Well, we're here! We started our drive to Texas on Friday morning. We went down south through Moab and then through the corner of Colorado. As soon as you drive through another state, you can tell instantly that you are in a new place. I no longer recognized the names of the towns at all! I enjoyed seeing the sunflower farms in Colorado.
We were able to get into New Mexico by the afternoon. Whoa- are we sure they are still part of the United States? I was shocked to see an Indian Reservation for the first time. There was a hospital, a school and tiny houses on dirt. That's pretty much it. John really wanted to stop for the night, but we had to drive another 2 hours to find a hotel. When we went to Pizza Hut for dinner, children came up to our table with handmade items to sell. I've never seen anything like it in this country.
On Saturday, we finally hit the Texas border by the afternoon. We had a mini-celebration at the border and took lots of pics. (Those will be coming soon... we don't have our internet up yet! I'm typing this at the library..)
Our first stop in Texas was at a gas station where we saw our 1st authentic Texan cowboy. Beat-up pickup truck with trailer, saddles strapped on the back, he was wearing a cowboy hat, boots and spurs. John and I were saying that an outfit like that in Utah is usually only seen at Halloween.
We stayed at John's sister's house on Sunday night and then got to our new place on Monday morning! It is in McKinney, Texas and it's a beautiful area. We are very grateful and can't believe how many miracles occurred for this to happen. The kids started school on Tuesday- finally! Rebecca and Thomas walk to the elementary school 2 blocks away and I drive Allison for about 4 minutes to get to her middle school. They look like top quality schools and the kids are loving it so far! Allison found out that she is one of 4 LDS girls in her grade. What a change!
Thomas started 1st grade, he talked of nothing else, so we didn't want to disappoint him. We think he will do great! Becca will go to the middle school next year in the 6th grade.
So far we are loving it! We still have some adjustments to make, but we are so excited for the future. Yesterday was a "dream come true" day: Dad at work, kids at school, Mom at home- all home in time for dinner. WOW! It's been a long time since that has happened for our family.
We love you all and we'll keep you posted on new developments down here in the south!
