15 Things I’ve Learned After Moving to Texas


It's certainly not an all encompassing list but I thought I'd share a few of the things I've learned over the past year.
  • People look at you funny if you’re walking anywhere.
  • People drive everywhere.
  • Wear a hat with a Texas flag and you’re welcomed like a native.
  • Wildflowers are everywhere in the summer.
  • The state pride truly is crazy (in an awesome way).
  • There’s no state income tax.
  • When it gets below freezing, most people lose their mind. That and public works is completely unprepared.
  • People can’t handle driving in the rain either.
  • There’s a lot of restaurants that claim to have the best chicken fried steak.
  • Texas shaped waffles at the hotel taste pretty darn good.
  • There are cheap do-it-yourself car washes everywhere and coming from the DC metro area, this is a big deal.
  • There are tons of small parks all over the place and if you like to run outside, you'll soon be rating them based on shade amount.
  • Everyone’s car has 1 of 2 speeds; 7mph exactly or 25mph over the speed limit.
  • Texas is big. Like drive all day and you're still in it kind of big.
  • There are some seriously awesome sunsets that take up your entire view.

Visiting with The Van Man

Jon Gaffney is a good friend of mine and recently set out on an epic journey. He bought a van, gutted it, made it livable, and moved into it along with his girlfriend Gale. They're currently traveling the country and I couldn't be more envious (in a healthy way).

It just so happened that I was able to get a tour of their home about a week or two ago and I wanted to share some photos with you. These two have an outpouring of creativity and it was personally refreshing spending time together.











I highly recommend that you follow their expedition online. They're visiting some amazing places and telling an adventurous story in the process. And while it's a bit gratuitous, check out my interview of Jon and Gale near the beginning of their voyage.