So, it seems, we are going to Texas.

Details have not been finalized, but of the options available at this time, Texas seems to hold the most promise. Where we would be headed, the panhandle, the cost of property is very low, and I have never cared much about having an expensive home, but just having a home of our own.

For many reasons I can't detail at this time, this just "feels right". Since my unemployment benefits will travel with me, there will be no immediate pressure to find a job, and the cost of living will allow me to live within the means provided by said benefits.

As for my day, I had work today helping a guy to move. He was a good guy, and we got the move done in 7.5 hours (at 7 bucks an hour). He gave myself and the other mover a $20 tip, plus some items he was going to throw out (in my case, a vaccum cleaner and a space heater), so it was a pretty good day in general. I'm not planning on working tomorrow, as I'm headed into Vegas to buy our bus tickets and take advantage of the 7 day advance purchase discount. By this time next week, we will be preparing for the move. I will likely bee offline for awhile, but am planning on taking the computer in the move, rather than leaving it in storage (I will probably leave the monitor here, though...too big and bulky to move when it is easily replaced). So, discounting the time we are without a phone, I should be back on in no more than a couple weeks after we move.

I can't say my time here in Pahrump was a total loss, we met some great people. We will miss the church here, but we realize it's just our time to move on. It's my sincere hope that we find a true home at this next stop; while I love and will continue to travel, it's time for us to find a place that we feel is truly "ours".

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and, most importantly, looking for ways to help us out in our time of need. It's much more promising to be heading to a house in Texas than a homeless shelter in Boise (our first plan, based on a number of variables). We also know that as a young family moving into an area where so many are moving out of, we are providing a sort of stability to the community. And there's some satisfaction in that.

signing off,

Gideon MacLeish