Houston Bound - Goodbye Louisiana
 

Well, tonight will be my little family's last night in our home in Broussard. This is the first house that I ever purchased and it is the home that my wife and I started our family in when we brought home our 19 month old daughter. We have a lot of great memories in this house, and if it was up to me I would not be leaving.

I earned a promotion at work, which is something I have been working towards for a while. The only drawback (and it's a BIG ONE) is that the position is in Houston.

Even though I never wanted to, or thought that I would never have to live anywhere but South LA, much less a HUGE city like Houston, I didn't hesitate to say yes when my employer asked me if I would make the move to Houston. I know that I am blessed to have a job in the current economy, much less be recieving a promotion.

It's been a pretty emotional month since I accepted the new position, not only for my wife and me but for my parents and inlaws, too. My 19 month old daughter knows something is going on but she has no idea that tonight is the last night she will ever sleep in her house and that she is about to go from seeing her grandparents 3 times a week to seeing them 1 or 2 times a month.

That is what I am struggling with the most, and I know that is what is eating up my parents too.

I know people move away from their home town all of the time, but it seems to be less common in south Louisiana. I think it's because of how important family life is in the Cajun culture.

I never really post personal stuff on Salty Cajun. I hope no one feels like they wasted their time reading this. I was hoping to get some words of advice or encouragement from experience about moving my family away from relatives and also about living in Houston.

We are renting a new house in the Northeast Richmond area, to the Northwest of Sugarland. I know there are a ton of things to do in a city as big as Houston, which is what everyone tells me to get me excited about the move.

To me though, it won't be "home" and I won't be able to drive 10 minutes down the road to visit with my parents or other relatives.

But, at least I will have my girls with me (wife and daughter) and as I said I am very blessed to have a job bc I know a lot of good, hard working men are out of work in this tough economy.

If anyone who has any experience moving away from their home town or living in the Houston area would share any advice or encouragement it would be appreciated.

No word of advise, just saying good luck to you on your new adventure..

I have never had to move farther than 85 miles 21 years ago. Landed here in small town Kinder so no comparison. But from your read I can say you sound like a great guy and a strong family man. I'm sure all will work out great.

Best wishes to you and your family with the transitition.

just cause youre moving doesnt mean you cant move back one day. Good luck over there

Best of luck to you in your new career!

Houston isn't that far away.

lmao!!!

Funny stuff! And a good point too.
That's the frame of mind I will make sure to focus on going forward.

I appreciate all of the replies from everyone.

Mako I had the same decision about 10 years ago. My family is very close to me and it was hard on my mother. Looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Of course I still miss Louisiana and visit as often as I can but this was better for my family and it may be for yours as well. All of us la boys hope to eventually come back home permantley but you have to do what you have to do for now. There are some good folks in houston. I'm personally not a huge fan of the area you are moving to but we can talk more offline if you would like. Good luck with the move, la will always have your heart but you can make a very good life for your family in the concrete jungle.

i know you hate to leave SE Louisiana, but it's not the end of the world. the richmond/rosenberg area is located really close to a huge coastal fishery. you will be within 2 hrs of galveston, freeport, matagorda and pt o'conner and corpus aren't much further. hate that you have to leave your home but in time you'll make it back and in the mean time------enjoy the Tx coast, you'll meet some great folks.

I'll bet a year from now you will not regret your choice! I lived in Kingwood (northeast side) and raised both my kids there before transferring several times. My wife and kids and I are all very close because we never lived near our families so we did everything together! As stated before, Houston isn't too far away! One word of caution, if you come home each day from work talking about how bad you miss Louisiana then your wife and daughter will feed off this negitivity. Stay positive and keep your homesick thoughts to yourself! Good Luck

Very good advice.

Left LA to live and work in Houston for a couple of years (now back in school in Lafayette). Lived in the Heights but worked in field out near Boling, Needville, and Damon. That area is really pretty and actually reminds me a lot of LA. Good fishing nearby, dove and duck hunting is pretty decent also. I don't think I ever went to a location around there without seeing some deer, ducks, or other critters.
You're in a good area around Rosenberg and should be able to find some good fishing and hunting.

I made the same move. Personally I dislike it, but it was a wise career move. After about two years the new wears off and it becomes a grind. Send me a PM and I can hook you up with some places to bird hunt if that's your thing.


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Now you have to learn to keep the throttle pinned in small bayous and canals when crossing other boats set up fishing:pissed:. Maybe that doesn't happen if you keep the LA reg numbers on the hull; seems like it is a given with TX numbers....just sayin'

It's great to have a close family support system and to be comfortable in the way you live, but sometimes its good to make a move/change and help refocus or find your family's identity without the weighing factors of others. Set a timeline to be there and commit to enjoying yourself in a new place and finding out what the area has to offer. At the end of the timeline, gather up your thoughts and feelings and make the best decision for your family, yourself, and your career. Enjoy yourself, it would be a tragedy to loathe when a great opportunity could be at your families fingertips.

