The Fuhr Five: Houston is Cool, Really

Ok, lets be honest. Everyone knows that Houston doesn't have the best reputation in the country for being an awesome city. I remember what I thought of it before I moved here the first time - it was dirty, too big, without a fun, cohesive vibe.

And even when we were moving back a second time, part of both Aaron and I was not jumping for joy to move back. We remembered the huge sprawling city, with lots of traffic, where people just ate, drank and shopped.

But now that we are back living in the city, we are remembering what a cool place it really is and all that it has to offer.

Living down inside the city actually makes it feel so much smaller than it should and we are discovering its energetic vibe every day.

The best part of being back in Houston is that there is always something going on that we want join in on. And the biggest surprise of all, is how much is kid friendly.

From events downtown, to the world class museum district with a fantastic zoo, to the great parks and splash pads, to the miles and miles of biking trails, plus fun neighborhood events, we are keeping ourselves busy here in Houston.

We love the fact that we can find places to escape outside, within the inner loop. Aaron and I both re-energize ourselves by being outside, and are trying teaching our kids to do the same.

Of course, its not the same as we did in Alaska, but are so happy to have so many trails, an arboretum and green space to escape to, just outside our front door.

We are in love with the neighborhood we chose to live in, which is its own community inside the city. It has the laid back, energetic, and earth friendly vibe that we were worried we left behind in Alaska.

All of the major museums in town are amazing. The Children's Museum is known to be the best in the nation, the Museum of Natural Science is the best I have been to (and being a Kimble, I have been to A LOT), and the art museum is phenomenal.

The zoo is a favorite for us. It is huge, has exotic animals that you don't see in every zoo and best of all has tons of shade. Shade is very important for outdoor activities in this city, even in October!