A Year And A Half Later...

 “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” 

~ Anthony Robbins

Morning sun through my bedroom window.

 We've lived in Texas, in an RV, for a year-and-a-half and to some it may seem genius, to most a bit of craziness.  Sometimes I feel it's a bit of both.  There's a lot of give and take when you undergo such a change in lifestyle, but we feel what we have given up has all been worth it.

I've often written about the changes, but with another year under foot, I feel the need to write up another list. (Sorry list haters.) So here it goes; the positives and negatives of selling everything, moving halfway across the country for better employment, and moving 3 into an RV:

Zoey and the neighbor Courtlyn.

Positive aspects:

Zoey, Savannah, Tessa, Sara, and friend :)

• Cut out the Fat -We own very few possessions and cannot purchase more unless something goes.  It keeps things concise.
• Fewer bills - We've cut out the unnecessary including a mortgage.
• No More Plastic!! -Bye-Bye credit card debt....I hope to never see you again.
• Vacations!!!- Now we can afford to take a vacation without breaking the bank or putting it on credit.
• Being a mom - Zoey starts school next year and I'm savoring the moments with her.
• New Friends- We have friends at the hall and Zoey has made a good friend with the 3 year old neighbor girl, so I feel more comfortable when she wants to play outside knowing she's not alone.  (Zoey says this is the best part of moving to Texas.)
• Realizing our dream - We are well on our way to someplace exotic!!

Everything must fit in there.

Negative aspects:

• Long Hours - John's work schedule can be crazy long hours, and I miss him often...temporary life upset.
• Midland, TX - I hate to be such a downer on Midland, but....I keep saying temporary. (Zoey says we need to find "a place with just the right hot and cold.")
• Bad Bathroom Setup - We knew this when we bought our RV, but finding  an affordable RV with space for 2 bedrooms; limits options.  The bathroom/bedroom combo gets a bit tight and chaotic....not our forever home=temporary.
• Limited Space - As I said no unnecessary purchases, but I LOVE to shop and find a great deal.  So sometimes I bring something home, a toy, dress or shirt, and find there's no space....grrrr.
• Organizing - Part of this is my fault, I've never been good at keeping things tidy, but I feel I'm organizing this place allllllll the time and it still needs work!

Fun little craft projects are great in the RV.

My sister-in-law, Jessica, asked me when we were last in Idaho if the RV ever really felt like home?  The answer is: Yes, it is home.  It's amazing how easily a completely different environment, especially a nontraditional one, can become a home.

 In the end, things get to me at times when we can't find much to do or get any customer service in this town, or when I shove another shirt into an overflowing drawer and reorganize an entire cabinet to fit a box of cereal.  When I feel whiny, I think of all the progress we've made, the stresses we left behind, the fun we're enjoying now, and the dreams we're realizing; and I remember the little inconveniences are worth it.  Everything in life has positives and negatives, the trick is finding an imbalance between the two.  For us the positives of our change vastly outweigh the negatives.  It's good to be imbalanced.

Amarillo by Morning...

"Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's on my mind."

 -George Strait

It was time again to pack our bags, don our finest dresses, and clip on our badges for the convention.  In years past I was assigned to Ogden, Utah, but this year my cross-country move had adjusted our assignment to Amarillo, TX; another first. (Click on title for musical accompaniment in another window, skip ad)

Growing up, going to Ogden, Utah each summer was a treat.  We would go a day early to avail ourselves of the many offerings in the area:  water-slides at Cherry Hill, Lagoon amusement park, and the Salt Lake Zoo.  The convention site, the Dee Events Center, is large and accommodating to the massive five to seven thousand in attendance with well cushioned seating.  Women's restrooms were always in high demand (Honestly what are you ladies doing in there that takes so long!) , parking although adequate was a pain to negotiate out of, the massive center tended to get a bit warm, and the hotels were at times quite a distance away.  There are positives and negatives and I loved the place.  So this year I was a bit saddened, although curious to be going to Amarillo this year.

Karlie and I had asked around as to what to expect, and the area was given low reviews:

"We call it Cowtown because it smells like cows."

"It's just like Midland."

"We'd rather go anywhere else."

Therefore,  our expectations were low, which I think always helps you enjoy a place.  Low expectations lead to little surprises.

