abnormal" around here, and there is HUGE support for homeschooling families in terms of opportunities & homeschool enrichment. There is no paperwork, etc., so it is just plain easy to do. I have to say that my perception (as a former teacher and ps mom) of the public school system is that it stinks... and needs a complete overhaul.

 

Most of all, I just LOVE Texans... the people here are so welcoming and genuinely kind. I love it here :001_smile:.

[babysparkler]

I think we need a DFW WTM B&N get together. LOL!

 

I am in Flower Mound not too far from y'all.

 

I'm in! I'm down in south Dallas. Who is organizing it?

[vkay]

I think we need a DFW WTM B&N get together. LOL!

 

I am in Flower Mound not too far from y'all.

 

:iagree: :D :iagree:

[Jann in TX]

We live about 25 miles from Austin. We have 12 acres of TREES and rocks...since we are on a hill top so we DO NOT HAVE MOSQUITOES! Too many rocks for fire ants... We've only seen 'friendly' snakes... we have a bug service to ward off scorpions (I've only seen one this past year and it was outside!). We have a horse that doubles as a weed-eater... and we LOVE sitting outside on our deck watching the colorful sunsets or stargazing late at nigh--It is amazing how many more stars you can see out here!... before we took to the hills we lived in Cedar Park for 7 years and loved everything but the traffic.

 

We have to drive at least 30 minutes to get anywhere (stores...) but the drive is BEAUTIFUL--green year around... we get fall colors too--but 'fall' doesn't start til November and the REAL fall is in the spring when the live-oaks drop their leaves!

 

We LOVE living in the hill country.

[Jami]

I'm on my 4th year of Texas living. I grew up in Nebraska (brrr, winter) and then lived in St. Louis, MO for 6 years after college. I loved St. Louis with 4 real seasons and the city life itself, but I've learned to really appreciate aspects of Texas-living.

 

I was in the DFW area (North Richland Hills) until this past July and now live in Austin. I love the Fort Worth (NRH, Keller, Southlake) area. It's a great place to raise a family and home school!

 

*quick wave to vkay*

 

Now we're in Austin and since we're still really getting settled, I still have limited experience with this area. But we're enjoying the more urban lifestyle (a bit more like St. Louis in some ways) coupled with a healthy appreciation for natural beauty that we find in the people here. There seems to be more emphasis on parks and common shared spaces here in Austin than in DFW, shared spaces that aren't focused on shopping anyway (much as I, too, love the Southlake Town Center).

 

But I've found Texas in general to be a very easy place to home school. The cost of living is very reasonable, which certainly helps with raising a family. We're far from our families, so that makes it a challenge to completely love living here. I was very thankful that I was able to work with a midwife in a birth center for my last baby, which I had no option to do in St. Louis. But yes, there are bugs and fire ants. :P

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I hear talk of it every now and then, but I don't really see anything happening. ;)

 

:iagree: Texas leaving the United States comes around every so often just because it can.

[PineFarmMom]

:iagree: Texas leaving the United States comes around every so often just because it can.

 

:iagree: Really, I think it's just a bunch of talk. I did see a bumper sticker the other day that read "Secede", so I know people want to, but I don't see it happening.

[Aubrey]

If all you TX residents could chime in on this. It seems that everyone I have spoken to, online or not, LOVE TX.

 

Why?

 

Because *I'm* here!!! :seeya:

 

:D

[vkay]

*quick wave to vkay*

:P

 

:seeya:

 

Hi Jami!

 

We were in Austin for 1 year before settling down in this area. Some of my favorite things that you might want to try: Dave & Busters (the one here doesn't compare), Rudy's - yum (again, the one here doesn't compare), and of course you're so close to all of the attractions in San Antonio. Also, if you happen to live in south Austin, there's a GREAT Tae Kwon Do place there - it was very well run. PM me if you're interested in that at all.

[shalom22]

Because *I'm* here!!! :seeya:

 

:D

 

 

Well, there you have. Need we say any more?

 

:D

[Big Buckin' Longhorn]

There's lots to love in Texas.

 

I live a bit south of Austin, you know in one of those super-conservative suburbs. I'm a big old raging liberal and they're all still nice to me :lol:.

