Thoughts about Texas

We have been living in Texas for three weeks now, and so far it has been great! Well, it has been great for me . . . but I am not the one who has to go to work through an hour of traffic. :) I just get to enjoy the pool every day! haha Although we haven't been here a really long time, I am starting to get an idea about things I like and things I don't like about being here.

Things I like about Texas:

1. The Mexican food! Oooooooh man, I have never had Mexican food like they have here. I am going to be one of those annoying people who is always wishing they were back in Texas when we go out to eat.
2. The flowers and greenery. Everything here is so beautiful! There are palm trees and colorful flowers everywhere, and everything grows.
3. Storms. We have only had a few storms, but the thunder rolls for miles and the rain pours in sheets. It is a really cool thing to watch!
4. All the races and cultures. I was telling my mom that in the first 24 hours I lived here, I saw more races at Walmart than I have in my entire life combined! Our apartment complex is also really diverse. I think there are pretty equal numbers between white, African American, and Indians. It is really cool!
5. The gluten-free selection at Krogers. I was worried about coming to Texas that I would have a hard time finding food to eat, but to my surprise they have all kinds of gluten-free foods! And they are cheaper than in Utah, so that has been a great surprise. :)
6. There are all kinds of things to do in Houston and surrounding cities. We have plans to visit NASA, the zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the beach, Dallas, Austin, and Louisiana to see gators. I'll be sure to post some pictures of the different things we see.

Things I don't like about Texas:

1. The BUGS. Specifically, the cockroaches. The fire ants aren't so great either. I have to watch every step I take when I walk across the lawn.
2. The traffic! It takes forever to get anywhere around here! In a city of four million people, the traffic is always backed up from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. I don't like the stop and go traffic, especially in a stick shift.
3. If you go outside on a walk, your clothes are soaked through with sweat. I don't mind heat, and I don't mind humidity per se, but the sweat drives me crazy!
4. There aren't any mountains. This is a classic complaint, but I realized the other day that everything is so flat. The only elevation change is going over the overpasses on the freeway. :)
5. We, along with the other couple that came from BYU for the same internship, are the only LDS people in our apartment complex. It isn't that I have a problem being in the minority, or that I need LDS people to be happy, it is just really odd. My problem is the ward is HUGE and spread out for miles, so I don't like that it is hard to be in contact with ward members as friends throughout the week.