It was a four hour drive from Midland, but the terrain and scenery changed little on the drive over.  We found our way to the Amarillo Zoo  which had a low, $4 adult entrance fee.  They had Lions, Tigers and Bears oh-my; lemurs, foxes, parrots, and snakes; even a Long-horn cow, horses, goats, and sheep...not exactly your normal zoo residents.  It was small, odd, a little sad and certainly a $4 zoo.  Afterwards we strolled by a stinky (there's that cow smell we were told of) duck pond, then found our way just out of town on I-40 to the Cadillac Ranch.

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation with tailfin Cadillacs ages 1949 through 1963 planted nose first in a field west of Amarillo.   Having seen it on the Travel Channel, I had planned on this visit as soon as I found we were headed that way.  

After a brief visit by what I'm sure is the top-selling-in-spray-paint Home Depot in the nation, we met up with our friend Reuben and wandered through  the fence bordering the property.  Graffiti nuts had started their tagging well before the actual exhibit, decorating the dumpster, fence posts, even the barbed wire around the field.  A careful circle was plowed around the path and the cars to discourage people from wandering into the arid field.  Spray-paint cans and lids littered the area, noisily rolling about in the wind.  Graffiti is encouraged and embraced.  After a few hesitant sprays to test our colors, we went to work making our temporary art.

We labored for the better part of an hour, I think, under the Amarillo (yellow in Spanish) sun.  Our art was great, but short lived.  Many of our pieces were already covered by other enthusiastic tourists before we had finished.  Years of this practice left the cars drippy, looking like they were melting in the hot sun.  With Silver, Blue and Purple finger tips and satisfied with our experience, I gathered as many paint cans as I could carry in my little bag and we left the place a little cleaner than when we arrived.

Zoey's personalized graffiti.

Reuben and I.

Karlie climbing for art.

Melissa hanging out a windshield.

Lastly that day we ventured to the Big Texan Opry,  an outlandish display of all things Texan:  big steaks, big hats, big chairs, big boots and creepy hologram pictures on the wall (not sure how that's Texan, but amusing nonetheless).   Dinner there was a bit overpriced so after out self-guided tour,  we ventured out and enjoyed our meals elsewhere.

Oh and big Cows!

 The next day we arrived at the convention site, parked across the the street from the site and made the short walk into the Cal Farley Civic Center.  To our surprise, the majority of the seating was already taken as the stadium seating only holds 4,987.  Additional seating was on the floor, but we still ended up behind the stage staring at a curtain for the first half; but the second half, we had front row seats to the drama as they took down the curtain for the presentation.

Zoey in her princess dress!

The average attendance was between 3,500 and 4,000 making it a much smaller crowd than the conventions in Ogden.  The site had the opposite positive and negatives of the Dee Events Center:  hard seats, tight seating, and too much A/C, were offset by great parking that is easy to get out of, close hotels, and adequate restrooms. We arrived much earlier the next two days to ensure better seating, although we slipped behind the stage at noon on Sunday to position ourselves in front of the drama once again.  Zoey declared the Sunday drama to be the best play she had ever seen.

Our afternoons were short, but we managed to see the premier of Man of Steel (not the best, in my opinion), and experience a few local eateries.  Our favorite dinner was at Sava!, an Italian restaurant which made their own cheese!!!  The three of us split three dishes and desert and loved every bite.

Overall, I'd have to say my experience of Amarillo was good.  Not exactly a vacation destination, but if ya'll find you'self in Amarillo by Morning, Ah believe y'all 'll have a giddy-up time.

Desert Oasis

 

“In the desert, the only god is a well.”
― Vera Nazarian, Dreams of the Compass Rose

We live in a desert, and like all deserts, there are oases.  All of the oases in Midland are man-made, slippery slime coated ponds unfit for even the ducks who frequent them or local highly chlorinated pools where every soul for miles retreats during the summer 100° temperatures.  Last weekend Karlie, Melissa, Zoey and I decided to make the trek to find a pool a little less chlorinated and whole lot more beautiful; Balmorhea.

Balmorhea State Park was created under Roosevelt's New Deal program in the 1930's during the great depression.  The program cemented in an area of wetlands to create a 3.5 million gallon freshwater swimming pool, complete with a shallow area for kids and 25 ft deep "natural"  (term used loosely) area with rocky bottom.  Many people bring their snorkel and scuba gear to view the various underwater mosses, fish, snails, and the occasional turtle (from what I hear).  All of this bad for the habitat, but good for a fresh dip.

