Texas to Arkansas

We picked up Justin from the airport at 4pm and instead of hitting the road we decided to stay one more night in Dallas. It was actually pretty amazing because Justin had a childhood friend move to the outskirts of Dallas and she invited the three of us into her home! It was really wonderful to meet Lauren and hear crazy stories of Justin's childhood. She was incredibly hospitable and so much fun to hang out with. It felt like we all had know each other our whole lives. We actually ended up having so much fun that we ended up staying an extra night. It was super cold outside and we didn't really have any future plans, so we figured why not!

I am continually blown away by the kindness of strangers on the road they open their homes and become the most incredible host/hostesses. It's people like Lauren and many others on our trip that make it all worth it. we get the rare opportunity to see behind the scenes into many people's lives all over the country. We are able to see the heart and soul of America- the people, the stories, the triumphs, the hardships that you would never read about in the news. One stranger after another we gain another friend. As our community grows they teach me how to love a little bit more, to listen longer, embrace now, become a better friend/wife/sister/daughter/aunt, and to enjoy my life more.

It was hard to say goodbye to LAuren. We all became instant friends and we kind of wanted to kidnap her and take her out in Destiny. A million thank you's would never be enough for her hospitality! We cannot wait to see her again. 

Getting a little STIR CRAZY!

360 view of amazing sunset!

Pro-Bowl

Caught red handed eating one of my bananas!

At this point in our journey eastbound we were facing a dilemma! There was talk of a big storm, 10-20 degree weather, wind, and ice storms. We could either brave the storm and head south to Louisiana to get a little taste of Baton Rouge and New Orleans or we could book straight out to the ranch for a warm retreat! 

We decided on the later. We had enough of the cold weather and freezing temperatures and were ready for a fireplace and hot showers! Although we did take a pointless 250 mile detour to check out a worthless truck. We have been searching for a 4x4 truck to buy and keep on this side of the country. We haven't had much luck! We thought we struck gold on a Toyota Tundra so we drove the 250 extra miles and we ended up getting played! The guy failed to mention the brake lines were being held together by c-clamps and vice grips, one third of the steering wheel was missing, the engine and underside of the truck were rusting away and the body damage was way more than he was letting on! 

After being extremely frustrated with the whole situation we through up the white flag and drove straight to the ranch. We could find a truck once we were here for our winter getaway! 

PS- It snowed that night after we arrived! So happy we weren't in the motorhome for that- I wasn't ready to be stuck in another blizzard!