It's Official

The registration on "Blondie" expires on the 27th of this month, so we had to take the plunge and get TX license plates on the car. (We even got an easy to remember number. I had to Photoshop the numbers on the plate to protect our privacy.) Farewell to looking like an out-of-state visitor in the Lone Star State. Perhaps we do look a little more like Texans after visiting the County Tax Assessor's/Collector's office to get the vehicle registered. (Probably not!) I still feel as if we are in a foreign land. Many things are familiar, but there a lot of new things to learn. Folks are VERY friendly, but it just doesn't feel like home yet.

For some reason, my brain keeps replaying a few lines from the Lyle Lovett song "That's Right, You're Not From Texas" as we make the transition to living here. Thanks to my sister for making us aware of this song. :-) I had never even heard it until she sent it to us. Now it's become our relocation anthem, I guess! It has a catchy tune, and it makes me smile. (Proverbs 15:13 -- A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.) Smiles and laughter are appreciated these days. And a silly song is always welcome. Sing it, Lyle.

You say you're not from Texas

Man as if I couldn't tell

You think you pull your boots on right

And wear your hat so well

So pardon me my laughter

'Cause I sure do understand

Even Moses got excited

When he saw the promised land

That's right you're not from Texas

That's right you're not from Texas

That's right you're not from Texas

But Texas wants you anyway...

AZ to TX

Dec. 30th: Arrived in Rio Rico, AZ

Our visit to the "nest" was short, but sweet. The "Birds" are excellent hosts, offering yummy food and comfy accommodations. This was the perfect place to ring in the new year.

Dec. 31st: In the afternoon, we toured Nogales, but only peeked across the border into Mexico. We were content to stay on the US side of the line. :-)

Robin took us to one of her favorite stores, a few feet from the border crossing. Liesey found some great deals. Not bad for a gal who doesn't really like to shop!

After an incredible dinner of prime rib, we watched Napoleon Dynamite. (Uncle Rio Rico?) What a silly movie! No matter how many times that movie is watched, there is always something different that stands out. Miraculously, we stayed awake until midnight. After saying, "Happy New Year!" we collapsed in bed. Ahhhh!

The view from the nest is gorgeous!

Jan. 1st: We said our "thank yous and goodbyes" to UJ and RJ, loaded the car and got on the road to Midland, Texas, sometime after noon. This proved to be a very long drive, with lots of w-i-d-e open spaces. It was probably a good thing that the bulk of our driving was done in the dark, as I am sure there wasn't much to see.

We did enjoy seeing this welcoming sign:

Jan. 2nd: Thankfully, it was a relatively short drive from Midland, Texas, to Keller, Texas.

Really?

I just had to take this photo. I believe we saw this exit somewhere near Abilene, Texas. What is a Noodle Dome anyway?

Before we went to our temporary digs, we had to go by "our" piece of dirt. Nothing has been done on our homesite -- yet! We stopped by the model home to say hi, and learned that work will begin soon. When progress is made, I'll be posting photos. ;-)

This is the entrance to our 'hood.

Home sweet home? Not yet, but we hope that it'll soon feel homey.

X marks the spot where our home will be built.

(Click on the photo to enlarge.)

When all of the homes in our development are built, there will be 7 houses on our cul-de-sac. Ours will be the 4th home built on "our" court. As we were looking at our property, we met one of our neighbors. After we chatted for a while, we discovered that he and I graduated from PU the same year. And we even know some of the same people from our college days. ;-) There is yet another neighbor who is also a Purdue grad, so we will be in good company. Go Boilers!