Day 3: Part 1

After spending a pleasant evening with friends in El Paso, TX and a delicious breakfast at IHOP, we headed to up to Alamogordo, NM. Mom lived on the Air Force Base there but we were unable to get on it due to security.

We then headed over to White Sands.




It had rained the night before so the sand was slightly damp.


My self portrait. :-)


I thought this looked like a frozen lake & ice fishing huts -- what can I say I have lived in the upper Midwest my entire life! BTW - that is our car at the bottom of the sand dune.



Mom at the top of the sand dune.

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Day 2: Cloudcroft, NM

One of the purposes of this road trip out west was to visit some of the homes that mom lived in when she was a child. Grampy was in the Air Force so my mom's family moved around a lot.

When they first moved to New Mexico they lived in a cottage at Cloudcroft, NM. As the name implies, Cloudcroft is up in the mountains and as we drove up the mountains it started pouring. It poured so hard I had to pull over because I couldn't see far enough ahead of the car to drive safely.

This is the the view while we waited for the rain to abate.



The tunnel we drove through to get up to Cloudcroft.



The view on the way back down.



Posing in the rain . . .

There was so much water these waterfalls formed along the roadside.

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I'm home!

We actually arrived home last night. I spent the day doing laundry, making lists, and pulling my mind away from its vacation mindset.

My plan for the next couple days is to recount our vacation. So here goes . . . Day 1.

Honestly, Day 1 was mostly driving. We did stop just outside of Oklahoma City (on Route 66) at Pops.

Pops is a gas station, gift shop, diner and ultimate "soda ranch." They have delicious chili burgers.


And over 500 soda flavors . . . I had a Nehi Peach. It was YUMMY!


We picked up a six pack of a variety of flavors to bring home with us.

After supper, we traveled on to Canute, Oklahoma (just outside of Elk City) and camped at a KOA.

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Just a taste

I'm on vacation . . . but here's a taste . . .

The countdown begins

I mentioned yesterday that I needed to make some lists. Well I did. And guess what? It worked. I completed everything I needed to get done for my list today.

Well, everything I can remember (and I think I remember all of it!) -- I sort of . . . kind of . . . forgot my list at work today. BUT, I'm pretty sure I did everything I needed to today.

Pretty sure.

. . .

Yeah, we'll go with pretty sure.

Some random thoughts

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog lately.

My life has been busy and when I come home play around too much (Facebook is an addiction).

I haven't been keeping up on my lists -- I need to get back into the habit of doing that. Without them I don't seem to get anything done.

I have been making lists this week because I am trying to do two weeks worth of work in one so I can go on vacation on Thursday.

(Mom and I are going on a road trip. She was an Air Force brat and we are going to visit some of the places she lived when she was in Elementary and Junior High. The ultimate destination is the San Diego/LA area but there will be a few other stops along the way.)

I have plans to do some major work on my blog next month. Big plans. And these plans will be added to a list--so they will get done!

Simple study

Awana started last night. I'm excited for this new year to begin.

The kids each have a book they work through with verses to memorized every week. I had planned on working through a book just like them. I found out there is a leader book that parallels the kids book and is a Bible study as well.

I started it on Tuesday and it's great! It will not only be a guide in my spiritual life but will also be a tool to help the clubbers to not only memorize but understand the verses they will be studying.

So I will be memorizing verses and doing a Bible study -- I love things that make my life simpler!

In the midst of a million things

I have a lot of things to get done within the next week. I have absolutely no idea how I will manage them all.

BUT, tonight was a blessing. It was great to see the kids smiling faces (some familiar, some not so familiar) as they played games, laughed with friends, and ate ice cream.

It made the aching feet and weariness all worth while.

One day to go

Until the first night of Awana.

I'm excited.

We are having a carnival. I am running the plinko booth.

There will be popcorn!

And probably kool-aid . . .

Mini vacation

I have no plans really for this weekend . . . just a little vacation time.

Lost and gained

Lately, I haven't been keeping track of my days very well. For example, this past Sunday, I thought it was the Sunday previous. I didn't miss anything terribly important. But I was a little disappointed anyway--it felt like I missed a whole week!

Anyway, yesterday the roommate reminded me next Monday was Labor Day.

Labor Day happens to be a holiday that the library observes. So I get the day off! Yea! I am so excited. I actually am only working three hours on Saturday. And then I'm off until Tuesday!

So I lost a week (somewhere in the depths of my mind) and I gained a vacation day. I'll take it!

Can I have an extra hour (or two)?

I'm reading a book right now about a group that was born in the minutes surrounding midnight who are the only ones in the world awake during the thirteenth hour--an hour condensed into a moment a midnight.

Although it is fantasy, sometimes I wish I had that extra hour.

Or maybe a couple hours.

I have some canning to do. And some cleaning to get done before winter.

I have been a little lax in my to do lists lately. I need to get back into the habit of planning my weeks a little better so I can get some things done.

Busy little bee

This week has been busy again. And stressful. And wearying. (Is that a word? I'm not sure but is is going to be one tonight. I'm too tired to think of another one.)

I got up early this morning for a class. I will be getting up early tomorrow morning to take my car in for a minor repair job.

I am looking forward to tomorrow evening--I have nothing to do! Yea!

The roommate reminded me that this coming Monday is Labor Day--I think I get that day off too! Yea again!