One year later....

Exactly one year ago yesterday (Sept. 7th), we started this chapter and arrived in Houston. Can you believe it? Time flies! But, it's been a fun, exciting year for the Clayton's. New city, new jobs, new friends, new lives. We're focused on healthy living and a happy marriage. We have a long list of goals to accomplish in the coming years, but we're only focusing on what makes us happy. Staying positive and enjoying life is our main priority right now -- and I must admit, it feels pretty dang good!

Much love,

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Summer Family Time

Last month, we were fortunate enough to take time off from work and enjoy some family time in Texas. Considering the weather here in August, outside activities were somewhat limited, unless of course, there was water included! A few highlights in Houston included the world's best fajitas at Lupe Tortilla, Sweet cupcakes at City Centre and a Dynamo game.

Check out our view at the game! 

I had never been to a professional soccer game, so I didn't know what to expect. The high-energy atmosphere provided constant entertainment, topped off with a Dynamo win! 

The rest of vacation was spent beach- or pool-side on Galveston Island - which by the way, if you are ever heading down this way, check out VRBO.com - super easy way to book vacation rentals (even pet friendly ones!). 

Since Rosco and Marley were able to make the trip with us, they were able to take their first trip to the beach. They LOVED it! :-)

We enjoyed our little getaway and had a great time with family. Being so far away from our family and friends, it was nice to have a piece of "home" come to us! :-) 

Much love,

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Summertime Catch Up

So, another four months has passed by without a blog post.... Eeek, sorry! I guess since our "summer" weather started around that time, we've been doing more lounging at the pool than site seeing. However, we have made it to a few fun spots over the past few months that I'll share. 

Back in March, we spent a Sunday afternoon downtown. We started the day off at Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. Packed with beautiful Gospel music and a scrumptious southern-style brunch, we had a great time and will definitely attend again. After brunch, we headed over to the Downtown Aquarium where we acted like kids and rode the Ferris Wheel, had a caricature drawn and toured the aquarium. The Houston Downtown Aquarium is beautiful with gorgeous views of the city - making it a hopping tourist spot!

 For Ryan's birthday, I surprised him with tickets to the USA Rugby game. For those of you who don't know, Ryan played Rugby in high school and is passionate for the sport. I was excited to see on the news that USA would be playing Ireland in Houston the week after his birthday. Since it was the first weekend in June, we were both nervous about the heat, but the humidity was low and it turned out to be a beautiful evening! I knew little to nothing about the sport before going to the game, and was amazed at the level of athleticism these players have. Going to the game reminded Ryan how much he misses the sport, so he may even be joining the Houston Rugby Club later this summer. 

Summer in Houston means lots of sunshine, but hot, HUMID temperatures. Basically any time spent outside must be in water or you'll sweat to death. We couldn't be more thankful to have a pool at our complex. Honestly, I don't know how anyone down here survives without one. The Clayton's have spent many weekend afternoons (at least one day every weekend since May....) lounging at the pool. Here's where we've been spending our weekends:

The humidity was down this week, so we took the pups to the park. Marley does NOT swim, but she was hot enough to venture out into the water.

We spent the Fourth of July at Houston's official event, Freedom Over Texas. Pretty view of downtown on our way to the event. 

We have our first visitors (mi familia!) arriving in about a month. We're excited to take some time off work, show them around Houston and relax at the beach! 



Much Love,

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Anniversaries

Well, I've totally failed so far when it comes to blogging. I blame going back to work full-time. :) 

When I sat down to think about a blog topic, I couldn't help but look at the calendar and realize we have a few anniversaries coming up. First of all, this week marks two months at my new job. How in the world has it been two months already?? In such a large company and complex industry, I feel like I'm learning something or meeting someone new every single day. It's refreshing and keeps me motivated. Happy work anniversary to me!

Exactly six months ago TODAY we moved to Houston. It's absolutely crazy that it's already been six months. There's so much that comes with a relocation: learning a new city and its transportation systems, new jobs, new friends, new dog parks (ha, this is of course on our transition list!), new everything. After six months we feel like we've learned a lot about the Bayou City and the south, in general, but a few things stick out:

• Houston is the food capital of the US. Tex-mex, seafood, BBQ, you name it, there are thousands of top-notch restaurants in the metro-area. And Houstonians go out to eat all the time. Pick a random Tuesday night and restaurants in all parts of the city are still packed. If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you see we have frequented several local favorites. I mean, how could we resist? :)
• Everyone says y'all. Yep, it's true. I've even caught myself saying it a few times. 
• Houston is a melting pot. In fact, in 2012, a research study found that the Houston region is the most ethnically diverse large metro area in the US. (Houston Chronicle) 
• Everyone works or knows someone who works in Energy. I learned this pretty quickly while job searching. I pulled a quick stat just to give you an idea: Houston is home to major U.S. energy firms in every segment, including exploration, production, oil field service and supply, and development. About 3,600 energy-related companies lie within the Houston area, including 600 exploration and production firms and 170 pipeline companies. Given the existence of these firms, and the technically trained and experienced work force, Houston no doubt will remain the center of the energy industry in the United States.
• Traffic sucks. ALL the time. Seriously though, not just the typical morning/afternoon rush hour traffic going to and from downtown. There's ALWAYS traffic. It doesn't matter what direction you're going at what time of day. Considering thousands and thousands of people move to this city every year, the six-to-eight-lane highways are getting filled up. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but really, you can always expect a decent amount of traffic.

After six months, we feel like this is our adopted home. Happy moving anniversary to us! 

And last but certainly not least, next months marks our first wedding anniversary. Our first year of marriage has been full of happiness and love. Since we're both in new jobs with limited vacation time, we won't be island hopping or anything this year, so we've decided to be tourists in our own city. The plans are in the works for a special celebration, southern style! :) 

Much love,

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Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013

First of all, let me apologize for my lack of blogging in the past couple of months. This happens to be one of my resolutions, so hopefully I'll get better in 2013. 

Since it is New Year's Eve, I thought this would be a perfect time to reflect on what an amazing year 2012 was for the Clayton's.

2012 was an exciting year to live in Indianapolis - the host city for Super Bowl XLVI. Although the committee planned this event for years, the final touches on plans and prepping the Circle City were in full force in January. Kudos to the committee for hosting one of the most successful Super Bowls in history and putting Indianapolis on the map for large-scale events. We had the pleasure of experiencing Super Bowl Village numerous times throughout the week. Our favorite part... the Zipline! I'm thankful I did my research and pre-purchased tickets - they were sold out everyday. 

After the excitement of the Super Bowl died down, we were putting the final touches on the next big event of the year (well, at least to us!) - our wedding! After a year and a half of planning every little detail, it was finally time to say I Do. From the bridal showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties to the ceremony and reception, we loved every minute of this time and feel extremely blessed for the special people we have in our lives. April 28th, 2012 was perfect. 

With all of the excitement of a wedding, there's also a ton of stress. What better place to relieve that stress than Jamaica? I can't think of a better place. We started our journey to Ocho Rios, Jamaica at the break of dawn on Monday after our wedding. (P.S. anyone getting married and planning a honeymoon, don't plan to leave on Sunday - you're WAY too exhausted.) After two planes and a bus ride, we finally made it to our fabulous resort. We adopted the country's motto, "No Worries," for the week and had the best time on the beautiful island. We didn't want to leave and can't wait to plan another trip back. 

After the honeymoon, our lives seemed to settle down and get back to our routine. In July, Ryan received a call that would end up taking our lives in a completely different direction. He was offered a job in Houston, TX and a month later we packed up our entire lives and moved across the country. It's been an exciting journey and we love our new home. We had the opportunity to travel back to Indiana for the holidays and it was very special to see familiar faces. A little too much snow for our liking since we've been spoiled with tropical temperatures, but it was a beautiful holiday. While driving back into Houston, Ryan and I both felt a sense of home. It's funny how somewhere you've only lived for a few months just feels right. 

2013 will be full of new experiences for the Clayton's and we couldn't be more excited. I have accepted a full-time marketing position at an energy company and will be starting in January. I'm thankful for the opportunity and ready to get back to work. 

Happy New Year!

Much Love,
The Clayton's

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Dinner And a Movie

How many dinner and a movie dates have you been on? Probably dozens. Waiting 30 minutes to an hour for a table because you forgot to make reservations, then an hour for dinner, then two hours at the movies, then it's so late that you end up going straight home. Well, Ryan planned date night last weekend and took me to Studio Movie Grill @ CityCentre - where you sit at a small table, instead of being cramped without any arm or leg room, with a full-service dinner and drink menu and waiter. I know these exist in other cities, but this was the first time for both of us. Not to mention CityCentre is a modern outdoor district with plenty of shopping and dining - a popular weekend hangout. 

We sipped cocktails and ordered appetizers while we watched Taken 2. Even though the movie isn't getting rave reviews, I really liked it. Maybe because I have a slight crush on Liam Neeson, but hey, who else in the world has his particular set of skills? ;) It was what you'd expect for a sequel, not quite as exciting as the first, but it was still a good action-packed movie that kept you on the edge of your seat. At least it had the same cast. 

