Here we are in Texas, Gainesville to be exact.  We have traveled over 1100 miles since leaving Hibbing Tuesday morning.  This is our last night on the road and we will cruise the short distance into Keller in the morning.   We have a nice room and have had a nice dinner, and we are looking forward to simply relaxing this evening.  Tomorrow will be busy, arriving at our new home and workplace, unloading the moving truck, and settling in.We

Some reflections from the journey....

I can't remember seeing so many hawks in a 24-hour period.  Yesterday and today, every few miles...there was one or perhaps two hawks.  There would be one perched high in the bare branches of a tree by the road.  I even had the amusing thought that it was the same bird every time, just following our progress and keeping a watchful eye. 

Kansas is a different place, really.  So barren.  No trees, no nothing!  No wonder tornadoes whirl their way through there unhindered.  Driving along, you can see the road snaking its way into the distance.  Fascinating.

We have left behind the land of snow and frigid temperatures.  This evening we were walking Baby around the grounds of our motel and it is very spring-like out, very pleasant indeed.  The forecast is for thunderstorms over the next 24 hours or so, and I'm actually looking forward to that.  I've missed thunderstorms...they do not happen very often in MN and are not of the same intensity.  The thunder sounds different...more rumbling and less crashing...and I've missed that.

There are three vehicles, including ours, with MN tags in the parking lot of this motel.  We spoke with one couple; they are snowbirds headed North.  I bet the other vehicle is northbound, too.

Of course, we have left MN and never saw a true winter snowstorm; there was even less than a foot of the white stuff on the ground.  Naturally, the forecast is for the first significant winter storm to blow through this weekend, with accumulations of 8" or so.  Of course!

We may be without Internet for several days in our new place, so this will be me for a while perhaps. 

Stay tuned for further adventures of the Dave and Betty show!

It's Thursday evening and we are now living among boxes.  The house is just about packed; there are just the last-minute items to be stowed away.  We are hoping to leave Hibbing on Monday.

Moving evokes an entire array of emotions.  There is the excitement of a new adventure, new surroundings, new people, new experiences.  There is the sadness of leaving behind those we love and places for which we have developed a fondness.  There is the task of packing....YUK...and then the adventure of the journey.

This afternoon we were standing outside on our back porch and were graced with seeing Eagle soaring high above us.  This is a memory that will, I hope, stay with me, as it will be some time before I see that again.

It promises to be a bit of a culture shock, going to the part of Texas where we will be living.  The DFW area has no real attraction/appeal for me; however, I'm going there with an open mind and open heart.  It will be back into the hustle and bustle of a major city...the traffic, the crowds, the noise...at least we won't be in the center of either Dallas or Fort Worth.  At least we don't have to commute to work!  I will miss terribly the pure blue skies, the clear night skies, the occasional spotting of Bear or Eagle. 

I leave this area with some regrets...never having a dogsled ride, not participating in a retreat at the bear or wolf sanctuaries, not making the trip along the North Shore....oh well...what is meant to be, will be.  At least I did visit Bear that first September I was here and had a very remarkable and profound experience.  And we did get up to the wolf sanctuary when Paul was with us. 

The prospect of being in a thriving cycling community once again is exciting and I'm looking forward to that.  I have been lacking serious bike time since I moved here to MN, so I'm looking forward to getting fit again and finding my cycling spirit, legs, and lungs.  Being back in the land of cycling will be good for Dave; I want to see him race again...I want to see that spark come alive in him again.

Dave has seen very little of Texas, although I have seen much of Scotland.  I can't wait to show him my "country."  I can't wait to meet up with friends at Lake Somerville for a weekend of camping and cycling.  I can't wait to take Dave to Austin, to stroll along the River Walk in San Antonio and through the hallowed halls of the Alamo, and to ride on Texas roads with him.  Yes, to show him my country will be so good!

The search for a yoga class which suits my needs and wants has been unsuccessful since leaving Brenham, and now I'm thinking perhaps yoga is not what I'm meant to do at this stage in my life.  There is a Jazzercise class near where we will be, so I'm thinking I'll give that a go again.  It was always fun, a great workout, and an outlet for expression.  Yes, that may be just what I'm needing at this point.

I'll be teaching a Reiki class this weekend and am looking forward to that.  Spirit seems to be coming alive in me again and for the first time in quite a while I feel that old familiar thrill at the prospect of teaching.  Holding class right before we hit the road will be groovy...basking in that yummy energy is perfect prior to embarking on a new adventure and a long road trip.

I've rambled quite enough for now, I suppose.  Life is a wonderful adventure.  Mine seems to be an ever-weaving tapestry of people, places, and experiences.  There have been times that have tried my physical and spiritual bodies...but you know what?  I would not have missed any of it...all those times have been just cobblestones along the path...to here, and here is a nice place to be. 

