Back on the blog train. . .plus Day 5 tribute!

To all of you 11 faithful followers, I apologize. I have been absent for way too long and there is no excuse! Actually, there is a pretty good one. We moved across the country, thus making it difficult to keep up. We radically changed our lives, we took a huge leap of faith, and we are stepping way out of our comfort zones. So far, it is tough. But here is a little of what has happened over the last few weeks.

Early September:
- Packed up our crap, rented a trailer, and started driving to Oregon from Georgia. Tears were shed, hearts were broken, something loomed in our future (still to be determined!).
- Our route? LONG. Here is the gist of it: Baton Rouge, LA. Austin, TX. Tucson, AZ. Flagstaff, AZ. Santa Barbara, CA. San Francisco, CA. Black Butte Ranch, OR. Salem, OR. Now Portland, OR.
- We saw great friends, had amazing food, and great wine along the way! I would say the trip was not as bad as we both thought it would be. Some highlights included: Ashley reading out loud to me (way better than book on tape!), podcasts, dipping our toes in the Pacific, wine tasting in Santa Barbara County, San Francisco in general, and 2 days of relaxing in Black Butte.
- Low lights in included: the drive from Austin to Tucson (18 hour day), leaving GA, living out of a car for 2+ weeks, the last day on the road (felt SO long).
- But we made it, no tickets, no flat tires. All in all a "successful" trip.

Mid-September (NOMADS)
- Bounced from house to house, town to town, family to family, trying to get organized and "settled in". I don't think you ever get settled in when you live in someone else's house, but for now, until we find something, we are as settled as we are going to get. And it is not ideal. But we press on!
- Alex started working. Welcome to reality.
- Ashley looking for work and getting on as many substitute lists as possible. Welcome to reality.
- Reality sucks.

Late-September
- Highlighted by the Wade Wedding! A great weekend long full of activities, punctuated by a great ceremony and reception!
- Alex and Ashley adjusting to life in another city, living apart, working, struggling.
- Looking for a place to live when we get married (which is very exciting). As soon as we find that baby, Ashley will move in immediately! Hopefully that will help things. . .
- Adjusting to the daily routine, life change, and missing GA.
- Looking forward to: THE FAMILY VISIT in ONE MONTH! Less, actually. We can't wait. It needs to happen sooner, and more often!!

So I have to admit I was reluctant to finish my Tribute to the South. Mainly because I knew it would be hard to write. But here goes. What I miss most about the south is the family (included 'extended' family...). I miss Danny's antics, I miss Taff and Spanky, I even miss Buddy (I wonder if he has kicked the can yet?) I miss Nana's insisting on doing my laundry and always cooking chicken salad for me. I miss Patti and how she falls asleep watching TV curled up in a blanket even though it is 101 degrees outside. I miss the Aunts - Kim and Lynn. I need Lynn's food immediately! I miss Jamie - but hey, she's off at college and loving it, so I'm not feeling to sad. I miss everyone there! It was very hard to leave, and even harder (especially for Ashley) being here without them. But it is life, and people do sometimes move away from close ones. It's not like we'll never see them again (28 days), it is just a very hard adjustment. But life will go on and Ashley and I will create our own family. We will thrive on being together and truly relying on each other. We are growing. Not growing away from family, but growing into who we are going to be as a family. So far, that is about the only positive!

But honestly. If you have never met someone Southern, you are missing out. The people are great! They are friendly, they talk funny, they drink lots of beer (have never heard of a micro-brew), they cook way better than yo momma, and they love church. They are laid back (except for Dan-O), love golf, drive trucks, and love Nascar. In one hyphenated word, they are : one-of-a-kind. And I love 'em!

So there you have it. The conclusion of my 5 day Tribute to the South. What a great place to live, a great season of our lives, and someone we will always have to go back to and love and enjoy. Until next time, Roll Tide!