Since my last post, much has happened and I have stayed delightfully busy. I have made four trips to Marfa since moving to Midland, gotten settled into my apartment, overcome the initial exhaustion from a fulltime job, and have even started meeting some new people. There have been a few nights out, many new restaurants tried, and community events attended like the local baseball games and concerts. So far, so good.

If anything, I know that I am exactly where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing at this point in my life. Will this job be my lifetime career? Who am I to say this early on. Am I involved in the community and socializing like I did in LUbbock and Dallas? That will take more time than six weeks. But, the important thing is that I feel good, strong, and know I am where I need to be. From here, things will fall into place and, hopefully, God will show his desire and plan for my life incrementally along the way.

Here are a few things I already love about Midland:

- My friends around town at the various body shops and dealerships we work with. Gus is my favorite. He works at the store where we get oil changes on a very regular basis...I think he has a crush on me.

- Open skies. Driving to work each morning on the loop allows me to see the openness around my new town. The sun is always creeping up as I drive to work and is a bold, vibrant orangey pink color. When there are clouds, which is not too often, they color the sky in hues of pink, orange, and blue as the sun beams through. This is not something one sees in the big city where skyscrapers and telephone lines spot the sky. Only a place open and separated from most of civilization such as Midland can offer such a view.

- Community. Midland, though a "city" in lay-man's terms, remains tightly knitted like a larger town. There are many community events and opportunities to see, taste, and feel the local culture. To not take part in the various experiences would be a loss as there is a large variety - baseball games, music in the park, Saturday morning farmers' markets, festivals, and local restaurants.

- Trucks, boots, and perfectly fitted jeans - need I say more?

- Dry heat - I can't STAND humidity.

- and a big one: being centrally located to all of my family. Already, I have gotten to attend a funeral, birthday party, dinners with the grandparents, and have my family stay the night with me because I am close enough to West Texas and am on the way to West Texas. I am perfectly placed to see my family as they head out to Marfa for a weekend. I am conveniently close to my grandparents and my people out West if something should happen or they might need me.

This post is strange but, I realize more and more, that I too am strange. I just missed writing and have not had much free time to sit down and type away - a blessing and a curse perhaps? I will now continue to pass the evening with a goblet of vino and a good book. Let's just hope I do not doze off too soon...

Marfa means...the grand central station for my family at large.