The Weekly Slice

Notes from the Desert

The Weekly Slice 🍕

This week, we made it back out to our place on Terlingua Ranch, and every time we go, I’m reminded why we fell in love with this area in the first place. This was actually our first place here, before everything else, and it still holds something really special for us. There’s a quiet out there that’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. And the sunsets… truly some of the best you’ll ever see.

We do have it listed for sale, not because we don’t love it, but simply because we don’t get to spend enough time out there anymore. It deserves to be enjoyed fully, and right now, our days are pretty full in a different way.

But, back in town, it was a busy one across the board.

Real estate has been steady (in the best way), with a lot of upcoming meetings and conversations in motion. It’s one of those seasons where things are building behind the scenes, and I’m leaning into it.

Over at Long Draw, we were busier than we expected, which is always a good problem to have. Friday night was especially fun because we got to host a group from the Big Bend Conservancy. It’s always great seeing familiar faces and connecting with people who care so deeply about this place. Nights like that remind me how connected this little town really is.

On the personal side, I’ve officially entered full packing mode.

We’re getting ready for Spain, and I’ve been going back and forth on backpack choices more times than I’d like to admit. If you’ve ever tried to pack for multiple types of trips at once… you get it. I think we’ve landed on a solution, but I’m waiting on one more bag to come in before I fully commit. I’ll share what I end up going with, because I know I’m not the only one who overthinks this part.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we’re rolling straight from Europe into an Alaskan cruise in mid-July… which means the suitcase logistics are getting a little wild. We can’t bring everything, so it’s been a bit of a puzzle figuring out how to pack for completely different climates and experiences in one stretch.

But honestly, it’s a good kind of problem to have.

This week felt like a mix of slowing down and speeding up at the same time. Moments of quiet out on the ranch, balanced with full days of work, planning, and prepping for what’s ahead.

Grateful for all of it and I’ll be sharing more soon on what I’m packing, what I’m learning, and everything in between.

Oh, one last hooray…

I’M DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL THIS WEEK!

I will soon have a Master’s in Strategic Communication with an emphasis on social media.

WE DID IT!!

Love you all,

Mallory