Mission Accomplished

Hello all,
Happy 7/7/7...all twenty minutes left of it...
Sorry it has taken so long to let you all know that we made it back to Texas. We actually landed a week ago today. We have all been busy unpacking, sleeping, reentering the work world, recounting the highlights of the trip, and adjusting to the new Texas topography due to the water that accumulated while we were gone. As my mother said, "You girls need to close the thing off. People want to know." So, here is my attempt to inform our internet traveling companions that the second leg of the journey is complete.

31 States down!!!

We left Montana in a mad dash to get Laura back to her very patient, very supportive, yet very lovesick fiance'. She was very sly in her daily conversations leading up to the reunion. She was successfully able to surprise her love a few days before he expected her to return. At least I think that is how it went down. Needless to say, we haven't talked much since she dropped us off at our apartment.

Some sights we saw as we headed South out of Billings were Montana Horses...Yeehaw!


We moseyed along until we crossed into State #30, Wyoming.


We spent the night in Douglas and left the next morning to conquer our tenth state of the trip and 31st of the project, Nebraska.


On our way out of Wyoming, we found a curious sign on the outskirts of what someone found worthy enough to deem a town, Lost Springs.


Once across the state line, we drove into a little town, Harrison, pop. 292. We found the one cafe in town, and Renee insisted that we go have a look-see.



We walked smack-dab into the bluehair gossip hour, all participants pausing just long enough to take in the new topics that invaded their turf. We ordered three iced teas and met the young waitress that goes to college in California and spends her summers working at the cafe', taking online courses via dial-up, and riding her horse that comes with her to keep her company at her grandparents' boarding ranch. We finished our tea and traveled down Hwy. 29 to Mitchell. We found a great church marquee that warranted a photo shoot.


We dined at the town's most popular restaurant, The Feedbarn, and ate in the horse stall labeled, Ole Nag. After dinner we wandered back into Cheyenne, Wyoming and after much trouble trying to locate a hotel on Priceline, we ended up staying the night at the Doris Day throw back, Little America. A princess experience had by all!!!


The next day we woke up and decided to try to get some great steak before we left beef country, so we ended up outside of Cheyenne at the Senator's Restaurant. We met a charming waitress named Miki, who travels with her husband all over the country in their RV and travel trailer. She was a great inspiration to the optimistic road warriors, touting that the life worth living was one on the road, turning in a life tied down to things and trading the traditional in for a life about meeting new people and experiencing life lived in ways never imagined. We got a great steak as well as excellent conversation and a chance to see some interesting critters: horses, buffalo, lamas, camels and ostrichs.

We also found out that Renee has one heck of a lama call..."HEEEYYYYYY"....it works with lamas in multiple states!

So, we left Wyoming for a second time and headed a year later back into Colorful Colorado. We made a coffee stop at Starbucks in Denver to avoid the rush hour traffic, and then spent the night in Colorado Springs. We were excited to get back into Mexican food territory, but soon found out that we were not South enough when we were personally escorted from a gas station to the "best Mexican food in Pubelo." Let's just say, Tex-Mex in Amarillo was a welcomed sight...

We took a tiny jaunt through Renee's favorite state of New Mexico on our way to my parents house in West Texas. The first stop of our first leg was our last stop on our second leg, Plainview, TX, home of Jimmy Dean (sausage king). We got up Saturday morning, went out to see my dad's western writing room, kissed the parents goodbye and headed to big D. We stopped to smell the sunflowers and catch a picture or two.


We made it back to our apartment around 9:30 last Saturday night and said our goodbyes...oh, parting is such sweet sorrow...with a plan for us to get together for our first official business meeting of 2007 next Wednesday afternoon. Laura is gearing up for Hebrew and a wedding, Renee is back at Starbucks and looking for a new apartment, and I am throwing away lots of stuff and packing up for a new adventure, believing it will land me in a brand new state, another set of dreams unfolding and all that goes with it...

What an amazing trip! We met a lot of people that have stuck...we are still conversing with the two brilliant teens in Arkansas, we have bounced back and forth with the preacher in Sioux Falls, we have heard many times from our new Huttorite friend, Margaret, who called requesting that we help her get some undergarments for a Canadian Huttorite colony who lost everything in a fire. She asked if my church could help, and at lunch Sunday, my pastor slipped me some cash to help the cause. A hunting I did go and got a package of items together with a birthday card off to my new friend. We have homemade gloves coming our way, being knit in 104 degrees.
I have also talked many times to the pastor of the new church plant that we had the privilege of getting to know during our stay in Missoula. Blessings, blessings galore on your grand, artistic adventure!

Keep checking in as we will be updating the site to let you know what is happening with us. Please keep praying for the project and for each one of us as we all begin new chapters as individuals, still committed to making this bigger-than-us dream a reality. Thanks God for the journey and all the ones to come!

The Looking For God in America Road Warriors

Sweet Dreams!
Princess Angela