I encourage you to embrace each day for the simple joys that abound...the touch and voice of a loved one, the soaring of Eagle, the opportunities for growth, for companionship, for solitude and introspection.

I forget how much "fun" moving is until I get ready to tackle it.  True, going to a new place is exciting, and this new chapter in our life together is something we've wanted for a long time...but WHEW!  Packing is work, ya know it? 

Dave is working night shift this week, his last round of pipefitting here in MN, so I am adjusting my hours to coincide with his.  Figured I might as well make good use of the weird hours and get some packing done.  We've made good headway with it, really, and have about a week and a half to go.  He'll be off next week and can really get involved with the move.   He has a couple of the bikes packed already and has been generally getting things squared away in the basement.

Now that's most of my office packed.  I sure have a lot of books....but they are such good friends and some of them have been with me quite some time now.

There's still a Reiki ART/Master class to teach the weekend right before we leave, so I'm trying to get all the packing done before then.  It worked out well when I left Texas by being packed and just having a couple of days to chill out before making the drive.  That's my goal for this return trip South.

I know that amazing Scot of mine is just a few miles away, but I sure do miss him when he's not around.

Well, it's a bowl of cereal for me and then back to packing!

Little did I know...or perhaps I did...when I conjured up the title for this little piece of cyberspace that "Journeys" would be an ongoing appropriate title.  I can be funny...weird...that way.

We are headed home to Texas to live in the Fort Worth area, with a plan to leave here on the 20th of this month.  It is the start of the next chapter in this story of ours...a tale that keeps me amazed at what an adventure life can be!

From the start of our time together, we have dreamt of an occupation we could do as a couple.  It seems we have found it, after much searching and researching.  We have accepted a position as a resident management team for a self-storage facility in Keller, Texas, just north of Fort Worth. 

Those who know me...I can hear you talking about the Texas heat and being in a metropolitan area...two things I'm not tickled over.  All I can tell you is I'm excited and have a good feeling about this.

Our facility will have self-storage units, parking for RVs and boats, rental trucks, and moving supplies.  Goodness knows I'm experienced in moving and have empathy for those in the midst of it!  We will live on-site, furnished a residence, utilities, a nice salary, bonuses/commission, and so forth.  It sounds very good and I'm looking forward to working with the folks in this organization. 

So, no, it's not really the cold winters up here that's taking us southward.  It's a variety of reasons.  Dave has plenty of work at the moment, but he is traveling a lot, and that is not the lifestyle we see for ourselves.  We've worked too hard to be together to spend much time apart.  He has done pipefitting literally all his life from his teenage years and has wanted to get into a different line of work.  Similarly, I have often wanted to have a job again that has variety to it, a combination of office work and physical activity.  Our aspirations, our combination of skills and experiences, and our enjoyment of helping people seem to make us good candidates for this line of work.

There is my mom to consider, and it will be easier for me to see about her care from 200 miles away versus 1500.

I have struggled here with what direction I am meant to go with my Reiki work.  Interestingly, this new venture may very well be an outlet for that in an indirect manner.  Folks are often in crisis when they need a storage facility through divorce, relocation, a death, etc.  Perhaps my Reiki work is just taking a different form...helping others in a more physical/tangible way.  There is something to be said for helping people on an everyday basis.  Of course, that doesn't mean I'd turn down the chance to teach a class should it present itself. 

A dear, wise shaman friend of mine says that often it is not about having experiences, teaching, seeing clients...but, rather, it is about walking the path on a day-to-day basis in our lives.  The more I walk this path and see my life unfold at various stages, the more I come to understand what she means. 

Dave is having a difficult time being off the roads for so long in the winter and I am, too.  He misses being involved in a cycling club and I miss being outdoors planting things and cycling.  Although the Austin area is really what I consider the cycling Mecca of Texas, there are several clubs and weekly rides around DFW, lots of organized rides, some time trialing for Dave, and....who knows...perhaps some like-minded folks for me to hook up with on occasion.

Minnesota has been gracious to us.  It has been our starting point, it has been neutral territory for us to cement our life together, has gotten us settled.  We will take with us memories for a lifetime and, believe it or not, I will miss the magical quality of snowfall, seeing the ice crystals sparkling in the air, deer and bears on the cycle path, the auroras....oh the sky here....I will miss that immensely.  (Last night we were outside and whoooooosssshhh...there was a shooting star...the biggest and lowest I can remember!  It was the first time Dave has seen a shooting star - ever!) 

We always knew we might go elsewhere and I suppose it's time to, as Dave says, get our asses down to Texas!