Day 12: Amarillo to Austin -We Made It!

In Amarillo we ate breakfast at a deluxe truck stop featuring a slew of restaurants, deciding on Buck Horn with it's grandiose buffet. The number of ball caps and pot bellies was astounding -as was the herd of semis parked outside.
Heading Southeast we passed -you guessed it!- more fields...
...and more po-dunk towns, though their dilapidated state was rather charming in a sad sort of way.
We secured a wonderful, albeit short, visit with Brian's brother Barry and his lovely girlfriend Christine. They were in between a wedding and it's reception nearby and the timing worked out perfectly.
Pulling off the I-35 and into a Starbucks on the corner we drove up as they were walking in. A huge, frozen mocha latte later we left them to their joyous festivities and we headed for...
Cracker Barrel!! It's my Disneyland away from Disneyland. We ate lunch then wandered around the country store, tempted to buy tons of things we didn't need. Brian almost broke his rule of buying things for Wilder before he is born to get a complete cowboy outfit and a Longhorn's jersey, but he used his self control. I am amazed I didn't walk out with a bag full of goodies. I'm doing good!
Here's Fort Worth! This is about when all the trees started reappearing -a wonderful scenic transition.
Yeah, it's a crappy picture, but it's a "sign" -get it! I have my own town named after me! I was meant to live in central Texas. (Note: I'm being facetious.)
Betty knew we were coming and she baked a cake! A TEXAS shaped cake at that, celebrating our big move, end of the journey and arrival home. Let me tell you, Texas is delicious -especially covered in chocolate.

The family: Brian, Barry, Betty and Brooke.

We are SO glad to be done driving and finally here. I have to say today's journey came with a flood of mixed emotions. I have been trying to leave Alaska for the past five years and today I finally have. I know our journey began 12 days ago but as we drove the area that I will soon become intimately connected with as we settle and begin a family, a mix of sadness and excitement, with a touch of apprehension swirled within. Texas isn't completely foreign to me; I've visited Austin with Brian twice before and simply adored it. I imagine it is a similar feeling a child has when transferring schools in the middle of the year. Will I make new friends, will I like this area, will I do well in establishing myself here and finding my niche? There are so many thrilling and frightening things in beginning life in a new area. Thankfully the "thrilling" feelings outweigh the "frightening" and I am tickled pink to be here with Brian's fabulous family!

Tomorrow is a designated "Pool Day" -we're wearing our swimsuits from sun up to sun down, looking at houses online, spending time with family, and enjoying not being in a car. The end of the journey doesn't mean the end of the blog posts, so stay tuned! I can't wait to share our house hunting experiences with you -there are more corny stories and photos to come! Thanks for coming along for the ride.