Anyone else have a favorite donut place? As a former non donut lover, someone in the office where I worked introduced me to Rebel Donuts—Albuquerque’s finest. That’s all it took for me to be hooked. They’re not only tasty, but they’re also a work of art—so pretty I took pictures of my last three (from three separate visits). But it’s time to move home and find a new donut place.
With the waiting almost over, our pending move to Tennessee brings mixed feelings of joy and sadness. After twelve years of living in New Mexico, I’ll miss several people, places, and things including Rebel Donuts.
Friends, former coworkers, people I’ve served with at church, my fellow Bible study gals, and a young woman with whom I share a special bond are hard to leave.
One of my friends became a mentor and encourager for my writing. She asked me several years ago to write blog posts for our church, which led me to attend my first writer’s conference and write my first Christian romance series.
Besides people, I’ll miss Dion’s, Jimmy’s Café, and Monroe’s—my preferred places for pizza, fajita chicken sandwiches, and stuffed sopapillas topped with green chili. And my favorite places to visit in New Mexico—hiking the bosque along the Rio Grande, Tent Rocks, and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
A major thing I’ll miss is the sunshine—on average it brightens the sky 280 days a year. Another weather-related blessing in New Mexico is the low humidity. Makes the hot summers more bearable to endure. I hope to never forget the Sandia Mountains, colorful sunrises and sunsets, my view of the city lights from my home at night, and the star-studded sky.
Although my husband and I will gain rainy days, cloudy skies, and lots of humidity, sunshine will come as an abundance of hugs and love from our children and grandchildren. We also hope to rekindle friendships with those we said goodbye to when we moved away several years ago. We’ll replace the hikes along the Rio Grande with several state and local parks in Middle Tennessee and find pizza galore. I’ve already found a restaurant there where I can order sopapillas and green chili—a staple here in New Mexico. And on two of our visits back home, our son took us to a fancy donut shop nearby, and I’m sure we’ll make it there again.
There are people, places, and things to say goodbye to in New Mexico, but dear ones as well to say hello to in Tennessee. I’m praising God that we’re moving home.