Heading West

During the last two weeks it came time for my dearly beloved brother to take off and leave the great state of Texas. Since we have always been close despite the long distances that separate at times it seemed that this move for him was just another exciting turn of events in the lives of one another. Since our love for travel is great and the children love being on the road we both know it is only a matter of time before our crew makes the drive to the state of California to visit him in his new environment. Honestly, it never really hit me how far away it is and how much of a reality his leaving is until he stopped by to bid us farewell. Suddenly the fun and adventure was tamed a bit by the emotion of the fact he is really leaving.....and will be some thousands of miles away. I admire him. I always have. So many people dream of great hings in life but never act upon any of it. How many people there are in the world living out a life of mediocrity due to being trapped within their comfort zone and becoming too dependant on something they only mildly enjoy. What an amazing thing it is to have a vision and take off to discover if you can bring it to life...to knock on the door and pursue that which God has gifted you in. Though the separation is painful for me the excitement of discovering new places and being able to visit is still an awesome thing for us.

So it is that he finally lived up to his promise given to the children of an overnight stay. He pulled in late that Thursday night and as Brad and the little ones were all in bed Grayson, Evye and I stayed up til the wee hours of the morning eating previously grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and making cookies. We all spread out on the couches, laughed until our sides aches and they finished off the night eating cookies til they were sufficiently sick.

Friday morning came and we spent it pretty leisurely as Grayson made eggs, Evye made homemade biscuits and Brad put on the coffee. The bittersweet of the moment could not be ignored as I wondered just how long it will be before we have the opportunity to do this again. With full stomachs we made our way outside to do our farewells. Plans were made to head west once he gets settled and check out his place and all that California has to offer. He still doesn't really ever seem that far away....even now. I guess there's something to be said for being as close as we have been our entire lives. Not even the miles can break the bond that still exists to this day.

So, in no particular order here are some of the pics to remember it all by.

Best of buddies

Saying good byes
My sweet, sweet girl

Checking out the goatheads

Checking out the bugs

Loving on Daddy

Our destructo crew

Saying the thousandth goodbye

Still waving


Everybody helping to rechain the tire

I'm thinking we could fit at least 4 more in this shot

We still look alike
His ride from Dallas, TX to LA, California

Chillin' with Daddy watching the game of UNO

Hours and hours of UNO

Mapping out the roads