January started out very cold with temperatures in the sub zero of roughly -20s. Brian says most humans should never have to endure that type of cold, but we did!
February and March brought on a lot of painful back issues from the cold for me. Trips to the chiropractor and a MRI in Fargo the Dr concluded my back has a lot of arthritis in it. Neck to tail bone. Most centered in the upper shoulders area.
Our last real snow storm was in mid April. The weather started getting nice. Summer in Minnesota was humid. Most of the time the weather was really nice. We enjoyed sitting outside on the deck at a local brewery. Rivers and Rails. I highly recommend a Pickle Juice Blonde Ale. It might not sound great but on a hot day, it was perfect!
We worked a lot of 10 hour days through the summer. Brian worked 12 hour days December 2022-June 2023. He took 2 trips to Washington in June to tear down our tiny home at Lake Bronson. The lumber and trailer will be moved to our property in Arizona at a later date. We terminated our lease at the lake but are keeping our membership, as we look forward to spending some summer vacations there in retirement.
I flew to Las Vegas in July to spend a week with my friend Shannon and go check on our property. When I landed and got out of the airport the car registered 123 degrees!! We had the property surveyed in November 2022. Seeing where the survey markers were put it all in perspective! Excitement is building to get out there and work on our land!
July brought a new home into our life. We purchased a 2008 Keystone Cougar. We drove to Iowa to pick her up. Turns out my niece lived about 10 miles away. We drove over to see her as she was leaving for work. It was so nice meeting her.
In August Brian and I drove to Eagar, AZ to put some things in storage as our plans changed and we were looking towards leaving Digikey after the Beet Harvest was over. It was an interesting trip to say the least! 2am somewhere in Colorado my gps kept changing where we were going. I drifted off and woke suddenly when Brian hit the breaks. Several buck deer were standing on the white line. Each one had a minimum of 5 points per side. Big Mule Deer Bucks!
In September Brian left Minnesota to go work for a farmer near Calvlaier, ND who grew Potatoes and Beets. He had a great time driving truck! Two of his co-workers from Digikey also worked driving truck for the same farm. At the end of the season the farm took all of us to an amazing steak dinner the the Cavalier Country Club. The state park across the lake will be a great place to go camping between Pre piling of beets and the potato harvest in 2024.
At the end of beet harvest we packed up the cougar and other belongings from the apartment in Thief River Falls and headed to Kingman, Arizona. Brian built a shed on our friend Shannon’s property. We were able to move our things in storage out of Washington State. That took 2 trips. We were able to meet my little nephew Ethan. He had just turned a year old in September. We were able to visit with friends at Lake Bronson in Sultan, WA and Tri Cities, WA.
In December we accepted a job offer in Texas so off we drove 2 days from Kingman, AZ to Alice, TX. We will be doing gate guarding in Jim Wells County, TX.
So tonight is New Years Eve 2023! We are enjoying sitting outside in 60 degrees! Sipping on Margaritas and watching the neighborhood light off some beautiful fireworks!
Tomorrow we will go visit with our daughter in San Antonio, TX. Brian will do some work on her car and then go out to dinner.
We will do our orientation on January 3rd. We will find out our exact start date and what gate we will be stationed at.
It has been an interesting year to say the least, but a very exciting one! We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and the best of things to come in 2024!
See the photos below to see the 2023 journey.
.
Enjoy Positive Living 
Tell Us About Your Positive Living by Leaving A Comment Below