The Long Road Home...

The low temperatures in northwest Montana dropped down into the 20's, and the coming change of the season was definitely in the air, so it was time for us to prepare Sigh-Bar for winter and get started on the long road home. We took the horses to their winter home at the Bar W Ranch, made sure everything was ready to endure the months of freezing winter weather, then packed up the truck. We timed our departure just right to spend a few days with Alex & Nick and the kids in Billings, and to celebrate Ruby's first birthday. How can baby Ruby already be having a birthday?!! Ruby is a loving and smart little sweetheart, but her first year has not been without some challenges. She has taken medication for severe reflux problems, has had too many ear infections, and has not really been a fan of sleeping. She has been constantly showered with love and attention from Leo and June, but loves her mom most of all. Ruby is a climber and loves the stairs and any obstacle to climb over/around/thru. She loves to read, and prefers to sit in your lap while she listens and turns the pages. Ruby brings such great joy to all of us!

On the road again, we headed southeast through Wyoming and Colorado, stopping in Limon, Colorado for the night. We got an early start the next day for the final 16-hours through Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas. The 2160-mile trip through six states is a long ride, and we are so grateful that we have safely arrived back "home."

We had lived in the new house only a month before leaving for the summer, so it was a little bit like moving in for the first time again, but we are starting to feel more at home on Braided Branch Drive. We have been hanging pictures on the walls and finding the right spot for some of our other "stuff." I decided on a plan for some window coverings, and we hung the drapery rods in anticipation of the ones that I am planning to sew. We bought new cruiser bicycles and are looking forward to enjoying the nice winter weather in here in southeast Texas.