NEW MEXICO

Hello, and welcome back!

I promised you a "trip" to New Mexico......ah...New Mexico; my soul place.

It started in 1987 with a trip there to see my beloved friend Marcie (the one I mentioned in my first post in this series, with whom I've been friends since kindergarten). Her daughter was getting married and, since I had a video and photography business at that time, Marcie asked me if I'd like to come out to visit, and photograph the wedding. I didn't need much convincing.

Long story short: I absolutely fell in love with the place! I mean, I felt like I was home; like I'd connected with something deep in my soul. (I once had a psychic tell me that I'd been an Indian chief in a past life, so maybe that's why the connection. :)
They don't call it "The Land of Enchantment" for nothing.

Anyway, I came back, reluctantly, to my home in the Midwest, feeling as if were leaving part of me behind in NM. But, I was engaged to be married (again) and I knew I had to come back....not to mention that my kids were here, even though they were grown..(the youngest was 18)...and all on their own.
However, I knew that I'd go back to NM someday and I "put it out there", even though I was unaware at the time of how powerful that was, or even that I had consciously done that.

Two years went by; it was July of 1989, and my marriage was over. It was pretty much my fault; I just wasn't into it....and I think part of the reason was that I wanted to be elsewhere: NM. I hadn't been able to get it out of my mind or heart.

During this two year period, my oldest daughter and my little three year old grandson came back to live with me, and we decided that she and my grandson would move to NM with me....after all, why not?

As soon as I knew my marriage was done, my daughter and I began to plan. Again, we didn't have much money. We were both working, of course, but still didn't have much. What I DID have was a goal, determination and a house full of stuff....and I've never been attached to stuff, so selling everything was no problem for me. I'm definitely not a "material girl"! Stuff, to me, is just money in the bank...there to sell if need be.

The first thing I did (because I may be crazy, but I'm not insane) was to secure a place to live. I could take a leap of faith as far as us being able to get jobs right away, but you don't go across country with a three year old child and not have, at the very least, a home to go to. I had one person I knew there, and that was my lifelong friend Marcie. I called her and told her what I wanted to do. Now, here's where The Secret came into play: Marcie just happened to know a woman who had a place for rent exactly in my price range....right in Albuquerque where I wanted to live! Marcie went to look at the place, called me and told me it was perfect and gave me this woman's phone number. I called her right away and made arrangements to rent the place sight unseen...(but, remember, Marcie saw it, and I trusted her judgment.) The landlady required first, last and security deposit equal to a month's rent.....so we had to come up with $2,100.00 right off the bat.

I never doubted that we would, and that it would be just fine.....and it was! We had huge yard sales, saved all our money and had the rent and deposit before we knew it, plus enough to rent a small U-Haul trailer (to carry the things we had to have to start over) that my daughter would pull behind her 1979 Ford Econoline van. I would be driving my 1978 VW Rabbit....both of which had high mileage.....talk about a leap of faith! (by the way, she didn't have that van when we first hatched our plan...it just came to be when we needed it!...and at the price we could afford.) And, of course, we had a modest amount of money that we'd have to live on once we arrived.

All of this happened within a period of two months......and, on the morning of September 8, 1989, (my 46th birthday), we said good-bye to loved ones and friends and pulled out, ready and eager for our new lives, full of hope, enthusiasm, and confidence!

Once again, it's time to end here until next time. I hope you will continue to come back and share the adventures yet to come! It was an exciting time and changed our lives forever!

It is 9:25 pm on July 25, 2008.