So I'm a little late posting. That's what happens when you move across the country and your other half is in the Army. Separately those occurences are cause for craziness but put them together and chaos ensues. More about Army stuff later; I'll discuss our townhouse for now. We got the keys on Saturday July 12th, however our household goods were not deliverd until Thursday the 17th. Randall took a video on Sunday the 13th while I was attempting to make/serve tacos with chips and salsa using one pan for cooking and a plastic container for dip. Ha! The video shows the townhouse in its bare bones form. Please pay special attention to the lovely blue cooler that served as our dining table, the air bed underneath the sheets in the bedroom, the fact that in Texas "townhouse" doesn't mean larger than an "apartment" it just means you have an upstairs, and the router that was lying on the floor in the office before one of the movers stole it. He was a pretty shady character. Although it was inconveneient living like this, it didn't matter too much because we were finally together and in the lovely state of Texas, which some refer to as "God's country." More on that at a later time, but for now enjoy the video and make sure you turn on the sound. Randy is quite the witty narrator.

Travel Day Two

Start: Franklin, KY 8:20am
End: Texarkana, AR 6:15pm

Travel day #2 was fairly uneventful. Sunshine, little traffic, happy doggie. It is, however, still 91 degrees outside and it's after 9:00. I'm not sure we're cut out for Texas! We took Penny for a walk and to a nearby park for some play time then ate ice cream. And now it's time for bed because it has been a very long day. Goodnight!

Travel Day One

Start: Amherst, OH 8:16 am
End: Franklin, KY 5:42 pm


Leaving days are always a little chaotic, and today was no exception. We were monitoring Penny, packing last minute toiletries, finding our list of last minute throw-ins, actually finding the last minute throw-ins, figuring out what to eat for breakfast, cramming the vehicles to the max, all in a tired, un-caffeinated, surreal state of being. Alas, we were off...me one pair of underwear lighter thanks to our little doggy friend who just can't seem to resist!

And so we drove, in nice weather for most of the day. It sprinkled a little bit through northern Kentucky but nothing significant. We were in Cincinnati by lunch time so we decided to stop at Skyline Chili. I had never been there before and felt the urge to frequent the Ohio chain before becoming a Texan. We scarfed down our food so the doggy wouldn't overheat in the car and were off again, me feeling a little queasy from the grease. Guess I wasn't missing much.

We were in our hotel and settled by 6pm. After Penny scarfed down her dinner then vomitted it in a large pile by the door of our room, we decided it was time to take her to the park. My trusty GPS failed miserably, twice leading us to "parks" that were actually houses. We settled on a field next to a Baptist church, and played fetch. Then we picked up Taco Bell and dined on the fine food in our hotel room. We thought another walk was necessary and headed out to the hay field next to our hotel. Penny enjoyed it very much, as you can see in the picture. All in all, a very good first day.





Skyline Chili in Cincinnati





Penny on a bale of hay

Goodbye Ohio

After months of anticipation, it was finally time to say goodbye. Randall and I dreaded it for weeks, and for good reason. Everyone and everything we have ever known is in Ohio (or close by in PA). Our week of goodbyes went well, and although a few tears were shed, we're very excited to start a new chapter. So "goodbye Ohio," for now at least. And "see you soon" to all of the friends and family we've left behind.


Nanny, Randall, Connie, Poppy, and Penny


Lindsay, Connie, Jackie


Emily and Randall


All packed up and ready to go.