It was 2018 and it was time. It was ten years after that initial drive in the country and we were ready to make some changes. Our daughter was settled into her second year of college and we felt that we could test the waters. As I have mentioned, I am not Mollie’s biological mom. Although I have known of and met Mollie when she was younger, I wasn’t “officially” in her life until she was seven years old. Mollie was nine when her daddy and I got married. It was incredibly important to Jeff that he was an engaged and active father who was raising his daughter. We could have chosen to switch things up earlier in our marriage, however, we both felt that it was more important that Mollie have access to both of her parents, whenever she may need them. We were more than happy to assume life in Canon City. We were both established, we had a great community and we had tremendous support. If it were wetter and greener throughout the year and if we could purchase a large swath of land, (for a reasonable rate), we would have never left. Well, that is not entirely true. Jeff’s parents are getting older and his dad had been having health issues for some time. It had been heavy on our mind and it was important that we get closer.

It was Thanksgiving break, Mollie was home from college, and we were headed out on a roadtrip. I was extremely excited. We were meeting the in-laws, dropping off the kids and we were headed out to explore potential places to live. I love a road-trip. I really do. I love covering expanses of land, listening to music and sharing the close space with the people I love. I also love a solo road trip. If I can find a good audio book, I don’t care where the destination is. I would sometimes prefer to keep driving, rather than stop at my destination. For real, I love it when I am deeply into a great story, it always peeves me to be interrupted. I have been on a bender of listening to biographical stories of women in comedy. I don’t know why, but I love to hear success stories and wit from these hilarious women. I also like to laugh and am easy to laugh, probably another reason. So I digress…

So there we were, all four of us were in the truck and headed East. We were prepared with blankets, pillows, snacks, sandwich fixings and a thirst for the new. What we weren’t prepared for was the vomiting within the first 10 miles. Cash has been known to get carsick. We were once traveling over Rabbit Ears Pass, near Winter Park, CO, and he got sick. I had given him some milk and bananas for breakfast, horrible mistake. I don’t know if any of you have been on a mountain pass in Colorado, but guardrails and areas to pull over are few and far between. We ended up with a naked toddler getting cleaned up on the side of a cliff. Also, I have an incredibly weak stomach. All I need is a smell, a sound, a mention of something disgusting and my mind takes over. I was never good at changing a diaper. People would tell me, “it’s your own child, you will get use to it!”. I never got used to it. I gagged every single time. I had to focus my mind on the fact that I just had to power through. I would get through it, eventually. Thankfully, Jeff had no problems with diapers. It is helpful to have a plumber as a husband, this is just one of the many perks. A few miles into our journey, my gag reflex was on point and Jeff and Cash were on the side of the highway with cars speeding by. We made it through the rest of the trip with minimal damage and a whole lot of hyper-sensitivity about whether or not it was going to happen again.

We made it to the drop off. The kids went with the grandparents and Jeff and I picked a direction and drove. We didn’t really have a destination. We were more interested in seeing the scenery and picturing whether or not we could see ourselves living there. This experience was wonderful. I don’t know if you have ever had the opportunity to dream in real time, to seek and know something new was going to happen, but you had yet to discover it. Here were were, intentionally seeking the inevitable new. I don’t want to say this too loudly, but Northwest Arkansas is beautiful. Everywhere we went, we were in love. Even when Jeff was the next one to get sick, (we had heard that Mollie was sick and evidently we were sharing the close space not only with each other, but also with the flu virus), I was still in awe. I ditched the sick husband in the hotel room and I adventured out. Yes, that sounds a little callous, but what would you do? I had no intention of staying in a small room with someone who was emitting horrendous smells and noises. Not happening. Instead, I was able to check out Eureka Springs, learn about the history and take an amazing hike. Having an opportunity to immerse myself in this town absolutely sold me on our move. When the dust settled from our adventure, we had whole heartedly decided that we were, 100%, moving. We spent the next several months researching towns and school districts. Jeff was on the hunt for land listings and we were brewing.

A few pictures from our trip. The elk herd was along the Buffalo River. Elk were native in Arkansas, however, by the 1840’s they were virtually wiped out. In 1981 volunteers reintroduced elk from Colorado and Nebraska, to their new home in the Ozarks. Today there are 650+ elk in the Ozarks.

Pivot Rock Park, https://www.eurekasprings.org/pivot-rock-and-natural-bridge/ was a gem I found while keeping my distance from the sick husband in the hotel room. It was a beautiful walk that led to some crazy geological formations and lent itself to beautiful pictures. It was a cold and dreary day, but I managed to make the most of it. As you can tell, I was feeling very bad for my ailing husband!

Eureka Springs is wonderful. It has incredible Victorian architecture, a historic downtown area and a wonderful vibe. Eureka Springs was once thought to be the location of the fountain of youth, due to its healing waters. This attracted a population of artists and adventurers. The downtown area is built on a hill, everywhere you look is unique and beautiful.