In my heart I am crying, in my soul I am more excited than I have ever been. I am crying for the mere reason that I am done raising children. Don’t get me wrong, they are and always will be my babies that I will always be there for, but all 3 of them are now adults. So for that my heart feels a little empty. But, my soul... my soul has a soul mate. And this soul mate (AKA Eric) and I are onto the next chapter, phase, adventure, whatever you want to call it. And this makes my soul overjoyed. I started this journey yesterday, September 5th. I got into the car with Gracie and filled it with just things...things that make me happy. Along with some clothes, I filled it with my favorite quote, my moms needlepoint of a rabbi reading to his son, 1 box of old favorite pictures, my large wood letter “B”, and a music box...
With that I took off for Omaha with Gracie in full view in the back seat. As empty as my heart felt driving away, it also filled with the excitement of what’s ahead of us.
September 6th...today we to get in the car towards our next stop. The Denver airport where Eric and I will begin the adventure. Our conversation this morning was
“What should we do tomorrow?"
"I don't know. Maybe stop in Vail and see what there is to do, (dog friendly obviously”).
This is going to be the first of many of these Conversations. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t turn into vagabonds in a Lexus with a Golden Retriever, we are just taking our time to get to our newest home. It is waiting for us in Las Vegas just a mile from the Red Rock canyon.
September 7th ☀️. We just spent a great night in Grand Junction with Erics life long friend Mike. What an amazing break...with too much wine and whiskey, a beautiful night sitting outside with a great view and so much to talk about. We are more recently finding that this is the time in our lives that we will have the opportunity to reconnect, not only with each other but with old friends. And for that we are thankful.
September 8th...
Then...reality sets in...we have so much to do and a dog that has no idea what the hell is going on. We have to walk to go potty, there is no grass outside the door, and every time we leave, a harness and leash is put on. And poop has to be picked up immediately! She has decided she would show us..."I'll just poop in the house, that will piss them off and they will take me back home to my grass." Nice try Gracie, we are staying here, and you will learn to like it! After 2 weeks, she has made new friends, walked so much she is losing some much needed weight, and joining us for dinner! Everywhere we go is pet friendly! She is settling in :)I, on the other hand am taking my sweet time to settle in. Last night was the first night in 2 weeks that I was left alone. Eric hadn't been called to fly since we got her (and what a godsend). You see, we were welcomed to Vegas by 2 break ins into our garage. Needless to say another lock was installed the next day and gate codes were changed. This is a long way from living with unlocked doors, open doors, and no worries...again the new normal. Don't get me wrong, it's all good, just different.
Our kids...the ones I was worried about leaving...are thriving on us being gone. They hang out, we all talk and text, and they have all done just fine without mom and dad being around 24/7. They are there for each other more than I could have possible had hoped. I am so proud of each of them and am so extremely fortunate to call them ours. One of my biggest struggles?...leaving Sadie, after just moving her into her dorm. She has proven to us that college life is for her...and she is doing well above our expectations for being a college freshman.
Lucy and Ellie have been my next biggest struggle, not being with them every day. faceTime has become another new normal in my day for talking, reading, books, and just getting some "Nana/Pops" time in with our girls...Its the highlight of many of our days. 
7 weeks have now gone by. I have been home once, we have had visitors, and we have met many new friends. Gracie has had one surgery (on her paw) that has changed her outlook on life here. She is starting to see that this is home for the winter! Eric has loved his 20 minute commute and I have embraced volunteer life at the hospital (NICU...this will bring on an entire new blog).
I think daily about the ones in our lives who support us without looking at us like we are crazy. This move wasn't a 'have to' for once, but a 'want to'. I need to truly thank everyone who has supported my ups and downs through this decision. Especially Eric...he has done whatever it takes to make our move here a positive experience. We are making many of our late night talks about what was "next" become a reality.
We are doing this confidently.
We are doing this joyfully.
We are doing this together.
We are doing this.
Heart and Soul
