On Oct. 2, 2013, my husband and I set out on a hike in Texas’ vast Chihuahuan Desert. Five days later, I was within a few hours of death when search-and-rescue teams found me. That experience proved transformative. I left my 21-year career as a newspaper journalist to become the spokesman and legislative liaison for the Arkansas Department of Correction. A year later, my husband and I decided to quit our jobs (he still worked as a newspaper photographer) to move back to our home state of Texas. He’s 60. I’m 46. We’re starting over. On our terms. Life is for living — not just surviving. We were granted at least a few extra years on this earth. We are NOT going to waste them. This blog is an invitation to join us on our journey. (To read about our what happened to us in the desert, go here.)