We arrived early since the park limits entrance to the number of parking spaces and made full use of the crystal clear waters.  Zoey is practicing her swimming abilities, ie thrashing, so she donned a cute little whale fin life jacket for the adventure (I think it's a shark, but I guess sharks aren't cute enough for her). Zoey spent a lot of time in and out of the pool because the 70° pool was just too cold for her skinny little body to endure for too long, but she enjoyed every minute nonetheless. 

The kids in adult bodies, Karlie, Melissa and I, took turns snorkeling and improving deep water diving skills.  Once as I floating along I viewed a man scuba-diving nearby.  I waved and he waved back, then rose from the bottom extending his spare regulator towards me.  I was not going to pass this up despite the little thought of what other slobber may be on the regulator.  So I quickly dove to meet him, and grabbed the regulator, shoved the possible germ infested piece into my mouth, purged the water (this can be done by pushing the purge on the back of the regulator...a little trick I learned during a short lesson 13 years ago scuba-diving through Sandals Resorts in Jamaica) and off we went along the bottom of the pool.  It was a blast, and upon surfacing I am convinced I need to get certified.

Midway through our day we walked to the source of the water, where, in the 90's, efforts have been made to rehabilitate a fraction of the wetlands that were destroyed during the construction of the pool. As in the pool there were several large black Headwater Catfish, Mexican Tetras, and Comanche Springs pupfish(an endangered species specific to the area).  We sat on a dock tossing bread crumbs to the fish,glimpsed a garter snake slither throughing the water, and lured Red-eared slider and Texas spiny soft-shelled turtles to the surface with our delectable white bread, not fit for human or animal consumption.

A little bit sun baked and a whole lot tired, we left around 3pm for a quick glimpse of the Balmorhea Lake then on the road again, Zoey was out like a light and slept the entire 2 hour drive back to Midland.  Along the way we took a few moments to photograph one of the many cool old farm buildings supposedly abandoned when farmers and ranchers became rich from the oil under the land they once worked.

The trip was a great outing for the weekend and was reminiscent of  the cool although not so clear waters of Dierkes Lake I had grown up with.  I think we'll have to go back sometime, perhaps next time we'll drag John along, even if it isn't his cup of tea.

Great Wolf in Grapevine

 "Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children.  But we have to like children 

in order to be really happy fulfilled adults."

-Bobby McFerrin

John heard it through the grapevine at work, that we just had to take Zoey to Grapevine, TX for the time of her life.  Therefore, with little notice, as always, we packed up our bags and our favorite 4th person and headed out towards Dallas again for the weekend.  This time the roadside bluebells had withered and

mounds of yellow and red flowers had taken their place.  The scenery became greener and beautiful the nearer we got.


Our destination was the Great Wolf Lodge, home to a huge indoor water-park, open only to lodge guests and multiple of other kid friendly attractions designed to suck parent's wallets dry (we refrained from all the extras).   The temperatures were scheduled to be in the 70's for the weekend, which is great for most outdoor activities except swimming, so the lodge was a great excape for us and exactly what Zoey wanted.

Tickling her to smile because she's sad we're leaving.

Although Zoey is growing up too fast for me, she still is that little girl who loves her princess frilly swimsuits and the kiddie pool.  She slid down the smaller slides nearly a million times.  We talked her into a few bigger slides, one of which she refused to go down again after the first ride due to an unfortunate water-up-the-nose blast.  She loved the river where she could run in the current relying on her life jacket to steady her and she even rode the waves in the wave pool without hesitation.

The place really caters to kids, but we decided to be among the young at heart, so we adults traded off watching Zoey so we could enjoy some of the more adventurous rides.  Karlie and I had a few issues with our coordination at the rides ends in tandem tubes and once she flipped from behind me over my head and once I bit her head.  In the end we survived and had so much fun I didn't bother stopping to take any pictures inside the water park (not to mention I was fearful of what the water/humidity would do to electronics), so you'll just have to use your imagination and settle for this one leaving pic (day 2).

After a long day of driving and play, we ended the  night  at Joe's Crab Shack (yummmmm)!

Pirate John wants his crab pot.

Of course we posed in the cool mosaic bathroom.

We ordered Zoey's meal first, which was a good decision since she crashed immediately after her meal.  Those who play hard sleep hard.

The next morning Karlie and I played with Zoey for a few hours in the waterpark, even sneaking her onto one of the bigger "boat style" rides; as she was about a half inch short of the height requirement.  We thought she would enjoy the speedy ride, but the deadpan look on her face was clear...'this is not my idea of fun Mom!'

