Temporarily Back in Longview, TX - Feb 12, 2008 - Longview, Texas, United States

We made it back to Longview yesterday evening and walked into our half empty “stick and brick” residence, complete with stacks of boxes, only to be reminded that we still need to finish clearing things out. I wanted to turn around and head right back to Clyde, but Willie blocked the door and reminded me that once we get all our “stuff” packed up and distributed then we will be on the road completely fulltime without this moving-out task shadowing us anymore.

I was very pleasantly surprised to arrive at Vogt yesterday and they actually had our license plates! We put those plates on Clyde before we drove out of the parking lot and now he looks like a true Texan. I was so relieved that Vogt had the plates as I really am tired of having to deal with disappointments with them.

Tomorrow I have to renew my Healthcare Provider CPR card, and I promised Willie we would do our taxes on Thursday, but then I can fully concentrate on getting our apartment cleared out starting on Friday. Our son, Mark, is getting much of what we have in order to set up his first residence as he graduates in May. Once we get everything that he wants packed we have a trip ahead of us (complete with a moving van) to get all this stuff to him. It is both heart-wrenching and liberating to let go of material things accumulated over a lifetime. Hopefully we have timed the start of our new lifestyle as fulltimers at an opportune time for Mark (and his girlfriend Julia) as they won’t have to purchase as many things to start their new lifestyles in the “real world” outside of the college environment.

Blayde was thrilled to get home and play with his best friend Ozzy (a sweet Yorkshire terrier). As luck would have it Ozzy was outside when we got home and Blayde scrambled out of Clyde as fast as he could to get to his little friend. It was a happy homecoming for Blayde as he played with Ozzy and ran around the place stretching his legs.

Well… that’s all for now. I’ll keep you updated and let you know when we are “back on the road” (for good this time) after we get all the rest of this moving-out stuff taken care of.

Happy travels, Rebecca