So Long, Farewell (Probably Next Week)

So Eric went back to school today and it looks like there's a very good chance that we'll be out of here by next Wednesday at the latest. Which is crazy. We've already managed to take care of our couch problem, and we've shipped 16 boxes of books to my Utah, so now I'm just praying they all get there. This weekend will be a weekend of packing and hanging out with friends, and then I guess we're gone.

Anyway, I thought it seemed like the right time to make a list of the things I will miss and not miss about the Rio Grande Valley. (I will actually miss some things! Amazing!)

Things I Will Not Miss: 

• Being nearly an hour from the nearest bookstore. Ridiculous. 
• The Mexican food. No, I didn't develop an enduring love of it while we were here. Probably because people keep trying to get me to eat intestines and stomach linings. (Although I do love those fried stuffed avocados at La Playa. Mmm.) 
• The heat, and the complete lack of seasons, and the fact that I can never wear my winter clothes here. 
• The fact that everything is at least 4 hours away - the temple, any concerts/plays/culture I might want to partake of (minus mariache), any family we have, etc. 
• The periodic freaky border stories we hear down here, even if San Benito is quiet. 
• The fact that people look at me like I'm crazy when I say I'm in a book club. ("Wait. So you all get together each month and read a book . . . and then talk about it? Why?") 
• Yes, I love working for the library, but I will not miss the fact that they never have the books I want, and there's no way to get them to order them for me except to suggest it. 
• Waking up for seminary. Nope. Not at all. 
• The taste of our the water in our apartment, and indeed in the whole Valley. It all tastes like sulfur, and we've been buying bottled water for a year. Which makes me feel bad, because there's not really a good recycling service, so we've just thrown away a million plastic bottles. Sigh. Dehydration or ruin the environment? I don't know. 
• Needing to speak Spanish every day. Feeling dumb because I don't. 
• My tiny countertops, which are insufficient for preparing any kind of baked goods. 
• The fact that independent movies never come here. Do you know how long I waited to see Jane Eyre and The King's Speech? And how many others I probably just missed because it wasn't worth the pain? 
• Valley drivers. Yes, I know I'm trading them for Utah drivers and I-15 perma-construction, but I think I'll take them over the way I feel like I take my life into my hands around here whenever I get in the car. (Also, they're unsafe drivers, but they also drive SO SLOW! How is that possible?) 
• The way humidity messes with my hair and makes it take 5 years to dry in the morning. 
• Zero good radio stations (although I did finally find NPR - it's just only good in the mornings when it's not playing crappy jazz music). 

Things I Will Miss:

• I will miss our apartment. I honestly cannot imagine a more perfect apartment for the first year of our marriage. It was roomy (except the in counter space), it was relatively bug-free (3 live cockroaches and several dead ones are numbers I can live with) it was in a quiet area with a lovely balcony and trees (not palm trees, which I don't really like for some reason) that grew tropical flowers, and we had a fantastic landlady. I will always think fondly on this apartment. Except the counters. 
• I will miss (and have missed since I've been working) British Friday with Debra. I will just miss Debra. My life in the Valley became a million times better when we became friends and discovered we were kindred spirits. I very much hope she moves north soon. I will miss my friend Jordan, who was my counselor in YW and with whom I shared some delightful heat-exhaustion times at Girl's Camp (as well as many other good times). I will miss several other friends we've made around the Valley - Sammie and Kaylee and Will from TFA, the Sparkes, the Villarinos (Mr. Villarino was the teacher in the classroom next to Eric, and then we saw him at stake conference when he was there investigating the church. We got to attend their baptism and have had them over for dinner - and they're just delightful. They will be wonderful for the church here.) and so many other people and families who have just been amazing. 
• I'll miss all of the wonderful people in our branch here - and the opportunities to serve in the church that come from being in a small branch. Although I can't say that I love getting up for seminary at 5:30 or that I didn't get overwhelmed being in charge of the Young Women sometimes, I can say that being very involved has made me love all of the following: the people in this branch, the leadership of the branch, the organization of the church in general, working with and feeding the missionaries, and the fact that my husband is a much more Christlike and service-oriented person than I am. I do believe that I have become a better person with a stronger testimony of the gospel because of the opportunities we've had here, even the ones I didn't particularly want at the time. 
• I'll miss the independence Eric and I have had here as a couple. I hate not being close to any family, but it has been really great for us to have to completely rely on each other for the last year, and I feel like it did a lot to strengthen our marriage and help us to become closer as a couple. I can't imagine anyone I would rather turn to. 
• Being five hours from Brady and Kristi. It's been nice to be able to take a weekend vacation to Houston and spend time with them whenever we want, even if it was still five hours.  
• Our easy access to South Padre Island. Being this close to the ocean is lovely.  
• Kumori sushi in McAllen. Best. Sushi. Ever. Especially for being so cheap. 

And so, Rio Grande Valley, I leave you feeling a little more fond than I thought I would when I moved here (which was not fond at all), but mostly I will miss the friends I've made and the opportunities I've had for growth here. I'm looking forward to our new adventures, but I can think of worse ways that we could have spent our first year of marriage.