Its hard, but you are doing what is best for your family. You can always come back. They also have good public schools in Houston.

Not in Houston but the surrounding areas, yes. HISD is not good.

If you have good friends in La. you will have good friends in Houston. It is not them, but "you" that makes the difference. Trust me on this because I've lived in 7 different states & have good friends in all of them.

Good luck Mako, you're doing what is best for your family.

On a more useful note than my last post....In spite of the usual drawbacks of a large Metro, Houston has many more activities for husband/wife/children than Lafayette. My wife and I travel there many times each year for Opera and other performing arts. Also they have great museums as well as restaurants.

yea, they talk funny over there so there is a little language barrier to overcome at first lol.

good luck and best wishes.

Going through this right now myself and I was fighting demons on it for awhile. Hated to uproot with a 5 year old who had friends in the neighborhood and at school, BUT long term it was what was best and its best to do it earlier than later. I am not where I plan on being for the long haul but its a stepping stone to get to where I want to be. Good luck out there. Yo may really enjoy the area

Richmond is not far from Matagorda. Matagorda is a lot less crowded than Galveston with lots of fishing opportunities.

The movers are packing up our house as we speak. Thank you for all of the replies. They help tremendously, and I even showed them to my wife to read. A lot of good points in these posts.

When things settle down a little I will PM those that have offered more advice.

This site never ceases to amaze me with all of the members always willing to lend a helping hand.

Mako i live in richmond. Give me a pm ring and we'll chat. Flounder run is coming up mightbea good chance to baptize you in tx waters.

Adam

Mako I have been facing same issue my boss asked me to move to Houston but have kept him at bay on it because I love DeQuincy but I spend a lot of time over there. I will say some good fishing in Galveston bat and lots to do. If u ever need a fishing partner let me know I'm over ther pretty regular fishing.

Good luck mako....
I lived in the Kingwood / Atascocita area from 96 to 2002. You will like it.

There is an awesome China town area very near you. We were down there yesterday. Beltway 8 and Bellaire area. Very cool restaurants and markets. Go check out hong kong market. It's a trip.

And pm me if you need matagorda info. I that used to be my home bay.

Made the same move a few years ago. Houston grows on you, has it's good and bad sides but overall a pretty good place to be. Lots of interesting things to see and places to go and a lot of other Louisiana folks here as well which made the transition pretty easy.

That's for sure!
I'm going to do everything that I can to prevent my daughter from growing up with a TX accent!

Good Luck , on your new enventure I'm sure by years end it will feel like home !

You might have to get on some serious drugs though for that traffic lol

I moved from Gretna, two doors down from my mother, after the last kid graduated from High School. Took a better job in Pensacola.

One thing, when I came over here, no one knew who I was, or what I did in third grade, or in high school, or my first wife. No one knew Tommy. I was Tom. A fresh new start.

Pretty cool.

You will do fine, and will grow into a better father, in my mind.

Good luck. Lots of hunting and fishing not too far away.

Good luck on the move Mako..

Good luck my friend,once yall get settled in and you have a open weekend let me know!

Louisiana is a wonderful place no doubt......but I truly believe the big cities can offer some things to our kids that small towns struggle with

Keep your roots.........make HUGE traditions..........those Texas boys love our cooking......

Face time is awesome......my inlaws live out of state and my paw-in-law is in poor health and cannot travel.

our three year old grandbaby knows how to facetime with them, especially her grand daddy .......he love seeing her.........

It's "normal" for her.

Your kids will likely get the same way.......

Charli has her own Ipad and can facetime them anytime.

You are doing a courageous thing for your family.......there should be more men like you.

I promise I can send good vittles to cook with!!!!

First off, congratulations on the promotion. Hard work pays off.

Although its not quite the distance, I had to make the same decision 2 years ago when I accepted my current position. Although I lived in California and Texas when I was very young, all I have ever known is Louisiana, and more precisely, Lake Charles. For 18 years, that was my home. Then this opportunity in Baton Rouge presented itself. My wife and I had been married for 2 months, living in a 1 bedroom apartment and pulling in what I was going to make in this new position. Unfortunately, it meant moving 2 1/2 hours away from my family. Not a terrible distance, but enough that I was not going to see them all the time (and by extension, my future children). But by doing so, I know my family is going to have a better life.

If there is one thing I've learned in a very short 2 years, its that distance is difficult when it comes to family, even 2 1/2 hours. You don't see them all the time. You can't be there for every birthday or holiday. You can't be there as quick as you want to be when something goes wrong.

