I will admit that the sheen of Austin hasn't necessarily worn off but I know now that this isn't home. Don't get me wrong, when I pack up that car again and leave this town in the rear view mirror, there are things that I will miss terribly and a little piece of my heart will remain here. There truly is a magic to this town that can't be duplicated. It's just...not home. Since I've been gone from Utah, I haven't so much missed the crazy liquor laws or all the damn Mormons but I've realized, those are MY crazy liquor laws and MY damn Mormons. Those mountains and the pesky snow, the grid streets, the Capitol building nesting on the hill, they are mine. My home. I think before I came here, I took it all for granted. Sure I loved it, but I didn't love it as much I as I should have.
One thing Texas has taught me is pride. Man, these Texans do NOT mess with Texas. Probably why that is their state motto. They LOVE their state. I remember the first time I sat in a sports bar while a UT game was on and my ears rang for a week. It was INSANE! I lived a block off of campus in Utah and I hated when there was a game because that meant traffic and fighting for a parking spot to my own apartment. Now it means home pride and loyalty. I was literally put out last weekend because I had made plans to go out before knowing a Utah game was on. I text my boyfriend for the score multiple times and even though it wasn't an exciting game, I felt horrible for missing out on it. I would've given anything to be home on the couch next to my Utah boy watching that Utah game.
I feel like I should mention that me and Utah boy share a couch....more than that I suppose. We share an apartment. A tiny, 376 sq. ft. studio apartment. There's no escaping his snoring by sleeping on the couch because it's 3 ft. from the bed. There's no alone time, no privacy, nothing. I've been skipping out on the Thursday Night Social Rides just to give us some space. I fear we'll kill each other without it. If we can survive this, maybe we can survive anything! He is pretty damn cute though so I suppose I'll make the best of the situation. ;)
Utah, I love and miss you so much! I never thought I'd say those words but it's true. I miss the mountains, I miss my family, and most of all, I miss my friends. I've met some great people here but none have compared to the ones I have at home. With the exception of Reggie in Arizona and Christina in Florida (yes, Florida), y'all are in Utah and I want you near me. I suppose my adorable Utah boy will have to do for now but I WILL be coming home. Maybe not tomorrow, next month, or even 6 months from now but damn it, when I do come home, I want as many 3.2% beers as I can handle (which will probably be a lot since I'm used to a higher %), and all of my friends around me.