Although the lodge would allow us to stay in the water-park until 9pm that night, we had to be home for John and Karlie to be ready for work on Monday, so we checked out and headed to lunch.  On our way to find a place, we stumbled across the Central Market in Southlake.  John and I found some elusive fruits we had desired to try such as: mangosteen, dragon fruit, mamey sapote, and manzano bananas.  Karlie too knew what she wanted and found a huge assortment of loose-leaf tea that we could barely pull her away from.  There was so much selection I was in heaven, but with a five hour drive back, full grocery shopping was neither advantageous or a priority.

Some of our bounty. (Mamey Sapote, Kawino Horned Melon, Dragon Fruit , and various teas)

Dragon fruit is soooo cool.

 After lunch at the Cheesecake Factory...

Our view at lunch!

...we stopped by Cabela's to spy camping gear and their amazing stuffed exhibits (Zoey thought she got a zoo outing also).  We then pointed ourselves back towards the Chihuahua Desert and Midland, TX. Goodbye rivers, lakes and everything green. It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I have such a great daughter, husband, and sister to share it with.  What will future weekends bring?

Lovin' it...in Dallas.

"As a musician you just want to be able to do what you love."

-Andy Grammer

This boy shines!!

It's always been said to do what you love and love what you do, but more so, passion stems from being great at something, and my brother, Ethan Tucker, is one of the fortunate few who have found that passion because he's great, and loves what he does.  He's made friends in the music world and recently is on tour performing with Tribal Seeds and Slightly Stoopid , a couple of reggae bands.  His nine day tour takes him throughout the south...including Texas. 

Karlie and I were fortunate enough be able to take a few days to head to Dallas, TX to see him, support his career, and experience one of his shows on the road.  Karlie talked me into the trip, I honestly hadn't been to a real concert since my teens having settled down in more ways than one, so I left behind John and Zoey and we took another girls weekend just to see Ethan.

Midland to Dallas is a five hour drive and this time of year the roadside is covered in morning glories, bluebonnets, and Texas paintbrush.   Leaving behind the flat panhandle plains we found ourselves in the beautiful prairie and lake region.  We were envious of the tall trees, lakes, and hills around us....Midland, once again you fail to draw us back.

Cool, old, collapsed farmhouse we found!!

In the Dallas city center, we found ourselves on an off ramp due to big city traffic; and the detour took us by the Dallas Convention center, which after checking into our hotel, we went back to see the impressive bronze stampede at pioneer plaza which originates near an old graveyard full of the Dallas founders from the 1800's. 

Careful Karlie!!

Soon we met up with Ethan at the venue and spent some time catching up, hung around for sound check, and met members of the other bands and support staff.  Needless to say, it was apparent to everyone we were not his real sisters, but even if it's just by marriage, we'll claim each other.  Everyone was super friendly and it was clear to me how much they all support, love and admire Ethan and his music. 

When it was showtime, Karlie and I squeeeeeezed our way to the front and thoroughly enjoyed

Come on down to my level Ethan!!

Ethan's performance as he sang with heart, played with precision, and showed Dallas who Ethan Tucker really is.  He really earns a lot of respect going out there all alone, without a band in tow, playing "a musical style all his own with influences from folk, blues, soul, reggae and jazz" for a group of dedicated reggae fans, finding his way into their hearts. (Quote from Ethantuckermusic.com)

Karlie and I popped in and out of the front to experience the whole show and experienced the good (music), bad (large crowd), and the ugly (always a crazy fan or two).  We stayed late into the night enjoying every minute with Ethan then said our goodbyes with lots of hugs, laughing, and love. 

Dallas was a great experience, and I love Ethan and what he does.  Next time he's in the state, we'll be there....maybe next time he'll be the main show!!



*** If you're interested in hearing more of Ethan's music,  you can follow him on Facebook, download songs on iTunes, and order a CD on his website.

Million Dollar Question

"There are people who have money and people who are rich."

-Coco Chanel

What would you do if you had a million dollars?  We've all been asked, pondered and even discussed the subject. Many times people answer the question while stressing the importance of investing, developing their existing enterprises, or budgeting to make it last, but that's not the purpose of the question.  The question is not about money, but about who you really are and what you want in life.  When the answer  includes family, philanthropy, spirituality and self-discovery, you start to get to the heart of it all.  What do you desire out of life?