But when you are with them, its more special than any time you spent with them before. Holidays are really special, especially going and staying with my parents. I probably enjoy that more than when I lived in town. Its just a different feeling. Reminds me of when I was in high school.

I also feel like my wife and I have grown more being away from our families. We've grown closer to each other. Stepped out of that comfort zone.

Baton Rouge isn't exactly Houston (although it feels that way sometimes, neither has culture, or people that know how to drive!), but both are different in their own ways. We also chose not to live in the city, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've always liked Houston though (aside for traffic). The museums are amazing (especially the museum of natural science). For it being Texas, they have some decent Cajun food (Louisiana transplants like yourself), and good food PERIOD. Go check out the Refinery Whiskey and Burgers. And Saltgrass, if you've never been. My aunt has lived in the Houston area for a long time, and I don't think they would ever move back to LA.

If I was forced to live in any big city, it would be Houston.

Good luck man. Everything will be great.

Let me add one thing to my post from yesterday. I fished Galveston Bay for 18 years (about 5-6 times a month) and while any decent sized body of water near 4 million people is going to see a lot of traffic you can always find a spot or two to yourselves. Galveston bay is an incredible Trout and Flounder fishery and the TPWD has done an incredible job managing it. The redfish fishing is for the most part stupid easy and some days it's hard to find the trout because of them. If you get a map of the bay PM me and I'll share a few spots with you! Good Luck with your move!!

Hope u like traffic. Something I could not get used to. I lived in friendswood( great neighborhood), and had an office near 610 south. Everytime I stepped in my car it was either a 30-60 minute trip. All the activities of a big city were just not for us. We spent more time in galveston fishing and beach walking than anything else. U will get used to barbeque and tex-mex.

Mako, I echo what many who are LA Natives living in the Houston area have already said. We have been in Houston for almost 20 years. Professionally and from a family standpoint, we have no regrets. It will be good for your Family's growth to move out of your comfort zone that LA does provide. Take advantage of all the area has to offer and share it with your Family and friends as they come to visit. You will also be able to share the LA culture with your future Texas Friends when you take them for a visit as we have done on numerous occasions.

If I can provide one last piece of advice to you, before you surrender yours and your wife's drivers license, buy LA Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Licenses. I can guarantee you won't regret that decision! When you get homesick come on over to Hackberry. There are several of us LA natives with camps and live in the Houston area. Best of Luck on the move and the new Job!!

Mako,
I made the decision in 1988, jobs were absolutely scarce in southeast La. I went in the military, spent 10 years in, became a dad, became a single dad, got remarried and 3 total kids later and been living in northeast Fl for the past 16 years. I miss our culture and way of life now more than ever. We take our family, even though the kids are grown and we even have some grand kids also, back home every chance we get. We rent a camp in Cocodrie for a week tor this coming year it may be Grand Isle. The move will make you more self reliant and a tighter family. I drive the 9 hours west as often as I can and as much as I hate the drive I cannot wait to get HOME. It is a lifestyle and culture that cannot be had anywhere else in my opinion. I truly wish you the best of luck in your new opportunity and stay positive my friend!

Thanks for all of the replies. I didn't expect so much great feedback and I am definitely doing my best to stay positive, not for myself but for my girls.

My wife has been strong for the most part but when she saw our old house empty after the movers had taken everything it hit her pretty hard.

The movers just finished unloading all of our things into new house. I'm officially a Texas resident now.

Thanks again and I will be sending some pms as soon as everything settles down.

Welcome to TX Mako...I wish and your family the very best. Godspeed...just remember to put Christ in the center and everything will come together.

Great advise. I did this when we moved in 2001. Now, if I'm in town and the fish are biting or birds flying, I can just go.

It's going to be different, but good. Area to live in is key. Feel free to PM me. I am in the new construstion business and know all of the areas, builder companies, developments, schoold districts, etc really good. I live on the SW side. For the record, my kids were 6 & 4 when we moved and they have loved it.

Made that move in 09 from Sulphur to Pearland. Good advice on this thread. I fish Galveston solo often, always good to make new fishing buddies.


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Finished up my first week of work and getting used to our new area.

It sounded like a war zone with all of the dove hunters very close while my wife and I were sitting in the back yard watching our daughter play this afternoon.

I could have shot 300 dove in 1 hour from my back yard this afternoon if my neighbors wouldn't have minded this afternoon.

I need to find out how to get in on one of those hunts!

Good luck to you mako. I work 14&14 in Oklahoma so I'm there just as much as I'm home. The city I stay in is pretty nice and all but there simply no place like southern Louisiana.