My Mom Time At Texas

My family and I have decided to have the spring break in Texas last week — roadtrip style! One thousand three hundred miles from here was a very long and tiring trip. If I had my way, I would definitely fly. But my husband insisted on driving. It turned out to be fun, after all.

We stayed with my husband’s relatives in Sugarland, a suburb of Houston. We were very well taken care of, the entire five days that we were there. His aunt and cousin, who were also visiting from the Philippines, cooked Filipino dishes like dinuguan, lechon kawali, sinigang, Filipino barbecue, molo, daing, ginatang tulingan, pansit luglog, to name a few. All we did was eat, sleep, drive around if we feel like it, and catch up with them. It was my kind of vacation — a laid back and relaxed mom time as oppose to getting stressed with trying to visit as many places as you can.

We did go to NASA space center, and drove around downtown Houston, ate at Goode Co Barbeque (OMG, I love their bbq ribs!), and at some Thai restaurant, and went around the big local mall at Sugarland. I honestly love Sugarland, it’s like everything’s new and being developed in this area. The residential community we went to, called Sienna Plantations (located right next to Sugarland), is huge! Has a number of schools inside, convenient stores, several clubs or community centers, day care facilities — all inside the community. You definitely get a bigger house there, not to mention the warmer weather compared here in Illinois.

On our way back home, we visited downtown Austin. I couldn’t leave Texas without having at least a glimpse of this famous city. We were only able to drove around downtown. It was an awesome place, just like I imagined. The hills are beautiful, and the houses are huge! It’s like looking at houses of drug lords and mafia leaders in movies, lol!

My husband insisted we stopped by Whole Foods which is the corporate headquarters. Oh my, it’s the biggest Whole Foods I’ve ever seen! And as you can sense, I was in heaven at that time

I picked up a different vibe and energy in Austin. It seems like people are more laid back there compared here. While we were eating, I was approached by a lady who asked me if I saw the bird flew right in front of me. What bird? I asked. I was multitasking again, I bet. She just smiled (probably realized I’m not a local) and continued saying that my Gizelle has more “firey” personality than my sweet Gabrielle. And she was totally right! I wished we still had more time to explore the suburbs of Austin. I just want to experience how it is to live there, not just go to their tourist spots.

When we got back home, I had a heavy heart. I was thankful for the awesome vacation and mom time I had there, no doubt. But a part of me wanted to stay longer, even probably move there. So what is it that’s causing my anxiety?

The fact that I was able to be myself and not having to worry about work, chores, and responsibilities when I was there. I was “in the moment” most of the time and enjoyed the present. The whole of me enjoyed my kids, husband, family, and myself. Not just some part of me experiencing the present, while the other part is thinking about what I need to do next. I was experiencing and enjoying life!

But I was on vacation! It’s now time to get back to reality! The reality of having to multi-task most of the time, and be in constant rush to finish things. And that’s exactly the issue here. No matter how aware I was, to constantly remind myself to slow down and be in the moment, I still get unconsciously sucked into the work-do-multitask way of life. Even with my mom time, I sometimes catch my mind wondering about other stuff I need to finish.

My mom time at Texas has definitely shown me what I’ve been missing. It just made me realize that although I still need to work on slowing down, being in the moment and getting more in tune with my inner self, I will definitely get there.

And though I still have to wait for the right time to move to the warmer Austin, I am happy with the way we are here in Illinois. I’m happy with the fact that we have a lot of good, close friends here. I’m happy with my children’s school, teachers and classmates. I happy with my job and being able to work from home. I’m happy with my boss and team! I’m happy with my house and community.

I don’t need to be on vacation to have a vacation. I can choose to live my life everyday like I’m on vacation. And I’m definitely choosing to do this NOW.