life in pville

There seems to be this odd trend in Pville of people moving. JT has two classmates that won't return after the holiday break because their parents have bought houses in Round Rock. Lucky for me I had the chance to chat with both parents at kid pick-up about their decision to leave. For both it sounds like a bigger house and just a good time to go. All of this moving has made me think about moving and whether we should move.

1. A bigger house would be good but is it really necessary? When I think about what I would look for in a new house there are some "bells and whistles" that I would like but nothing essential. I think the only real thing I want  is one extra room; either a media/game room or an additional bedroom/office.
2. The thought of cleaning out our closest sends shivers up and down my spine and makes me want to hide under the covers. It also makes me think that clean closest should be my #1 (or maybe #2) 2011 resolution.
3. Where would I really want to live? We like Austin (maybe even bordering on love Austin) but I can't say that there is a neighborhood I dream of living in. Sure I wouldn't turn up a chance to find myself in a house in the Hyde Park neighborhood but I don't think we are suffering because of our location. And while we are constantly talking about moving closer to family, we aren't sure where that would be either.
4. My dream is to live on a lake or the ocean and sometimes I feel like moving to anyplace other than that house sounds like too much work.
5. And then I stop and think that all the above reasons are really silly and maybe we should start the process of looking.

And then there are nights like tonight, when we walk out our backyard and get to watch a parade go down the street. It makes me realize how lucky we are to live in a smaller neighborhood, to know everyone who lives around us, to recognize faces in a parade and say hi, to have a school where we know most of the teachers and they know us (or rather they know our kids). And then I revamp my list and realize that what really is  important to me right now is being/living in a community and being in a place where my kids can ride bikes with their friends, walk to a buddies house, and see a parade out their back door. The only thing that would make it perfect is to have everyone move here. (So come on Nguyens, get those boxes packed and get down here.)

The boys waiting for the parade to start.

The headliner of the parade.