Today is January 26th, 2020.
No, really, it is!
It’s Sunday, mid-day and I am sitting here in our cozy home on a beautiful horse ranch
Tom is out in our backyard messing around with a fountain he built last spring.
Right about now, 8 years ago today, we had just reconnected and I was still deciding about joining him in Mexico
After that trip to Sayulita we vowed to tie up our lives as we knew them and get on the road within a year
We traveled for 11 months before finding ourselves broke and on the wrong side of the border for making money.
We fluttered around a bit, crossing back and forth a couple times before spending 3 months licking our wounds in Baja.
After searching for a paying gig for months, we had 1 prospect in North Carolina – which fizzled before it really even got started
We headed North anyway, basically out of lack of options
I mean, we certainly couldn’t go South!
It was a long and depressing ride for me as I watched the sandy beaches turn to rocky shores, and finally to complete desert – surely a metaphor for my life
My most favorite beach on the Baja ❤
Oh, but this one too… I think it’s an even split… oh but that’s a tough call!
We stayed here for a few days, could have maybe been a week. I was holding onto this whole thing with both hands, so not ready to give up on my dream
My happiness = the size of a sandy shore … The supply of both is diminishing quickly
The Morning of Our Last Day on the Road
And what a long, exhausting day it was
It took almost 6 hours just to cross the Tijuana boarder!?
Once we crossed back over into Southern California we headed towards the only soul we knew within 500 miles – who, luckily for us, was willing to give us shelter for a few days.
Don was Tom’s neighbor growing up. He had been living in Las Vegas for years, and we never came to visit because, well… Las Vegas – Yuck!
But a friend in need, I guess 
Luckily Don is a great friend!
And we weren’t too bad of roommates, I don’t think –
Certainly not as bad as he anticipated! HAHAHA
We’re no longer quite sure how this all works
As I got used to living in a house again, Tom got busy searching for jobs
I ignored the whole thing
I was so not ready to think about life, working, living…
Tom would tell me about jobs – and I’d pick them apart piece by piece
There was this one job though, right there in Vegas, on a horse ranch?
I didn’t know there was such a thing!
So Tom sent off our email and we waited to hear back…
Meanwhile we were realizing that every single person we talked to had the same story
“I came here to visit X years ago and I just never left”
The next morning we awoke to an invitation for an interview!
Fast forward 6 years, and we have our own version of the Came-to-Vegas-and-Never-Left story!
Welcome Home!
As soon as we upgraded our camp table for a wood one, we had Don over for Fish Tacos
Even Gwen got some new shoes!
We have a lot of great new neighbors too!
There’s the pheasants…
and duckies…
Baby cows…
and baby horses…
Can’t forget the Quails
Even a family of hawks!
And these guys don’t live too far
Both my parents and Tom’s came out for Thanksgiving
We even booked a Grand Canyon tour with Don!
Tom’s favorite part of his job is maintaining the cars
Mine’s definitely the dogs! ❤
6 years ago I said:
“I think this place will be ok for 6 months until we get back on the road!”
HAHAHA!