As far as Studio Movie Grill, it gets two thumbs up from the Clayton's. I think movie theaters are overpriced and usually don't go unless I absolutely have to see the movie (which hasn't happened often in the past couple years.. ask Ryan), but this set up seems much more worth your $10 movie ticket. The food and drinks were good, we had much more room than an average theater and after the movie we still had time to walk and shop around CityCentre. 

Fun date night courtesy of my hubby! I'm excited for the next new experience.

Much love,
The Clayton's

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Home Sweet Home

 

After a few crazy weeks, we finally feel settled and our apartment feels like home. The final items left of the list to become Texas residents included getting our Texas driver's licenses and registering our vehicle. We knew we were in for a different DMV experience when we pulled up and the line outside was wrapped around the entire building. And that was just to get your number. Sigh. Three hours later, we walked out of the DMV with Texas licenses in hand.

Registering your vehicle is much more complicated in Texas than in Indiana. Texas requires your vehicles to be inspected each year, then you must file for license plates at the Tax Assessor's office. I mean, of course they can't make your life any easier by doing everything in the same place, right? We took our inspection form and all other required documents to the courthouse only to find another wrap-around line. You know, like the lines at Cedar Point or King's Island. Except, instead of a thrill ride at the end of the line, you get to sign your name, pay a bill and come home with stickers, plates and a lot of paperwork.

After a long day, we survived and are officially Texans... even though in our hearts, we will always be Hoosiers. 

In other news, Ryan is still loving his job - he's learning a lot and even teaching me some things about how his profession relates to every day life. I started coaching at a cheer gym a few nights a week. It feels great to get back in the gym and I'm excited to experience Texas-style cheer. For anyone who doesn't know, cheer was basically founded in Texas.

The "fall" weather here feels like the beginning of summer back in the midwest. Temperatures are in the mid-to-high-80s during the day and low 60s overnight. A "cool down" is heading our way with highs in the 70s, haha. Maybe it will feel cool to us by Christmas.

We can hardly believe that we've been here for a month already, but life is really starting to feel "normal" again. Except for the fact that we aren't spending our fall tailgating at our alma mater. Sigh. Go Hoosiers!!

Much love,
The Clayton's

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Hello, Houston

The Clayton's have arrived safely in Houston. We arrived Friday morning, picked up our keys and headed straight to our new apartment. Since we had actually never looked at our exact apartment, we were excited (and a bit nervous) to open the door. But, it's great and we know we will make this place feel like home. It is on the third floor which isn't a big deal, but I do know that we will strategically plan trips to make sure we don't have to make hundreds of trips up and down those 38 steps. And hey, we're young. It's good for us.

Now let's talk about the road trip. The 17 hour road trip. Yawn. It was tiring, but we did it. With the help of five-hour energy, coffee and XM radio, we survived with very little complaints. I shared the trip through my social networks, but here are some pictures from the trip.

The SUV was packed to the limit.. leaving just enough room for Ryan and me in the front and Rosco and Marley in the very back.

I saved the second half of this book to read on the trip -- ended up being a really great read by Emily Giffin.

My turn to drive - southern Illinois, Missouri and a little of Arkansas.

Ryan drove the hardest leg across Arkansas from midnight til almost 5 a.m. Then it was my turn again once we crossed into Texas.



We technically arrived in Houston around 9 a.m. but it takes some time to travel around the country's fourth largest city and actually used to be at the top of the list of cities with the worst traffic. More importantly, Forbes just recognized Houston as the "coolest" city in America in this article. The local newspapers' blog also just mentioned that the city is among the top cities for moves. So, we are not the only newbies here.

Houston may be big and have a lot of traffic, but it is beautiful! And it has palm trees. We are beyond excited to get settled in and explore everything this city has to offer.

The first adventure, of course, was to find a dog park. Since Rosco and Marley had slept for almost two entire days (18 hours in the car + the 14 hours we slept after the trip), they were FULL of energy. After doing a little research, we discovered that Houston has more than 20, that's right TWENTY, dog parks across the city. So, we randomly picked one sort of close to our place to check out today - Millie Bush Bark Park. Wow, fifteen acres for the pups to run with two ponds, picnic tables, dog showers, the works. Rosco and Marley each gave it their "paw" of approval. They both swam in the pond for the very first time. Someone threw a ball into the middle of the pond and without thought, they both jumped into the water with the rest of the pack and started swimming after it. Except for Marley. After following for a split second, she realized she was in the water and didn't like it. She busted a U-turn real quick and swam back. Let's just say she didn't fall for that trick again, and never returned to the water. Unfortunately no, I didn't catch it on video, but it was definitely AFV prize worthy. Rosco swam almost the whole time chasing ball after ball. Both are now curled up asleep, where I imagine they will be for the rest of the day!

Here's a few shots from the park today:

Much love,
The Clayton's

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