Leaving Houston for Albuquerque, Part 2

As we settle in to our temporary new home here in Albuquerque, I can’t help but notice the differences between here and Houston.  After all, I’ve become a Houstonian after living there for almost six years, and it won’t be long before I’ll be headed back. 

Weather differences are obvious, and mostly, I like the change.  Houston humidity in the summer is ridiculous, so I’m looking forward to a drier summer.  That said, already our skin and lips are chapped and chafed here in Albuquerque.  I’ve always had dry skin and am addicted to Vaseline, even in Houston.  Josh makes fun of me for it, so I had to laugh when he asked me for some the other night. 

Mountains are an obvious difference too.  I think I forget that Houston is near sea level where it’s flat.  Only as I was driving to Albuquerque was I reminded of that.  I forgot what it was like to drive up mountains.  Difficult but beautiful.  Josh even asked me if I was having trouble breathing here because he obviously was. 

Albuquerque is calm and quiet.  Houston is not.  I’m sure to some people Albuquerque is not quiet, but several times I have wondered why the streets are deserted.  I forget just how big Houston is (4^th largest city in the U.S.).  Josh commented that he likes not hearing the police sirens all the time, so quiet probably means less crime too. :-)  Although, we both have noticed that the cops pull people over more for traffic violations.  I feel a little more on edge driving around here.  In Houston, cops don’t have time to pull people over for speeding and other traffic violations; they’re too busy chasing criminals.

Expenses are another difference.  Some things are cheaper here, but other things are cheaper in Houston.  I guess there’s a little give and a little take.  I still don’t know why gas is cheaper in Albuquerque given that Houston makes its living off oil.  If anyone can explain that to me, feel free. 

As far as personal differences, I like that I have a washer and dryer here in my house.  I told Josh that it may be difficult for me to go back to Houston and use an apartment laundry room again.  We may be looking at places with washers and dryers when we go back. ;-)

We don’t live in an apartment here, so we have a yard.  It’s not the prettiest yard to me since it’s done with cacti, rocks, and dirt, but Eli is having a blast digging in all the dirt and rocks. 

We have hardwood floor here instead of the carpet we’re used to.  I think I prefer carpet.  It’s a lot easier to scratch and damage hardwood floors, and my feet get dirty when I walk barefoot.  I also like the padding that carpet provides.  I’m already nervous about Eli getting hurt on these hard floors. 

Of course, there are many other differences, but we’re looking forward to exploring Albuquerque more.  It will be interesting to see if I’m dreading going back to Houston at summer’s end or if I’m breathing a sigh of relief.