‘Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.’-Bob Marley

I have been very far behind on all thing The Next Great Adventure and for good reason…a major life change…again, ha! I have been an adjunct professor for ten years and have moved states and regions over that period. I always applied for full time jobs but nothing ever came of them. I got closer but still living term to term, made even worse by Covid and enrollment drops. So when I applied for a full time position in Odessa, Texas I thought it would be the same. It wasn’t. I moved quickly through the process and, on May 4, called my dad in tears saying I was moving to Texas!

He apparently had more faith than I did as the first thing he said was ‘congratulations, I have been looking at real estate for you.’ So in addition to moving across the country…again…I bought a house! A small, just my size townhome near my job. So have spent my weekends painting every surface of the place. It has been wild few months!

I have deep Texas roots. My paternal grandfather is from the Dallas area and my dad spent time there as a kid/teen. My mom’s family moved from Canada and settled in the Houston area, where I spent time as a kid. She is also buried just outside the city. I am very close with some of my family there (I would be friends with them even if we weren’t related) and they are so excited about my being in Texas! My cousins Traci and Brooke and I are seeing The Chicks in October! My aunt was a bit concerned that its a bit flat and brown here (and it is) as I have always lived on or adjacent to mountains. But, let me tell you something, when there are not mountains in the way, the sky is HUGE! Plus, I am only a couple hours away from mountains and a handful of national parks, so I’ll be okay!

I loved the PNW and it was bittersweet to leave. I was finding my footing in Spokane and making friends. I loved my neighborhood and exploring the region. I had bought new furniture which I had to promptly sell again. I went to see friends in Bend before I left not knowing when I moved I wouldn’t be back as I planned. I said bye to a life I thought I would be living for the foreseeable future but so excited for the unexpected future that awaits.

Prior to moving, I had already planned trips to Glacier National Park in Montana and Banff and Jasper National Parks in British Columbia, Canada. I managed to squeeze them in before I left, literally moved to Texas the day after I returned from Canada! I will be sharing about these trips in the coming weeks.

The year I spent in Spokane included trips to the coast, waterfalls, a road trip to one of the most magical places on Earth. If you thought West Texas would not slow me down, you would be right! Since I have just one job and summers off (for the most part), adventures await. Thus far I already have concerts, trips to Carlsbad Cavern and Tulsa, Oklahoma (for my birthday, I’ll give you one guess as to why), and another major road trip to the Southwest over Christmas (definitely Las Vegas to see Adele and tbd lottery for the rest of the itinerary). I hope to visit South America with Terra Sur Travels (who I have befriended on Instagram) in the summer and Nepal for my 40th Birthday trip to see Mount Everest in December 2023!

My three years in the PNW were magical but I think my time in West Texas will be spectacular!