Just amazing how bright our sun is even when only 1.7% is exposed. Our universe never ceases to bring delight and wonder.
The sun & the sun filtered in the Georgia heat. 
Lake Oconee
“Blue skies smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies, do I see”🎶
We couldn’t ask for a better day to spend on Lake Oconee. Man made lakes are very different from what this Minnesotan is used to, but we sure are enjoying it!
Dirt & Dreams
Building a new home has been on my bucket list since long before ‘bucket lists’. I have always been interested in spaces, in architecture, design and finishes. I built a model of the ideal living room while in grade school. (I bet it is stashed somewhere in my parent’s basement. My mom kept everything.) However, my sweet husband has never been on board with building. I couldn’t sell him before we bought either of our Minnesota homes, as Trump would say ‘believe me’,I tried hard.
That dream went dormant until we learned what the impact of heat is on the energy bill of existing inefficient homes. Uffda. I thought cold was expensive, but homeowners we talked to in Texas were paying four and five times what we were accustomed to. This combined with remodeling our Minnesota home nearly top to bottom, inside and out swayed him to the dark side. My side, the one with endless questions and second guessing. Apparently that is my sweet spot.
We toured every end of the DFW metroplex, evaluating schools, the real estate market, neighborhoods, amenities, proximities to necessities, sifted through it all with lists and logic, and in the end followed our gut instinct bought dirt in the northwest metro.
Beginnings
In truth this process has been under way for quite some time, but this is the right time to start pulling it all together. This is the background.
Last November my husband received a phone call asking about his interest level in a new job that would require relocation. My vitamin D levels had already plummeted for the season and the thought of not shoveling 40+ inches of snow every winter made my heart sing. Our two kids gave the thumbs up, and my husband was ready for a new challenge. Things fell right into place once he accepted the position.
He started his new position January first. Our house went on the market January 27th and was sold on the 29th. This is not how real estate works in Minnesota. It is bitter, it is snowy and the market is typically tortoise slow. This was our first blessing. The second came after we decided to build a home in Texas, when his employer graciously allowed him to work from Minnesota during the build. The third was my parents inviting us to live with them after our house sold so quickly. We did, and it was the best choice. It offered us immense flexibility, savings financially and stress-wise, but more importantly our kids were able to live life with their grandparents and get to know them on a deeper level.
The kids and I are taking the long way to Texas, visiting family in Florida and Georgia. We plan to land few days before school starts with suntans, refreshed and ready to unpack and unfold a new life in Texas.