Peakah's Provocations...

Figure I'll get back in the swing a little bit while I'm in the mood.

Life sure is different here in the laid back rural life of the White Mountains as compared to the hustle of Sin City.

While the wife and I may be missing our date nights out on the town, including stops at some of the best restaurants on the planet, and experiences at some awesome concerts; gone are the police sirens throughout the night, the constant buzz of airplanes, and the annoying letters from the home owner association.

All we hear at night now is the occasional furry four-legger checking out what's in the garbage can outside and the occasional breeze rocking the ponderosa pines closely guarding our new home. Oh, and that guy who rides his ATV everywhere.

Date nights now consist of visiting the same restaurant that thankfully makes an incredible prime rib.

My kids no longer have to learn Spanish in order to communicate with half of their class. The public school out here is teaching the Weasel in Kindergarten things that his older brothers weren't learning until they were deep into first grade in the city school.

The kids didn't have to hide from the stifiling summer heat but rather spend their day getting as dirty as possible and collecting tarantulas.

The Strip Lights no longer wash out the stars in the night sky. Now the stars which seemed to have multiplied a thousand fold are sprinkled along the tops of pine tree shaped silhouettes.

I will have to soon trade a winter golf outing in 75 degree weather in December for sledding sessions in the back yard and impromptu snowball fights. (Why did I teach Tyler to throw so well???)

Vegas had an astoundingly diverse population as well- while many of the people here that I have met have yet to wander out of the nest. However now there is no more anonymity in large numbers... I now no longer go shopping without someone who has recently met me asking how things are going.

The White Mountains is also the home of the Apache Indian Tribe. Considering my business, they are a large part of my clientele. They are a unique brand of Native-American with quite the storied history.

There is no doubt that this move was the best thing for our family. Although we have put a several hour drive between us and our beloved family that still resides in Vegas, this environment is an excellent place for our kids to grow and learn more about the outdoors. Oh, and work is going very well to boot. I've managed to turn around one of the largest stores in the region and make it very successful... which was why I was brought out here to begin with.

...so, so far so good...