We have now lived in Del Rio for about 8 months.  It’s a great little place to live.  Sure, we don’t have Target.  Or Starbucks.  Or Kohl’s.  Or (fill in the blank with pretty much anything and it probably makes the list of things/places not in Del Rio).  But….it doesn’t really matter.  We love it here.  Not only do we have each other and wonderful friends that we have made, but we are seriously enjoying the area.

Most people struggle with finding things that they like about this place.  Personally, I think that there are good things about every single place in the world.  Why?  Mostly because God is the Creator of all…and if He created it, there must be things of beauty there that reflect His glory.  If every place were exactly the same, or had the same features….I feel like it would get kind of boring.  Plus one of the awesome things that I love about military life is the fact that we will have to spend time in lots of different places in the States (and hopefully around the world!).

So.  What are some of the things that we seriously love about this place?

• Awesome thunder/rain storms!  We have had so many storms since we’ve been here.  (Okay, bear in mind that we are from So Cal, so our definition of “storm” might be different than other people’s definition.  😉 )  Several times we have just gone outside onto the porch and just….watched the rain or hail, watched the lightening, and listened to the thunder.  Amazing.
• The sky is big here and it is almost always full of amazingly beautiful clouds!!!
• The desert is so quiet.  I love it.  It’s so beautiful and calming.
• Our movie theater is amazing.  We can both go to a movie for less than one ticket back in CA.  We can even both go see a 3D movie for just a little more than one ticket in CA.
• There are awesome old buildings.  I love old buildings.  It’s so fun driving downtown or driving through the small cities nearby to just see their old brick buildings!

• There is a variety of animals.  Okay…this one is definitely a mixed blessing.  I do NOT like having all these different kinds of beetles and spiders and flying creatures making themselves at home in our house or porch…..but if I stop and think about it, it’s still pretty amazing how many different kinds of insects and animals there are.  God’s creativity is amazing!
• Along the same line as above, there are some beautiful houses downtown!  I love old houses with pillars and porches and just so much cuteness and wonderfulness!

• We have an awesome store here on our main street where we can get dresses as low as $4.99.  Full length dresses for $13.99.  Go ahead.  Be jealous.
• When we go to San Antonio for whatever reason, I get 2+ hours just with my husband.  If you live in Del Rio, you get built-in date time just to go to SA for a Target trip!  😉  I am definitely a fan of that.

• We also have a lake.  Granted, it is very very low right now.  But I have seen pictures of friends hanging out at the lake, renting kayaks, etc.  Once our baby is older I would love to rent some kayaks!

• We get to be close to Mexico.  Again, a mixed blessing.  This one actually tortures me right now.  Due to various things, military is currently not allowed to cross the border….and spouses are allowed to, but encouraged not to.  I have heard about some of the cultural experiences, awesome stores, and food places there, though.  If we were allowed to go, you’d better believe we’d be visiting!
• Rudy’s.  Now…..to be honest, The Pilot and I are not fans of Rudy’s.  But we seem to be pretty much the only people who are not…so I included it on the list to be fair.  😉
• People follow the speed limit.  (Usually.)  This seriously blesses my heart.

The residents of Del Rio love it here.  I really think that we visitors could learn a lot from them.  So often when we move to a new area all we can see is what’s not there or how it doesn’t compare to the place we just left.  But there is always beauty in a place…always things to love.

-Bonnie