 

Seriously, I've been living in this part of Texas for 20 years. It's awesome, even though it gets HOT. I'm trying to plan a winter vacation for this winter though, my poor son has never seen trees change color or any measurable snow and he's 16. Wanna trade houses for a while? You can try out the heat, I'll try out the snow.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Mom #1 ~ your blog is great! So witty. Thanks for sharing!

[dancer67]

Well, I have lived in New England all my life. I am SICK of leaves!!! Who cares about leaves changing, and leaves. All it brings is a big mess, slick roads when it rains, and all the slow driving leaf peepers!! LOL......:lol:

 

I hate the cold, the ice, the slush, the salt that rots out my car years before it's time, closing my pool only after using it for like 8 weeks,the heavy bulky ugly winter coats that make me look fatter then I already am:tongue_smilie:, your ears freezing from the cold, walking the dog and practically killing yourself on the ice.

Let's not forget the lovely HILLS that we live on that the Dept of Public Works never seem to get to, and unless you have a 4 wheel drive, you better just park your car, and huff it up the hill. Oh, and slipping on MORE ice.:001_huh:

 

Ummm, yea. I am pretty much sick of the weather, can you tell???:D

 

MA is sooooooo liberal(sorry to any liberals out there). But I can't take it.

We have people lighting themselves on fire protesting(seriously), legal Gay marriage, and the welfare here is through the roof. Oh, let's not forget the MANDATORY health insurance we have to have(Thank you MITT ROMNEY,,,ugggghhh)

 

Taxes are crazy. We are taxed on everything. Sales tax, state income tax, excise tax. Own a farm? Pay a tax on your horses. The conservation laws are crazy. Got a little puddle in your yard? Can't build anything within 300 ft, because those little tadpoles might croak.

 

So, time for a change I think!! The sooner the better. I just have to find the "right" place.

 

Thanks for all the help!!

Edited September 29, 2009 by dancer67

[KidsHappen]

:iagree: Texas leaving the United States comes around every so often just because it can.

 

Well, I think part of it is that Texans still have that rugedly independent American spirit that makes us fiece individualists. That in combination with the small town neighborliness leads us to believe that we can take care of ourselves and each other without any help from a government that is not going to adhere to the consititution. I believe that it a way for Texans to let the federal government know that we don't have to tow the government line. We do have options.

[Happy]

Well, I have lived in New England all my life. I am SICK of leaves!!! Who cares about leaves changing, and leaves. All it brings is a big mess, slick roads when it rains, and all the slow driving leaf peepers!! LOL......:lol:

 

I hate the cold, the ice, the slush, the salt that rots out my car years before it's time, closing my pool only after using it for like 8 weeks,the heavy bulky ugly winter coats that make me look fatter then I already am:tongue_smilie:, your ears freezing from the cold, walking the dog and practically killing yourself on the ice.

Let's not forget the lovely HILLS that we live on that the Dept of Public Works never seem to get to, and unless you have a 4 wheel drive, you better just park your car, and huff it up the hill. Oh, and slipping on MORE ice.:001_huh:

 

Ummm, yea. I am pretty much sick of the weather, can you tell???:D

 

MA is sooooooo liberal(sorry to any liberals out there). But I can't take it.

We have people lighting themselves on fire protesting(seriously), legal Gay marriage, and the welfare here is through the roof. Oh, let's not forget the MANDATORY health insurance we have to have(Thank you MITT ROMNEY,,,ugggghhh)

 

Taxes are crazy. We are taxed on everything. Sales tax, state income tax, excise tax. Own a farm? Pay a tax on your horses. The conservation laws are crazy. Got a little puddle in your yard? Can't build anything within 300 ft, because those little tadpoles might croak.

 

So, time for a change I think!! The sooner the better. I just have to find the "right" place.

 

Thanks for all the help!!

 

There's a house for sale right down the street from me...on a one acre lot with a few trees on the back fence line...but none between you and the pretty sunset. My roses are blooming. Come on over for a glass of sweet iced tea. We'll sit on my porch swing and listen to the crickets sing this evening.