Wide Open Sky

I've always been a lover of Mexican food.

When I used to visit Dad during the high school years, we would always go out to eat at the same Mexican restaurant pretty much every week. At least, in my memory. I loved it.

Chips and salsa? All day long.

When Roy and I started dating, he took me to Jose's on a regular basis. A little restaurant in Cleburne, it far surpassed Thursday Mexican at the university.

When we moved to Colorado? Jose Muldoon's.

And so it continues. When we were in North Carolina, we visited Papa's and Beer pretty much every week during my lunch hour and I looked forward to the next visit starting the minute I left it the day we ate out each week.

And now we're back in Texas, land of the Mexican food. On every corner? A different Mexican food restaurant. Roy tells everyone it's my mission to try each Mexican food restaurant within a 50 mile radius so that I can determine which one is my favorite.

That may prove difficult as they're all pretty darned good.

Tami and I have started walking during the evenings. That's a good thing because at the rate I'm going, I may be rolling my way around.

No. Really.

A couple of evenings ago, Tami and I took off for our jaunt and Chas decided to join. And so, the three of us sped our way down country roads, talking a mile a minute. The sun was just starting to go down in the west and the evening hours were a tad bit cooler than high afternoon. You know--95 degrees instead of the 98 degrees of high noon. Anyway, as we rounded a corner, I looked up and there it was:

When we first interviewed at North Carolina six years ago, I was stunned by its beauty. Talking to Ed Pelto who picked us up from the airport, I said, I can't believe you live in the midst of so much beauty. I don't think I would ever leave if we lived here...

Ed said, "Actually, I find it a little suffocating. I never see the sun rise or the sun set because the mountains hide the sun once it is beyond them."

And he was right.

Now don't get me wrong. The beauty of Asheville is second to none. There is good reason it's on the "Top Ten Places to Live in the USA" every single year. But I am an Oklahoma girl and sunrises and sunsets? They're in my blood.

Moving to Texas has been an adventure. Each day I wake up anticipating what's next. I know life will settle soon and we will figure out the new normal, but right now we are in the midst of creating. You know--where we buy groceries (HEB is a little piece of paradise--I've never seen such cheap, beautiful produce in my life!), who will cut my hair, is there a vet in town?, where am I going to get flea meds for my pets, which local theater is my fave, who has the best ice cream (you know--important stuff like that)...

And so, life today is wide open. Whether it be my favorite Mexican restaurant or the color I am going to paint my walls or when to schedule exercise into my day (because I'm thinking positively), or the kinds of flowers I will plant around those trees in the front yard, or ...all I see?

Wide open sky.