I feel like so much has happened and time has flown by since moving to the Hill Country just three months ago. We are settled into our new home, I'm getting my feet on the ground at work, and we've been trying to explore the area and all of the fun places it has to offer. Let's see.... where to begin?
The house is perfect, albeit haunted I'm pretty sure. I've got cows in the backyard, armadillos, wild turkeys, and three different types of deer that pass through, and I've seen a number of beautiful storms in the past few months. It just really feels like home in a way that the valley never did. It's quiet & peaceful & slow-paced.
I swear I've had more visitors up here in the past three months than I did in my two years down in the valley. Kim, Angela, and Amber have all come to visit at least once and we've had adventures to Enchanted Rock, South Llano River, Blanco, wineries, dance halls, trade days, and concerts. I think so far my favorite state park close by is Blanco State Park. It's only 30 minutes away and the swimming was perfect. South Llano River State Park was very nice, don't get me wrong, but the water flowed a little faster than I'd like with a toddler. Blanco was slow, deep, and on a Friday afternoon, it was quiet and low-key. I think that'll be one of our go-to spots to beat the heat this summer.
Some former Park Hosts that I worked with at Mustang Island, Kay & Butch, decided to come spend the summer here. It's been lovely having them around & they've been watching their granddaughter, Sydney, all week so it has been nice for Lily to have a playmate. She doesn't start in her daycare until August so it's been good for her to have another kiddo around.
We have discovered this amazing place called Albert, TX. There's an ice house and dance hall and they have live music every Wednesday and most Fridays. It's become a regular place for many of us on Wednesdays. They have a food truck that makes some great food, the beer is cold, and there's plenty of room for kids to run around. Families come & eat & play together while enjoying the shade of a giant oak tree and some bluegrass-y tunes. It's such a cool atmosphere. I've still yet to go to Luckenbach, but that's on my list of things to do soon. Perhaps for my birthday...
Other exciting news: I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! Which means... I'M DEBT FREE!!!!!!! Damn, does that feel good. I've got a plan to save up a three month living expenses fund (for use in emergencies), then I'll be on my way to save up for home ownership. I've yet to decide what exactly I want to do on that front, but I've got plenty of time. I either want to buy an investment home in San Antonio or somewhere, put it on a 15 year mortgage and get it paid off by renters (with me supplementing the monthly payments), then use the profit from that to get some property out here in this area and maybe build a small house? Or maybe I'll buy a fixer upper. Who knows, like I said - I have no clue what exactly I want yet but while I figure it out I'll be saving for at least a 20% down payment. It feels so good to be doing this responsibly! Suck it, PMI!
Now here is a photo dump of some of the latest adventures.