January 15, 2016
It is difficult to believe we have been in Maggie Valley,
North Carolina for two months. We were
in Gulf Shores, Alabama for Thanksgiving and in Dacula, Georgia for Christmas
but we have finally begun to settle in here in the mountains.
Our cross country trip took us from Manila to Los, Angeles
where we were able to spend some quality time with Tiffany, JM, Ruby, and
Keaton. We got to walk Ruby and Keaton
to school and help Ruby one of her school projects – which was great by the
way. J
From Los Angeles we drove to Chandler, Arizona where we
spent time with Gina, Jay, Zane, and Grey.
We had fun just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful Arizona
weather. We even set up a television out
on their patio and watched a big football game while eating a delicious meal by
the fire pit.
From Chandler our travels took us to Albuquerque, New
Mexico; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Canyon, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee where we met up
with one of my Chamblee favorites Aurora Blumberg. She attends Rhodes, so she was able to
recommend a great barbecue joint. It was
fun just catching up over a delicious barbecue meal – we actually shut the
place down!
We arrived in Maggie Valley on November 14. It has been so much fun setting up house here
in the valley. We have begun some
renovations on our house (The Mountain Landing) and have loved being out in the
fresh, crisp air. We are still waiting
on the first big snow!
I am really thrilled to be back in the USA; I really am…but
oddly enough I feel that I have left part of my heart in the Philippines. I can tell people about living there, but
there is no way to let them know just how rich our experiences were and how
deeply felt our friendships were. I am a
changed person – more sympathetic, more compassionate, hopefully more tolerant,
more grateful, more appreciative. I
guess I also have a bit of wanderlust. I
am glad to be back, but I am glad I was there.
