Thursday, December 6, 2012

We are Texas bound

The Shock family is relocating to Austin, TX at the end of the month. We've been talking about making this move ever since we got married. At the time it was a dream, something we'd get serious about later. The timing wasn't right then either. As the years came and went, we got more serious about the idea. There were two things we wanted to get out of the way before we got into full blown "moving to another city" mode. We decided to have Jennifer finish her degree at Marymount. She graduated in December 2011 but was pregnant with Wyatt at the time, so we decided to have the baby in Virginia. Wyatt was born in May. After a  couple of months getting into a two kid rhythm, we got serious about moving to Austin.

Why Austin? Well, Atom has lived in the DC metro area for 13 years and Jennifer for 10. It's time for a change. We want to get away from the uptight hustle-bustle of the DC metro area. Jennifer is from San Antonio, TX and most of her family is there, so we wanted to be closer to them. Our family of four has outgrown the condo we live in. The DC area has a high cost of living, consistently in the top 10. The cost of living in Austin is much lower. It helps that Texas is one of seven states without an income tax. In a mostly conservative Texas, Austin is liberal and progressive politically, socially and in culture, arts and music. We love Austin's friendly, accepting culture and want to help "Keep Austin Weird". It's the place we want to raise our family, live our lives and grow old together. It also helps that the city is the self-proclaimed "live music capital of the world".

We short sold our house in Virginia in September. The short sale process takes about three months. The moving truck is coming the weekend before Christmas. We'll stay with relatives in San Antonio until we find  a single family house to rent. Atom is currently job hunting.

We've made lots of great friends and memories in DC. And they won't be forgotten. We welcome all friends and family to come visit often. The Shock Family Circus is taking the show on the road. We're excited to start a new chapter of our lives.