I moved to Texas from California. I was nervous to live here, but the people are friendlier than I expected.

• Brianna Mckiddy and her husband moved in August from Southern California to Houston.
• She expected some judgment from the locals, but she's been welcomed with open arms.
• While she misses the beach and worries about gun violence, she's happy to call Texas home.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Brianna Mckiddy, a 34-year-old educational consultant in Houston. Insider has verified her employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born and raised in Southern California, but in early August, I moved to Houston with my husband.

I thought I'd live in California for my entire life, but then I started having second thoughts about my job, and my fiancé got a job offer at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. So moving seemed like the right decision for us.