Back in Nebraska...Again

We have been back from our winter travels to Arizona for 3 weeks now...and what a whirlwind of activity that has been! In these three weeks I have gone back to work, we have traveled to northwestern South Dakota for a graduation, went camping over Memorial Day, and I celebrated my 50th class reunion. That doesn't sound so busy except that all of mundane life had to happen around those activities.

I always say our Arizona friends wouldn't know us in Nebraska, and our Nebraska friends wouldn't recognize us in Arizona. Our lives in each place are polar opposites. In Nebraska we are constantly busy and on the go. In Arizona we spend a lot of time just relaxing, soaking up sun and doing nothing. It might be more fun to mix a little of both in a week, but we have to do it in blocks of time. So for 3-4 months we sit in the sun, reading, knitting, crocheting, visiting. And the remainder of the year is a bunch of crazy running and work.

Which life is better? I think they both have their place in our lives. By the time we leave for Arizona, we are ready for some down time. It's always a mental process to decompress and be ready to pursue some leisure time. Usually by the time we have covered the 1500 miles to Arizona, we have left the work and Nebraska commitments far behind and are ready to settle into our lawn chairs on our makeshift patio and relax.

After 3+ months of doing nothing we find ourselves anxious to get back to Nebraska and start on those projects we have planned during our times of sitting in the sun. We feel recharged and are looking forward to getting started. 

We think of ourselves as extremely blessed to have the opportunity to split our year between these two lifestyle extremes. For us, Arizona provides a chance to get out of the extreme winters Nebraska offers and gives us time to relax and reset ourselves. But we will never be able to completely leave Nebraska behind since we've lived our entire lives here as well as made most of our life's memories in Keya Paha County. It's where we were raised, where we raised our family, where our ancestors are buried. It's been "home" for so much of our life that we will never be able to consider any other place in the world home like Nebraska is. And, believe it or not, the weather in Arizona isn't always perfect. Summers are brutally hot and dirty, something we were just beginning to see before we left this year. Summers are much more pleasant in Nebraska.

People ask us what we do in Arizona. When I say very little, the reactions are mixed. Some people say, "Really?" as if that was a most unpleasant activity. And others look at us with envy thinking it sounds appealing. Arizona can be what you want it to be. I'm sure you could find some night life, if that's what you want. We don't take advantage of the night life anywhere, it's just not us. You could shop til you dropped in Arizona if that suited you. Our one busy time activity was to go Goodwill shopping, always on Tuesday because that was "senior discount" day where we got 25% off already cheap prices. Not for everyone either, but we enjoyed the challenge and the company of like-minded friends. There's always hiking, sight-seeing and exploring the desert southwest history.

So anyway, this has just been a rambling re-orientation of where we are now. I hope to be back to blogging more regularly now that life is hopefully settling into more of a routine. Hopefully we will meet here on a more regular basis.