Park in San Antonio

I had often answered the question with the logical, responsible part of my brain; stating that my life would not change much, budgeting to make the money last and living relatively simply.  But, I would always throw in....and I would find a way to do some traveling, revealing my desire to travel. It's been said, if you want to do it, find a way, money aside. 

People travel different ways, and most choose the modern, stable family approach. Working a steady job, paying all your bills, saving up vacation time and money for a quick one or two week visit (if that) in an exotic location.  This approach is the safest and most expensive, leaving little time to truly experience a culture, but allowing a glimpse into the world around us.  There is nothing wrong with the tourism approach and I hope we have many opportunities to travel like this in our future.  The only problem with this form of travel is ,"The traveler... went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience.  The tourist is passive, he expects interesting things to happen to him, he goes "sight-seeing." (Daniel J. Boorstin)

Couple of Tourist

Some choose what I call the Vagabond way.  Where you get in your car and go, no financial backing, and no plan.  They live on the road and quite literally fly by the seat of their pants.  They believe “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”(Lao Tzu)  This form of travel, although exciting, is a bit reckless often causing you to rely on the generosity of stable individuals or causing you to fall into disreputable crowds.  This way of travel would drive me crazy and is simply impractical for a responsible adult and parent.

Many retired individuals choose to live in different locals, occasionally changing their residency or keeping their home mobile by living in a trailer, mobile home, short term rentals or on a boat. Most of these travelers settle down in time, but take some time to experience “The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” (Bill Bryson)  Most of these travelers must accumulate a savings or form a stream of income to support their travel experience.

Finally some choose to move from their homeland, to experience a new culture and a new life.  They are able to immerse themselves in the culture and become part of that society, although always aliens in the strange land. Living abroad, “I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.”(Bill Bryson) This form of travel gives an individual the greatest sense of a culture, but narrows the experience to a single or a few places.


John and I are now deciding how we will choose to travel, get in some travel before we settle down again, go straight to Belize or see a few places first.  We may choose one of these options, or formulate a combination of the aforementioned options.  For now we'll live in limbo, neither here nor there, but waiting, dreaming and planning for what may be. As it turns out, limbo can be pretty fun too. The question is, what would you do with a million dollars?

The Ones Left Behind

"Family faces are magic mirrors.  

Looking at people who belong to us, we see 

the past, present, and future. "

-Gail Lumet Buckley

The Campbell kids - 1990

The decision to leave Idaho was easy, but carrying it out was difficult, and made harder by the faces I left behind. All friends and family are hard to say goodbye to, but as always some are harder than others.

I've always loved my dad, not only because he is my father, but because he has earned a special place in my heart being the best person, dad, and grandfather.  Leaving the closeness of being near him was hard, but all kids grow up and move away and I know we'll always be close no matter how far away I am.  It was hardest to take Zoey from them (Dad and Brenda), but I hope that each moment they now have together will be that more treasured and memorable.  For now we stick to regular updates and planned encounters as we go on with our lives.

 Leaving behind my family in October meant saying goodbye to one person for good.  My grandma and Zoey's great-grandma Ruth Frehner was in ill health and had been getting worse over the last few

Baby Zoey and Great-grandma Ruth

years.  I knew as I held her hand and talked to her a few days before I left Idaho, it was most likely the last time I would see her, and it was.  Early December, one day before she and my Grandpa Stan would have celebrated 39 years together, she died peacefully. Due to prior obligations and the extreme distance home, Karlie and I were unable to attend the funeral, but sent flowers in her memory.

Although I knew I would miss her, one person has been missed a lot more than I ever expected, Chrissy.  My sister Chrissy and I have always been the closest of sisters and friends.  With only two years between us, we've seen each other through every stage in life.  Nobody laughs with me like she does; appreciating the ironic, stating the obvious, and matching my sometimes off-beat humor.  It's funny how different we are too, but i think in those differences we manage to compliment, balance and cultivate our sisterhood. For now our relationship is long-distance, but someday it may be at least in the same climate again.

Me and Chrissy 1983

With Mr. Molly (the hamster) 1985

Camping ~1989

High School graduation 1999

Being Crazy....as adults.

All that being said, being away is nice.  Sometimes when we have each other too available and so we forget to make time for one another, feeling they'll always be there.  But when you're apart and come back together, you make the time and treasure the moments, knowing they are short lived.   That being said, I choose not to miss my family, but rather look forward to the treasured moments we will have in the future.