Houston

I love Houston. I wasn't born here, but I have definitely lived most of my life here. I grew up pretty much right where 290 meets 610 in a house that my dad still lives in today. Even as a kid I loved living in Houston, I was always a little confused as to why people would vacation in Houston, but I loved being from here and growing up here. I became increasingly exasperated with people in college who would ask me where I was from and then ask if I lived in Jersey Village or Cypress. Nope, when I say I grew up in Houston, I grew up in Houston! I am so glad that Mattie and I made the decision to move here when we did. I recognize that other parts of the state or the country don't realize the appeal of Houston, but we really love it here. Affordable housing, lots of jobs, different areas to choose from in the city, tons of great food, world class museums, a plethora of entertainment options, the list goes on and on. Matt and I are so snobby about Mexican food having been spoiled by it here in Houston that we won't eat Mexican food north of Waco because we are quite simply convinced that it simply isn't worth it! I am not crazy about professional sports, but I fully support my Houston teams above all others (professional teams that is). So even though we aren't technically IN Houston, we still love being Houstonians by association.

Today I felt incredibly blessed to be a Houstonian for another reason. I drove Johnny down to the medical center for an appointment with Genetics. The appointment went great and in the process we were given the referral for Johnny to go to the Down syndrome clinic to be checked out by specialists once a year. It became so clear to me as I walked through Texas Children's Hospital how lucky I was that we were here, in this great city, with only a drive down a couple of freeways to get to medical offices that are frequented by people from all over the world. People routinely come from around the state, country, and further to visit the offices that I can easily get to. Some families have to plan trips months in advance, take off work, arrange flights for them and their kids, get a hotel, and deal with all the other travel woes just to have the same couple hour visit we had for Johnny. It is such a blessing to have this resource at our disposal.

So a big thank you to Houston for being the great and misunderstood city that you are! The Howard family loves you very much!




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