We were supposed to meet with Darla the next morning for breakfast, but because I was feeling sick I didn't want to expose her to that. She is five months pregnant and I would feel horrible if she got sick because of me. We did drive by her home and she came outside to say goodbye. Even though it isn't what we planned, it still was nice to see her one last time before heading out to El Paso to visit with my family. We were going to drive halfway and stay in a hotel that night, but Zach decided to drive on through. I was so sick, and so medicated that I just went with it. We finally arrived late that night and Marlee was soooo ready to be out of the car. She pulls on her seat belt and says "stuck" because she wants out of her seat. I felt so bad, but she was so excited once we arrived. We decided to surprise my family with out early arrival and it worked! They were so surprised. My dad was especially surprised and so excited! It made my sick, snotty face smile. My sister and her boyfriend were coming the next day AND my brother and his kids were there too! They are staying in El Paso these days, so it was super to have them around. I hadn't seen my niece Bailey in so long, and only met my nephew Tytus briefly once before. My little brother isn't so little anymore. He towers over me (has for some time)and is now 23 years old. It is hard to realize they are grown up at first. I still nag him like he is a kid...probably should stop doing that, ha! ....sorry Calvin! The whole point of our family gathering was to spend Thanksgiving together and go to Ruidoso, NM to stay in a cabin and ski. It wasn't quite snowy enough to really snowboard and ski, plus I was still sick and had little energy. We stayed in a really cool house. It was huge! There was plenty of space for the 10 of us. We missed having Calvin's girlfriend Alexis, but maybe next time. My parents watched the kids one of the days and we all went out shopping and out to eat downtown. The boys didn't really care so much about the shopping, but I am glad they were there anyway.
This is all of us in Ruisdoso.
This is Bailey and Marlee relaxing and watching some TV.
This is Aunt TT with Bailey and Marlee...checking out the forest and the deer.
Bailey was so sweet to Marlee too! They played so well. Since we have left we will be in the car and she asks for "Baywee". It is so sweet, but sad too because we won't see them for a while. Marlee also enjoyed feeding Tytus. She is very interested in babies these days. She would make and excellent sister one day.
We went our separate ways in New Mexico and started heading towards California. We had a quick stop in Tucson...LOVED IT! I loved the area, the base, the weather. It was so beautiful there. We then headed to El Centro, California where Zach's brother Jeremy lives and works as a Border Patrol Agent. I would love to ride along with them and see what they do on a daily basis. It sounds really interesting. The area is rough and to imagine people from Mexico navigating that terrain just to get across the border only to be sent back...most of the time, is truly a feat. Jeremy took us sailing in San Diego. That was really cool. I had done that many years before and loved it. To say Marlee loved it, I feel, would be an understatement. As soon as she saw the "waher" she was elated! We had to sign in before getting the boat, and it took us away from the harbor a bit and she freaked! She started crying and saying "waher...waher"... She put on her life jacket and practically jumped onto the boat. It was a little chilly, but mostly calm waters, and gorgeous scenery. It was a nice relaxing couple of hours.
It was so strange being in California at that time. It still feels surreal sometimes. I was seeing all these palm trees, and homes in the hillside. It looked as though some people actually blew out side of the mountain just to put their home on it. In the middle of nowhere, with nothing in site there would be a home in the mountain. What do they do for a living? Why did they choose that specific place? All these questions were presented and I was so curious. There were stretches of road that didn't have a gas station for over 30 miles at a time. Even then, the places were bare and kind of creepy. I have never seen anything like that. It reminds me of those creepy hitcher type movies in the middle of nowhere. We did a lot of driving...then, more driving...and more.
Just some of the scenery along the way.
...and more
We also ran into quite a bit of traffic. It wasn't too bad in most places, but once we got with a couple of hours of LA, you could really tell the pace picked up a bit. There was a bad accident about 90 miles from LA where a semi had jack-knifed. It was really bad, but I didn't realize how bad until we actually passed the wreckage. We waited in completely stopped traffic for over four hours. It wasn't fun at all, but to think of why makes it not so bad. At least we were alive and well. I pray for those involved in that fatal accident.
Marlee had rough go of it during that day. She hates car rides...poor girl. Well, we stayed a night in Bakersfield, ate at an IN and OUT BURGER (supposed to be the best burgers ever), but they weren't all that fantastic. They were good, but actually really salty and greasy. I have had my fill for a while. Californians swear by them.
I also had no idea California was such a farming state. From the north to south, I saw loads of farms with livestock, produce, you name it. I also had no idea Beale AFB was as remote as it is. It is like small town, farm country up here. The base itself is like living on a big farm. There are cows in the pastures and you can hunt on base in certain areas. It is huge! Once you go through the front gate, it is 4.5 miles until you reach the BX/Commissary, etc... and another 2.5 miles until you reach housing. It takes 30 minutes just to get off base! Crazy! I haven't taken any pictures of it yet, but am including a few of our TLF unit. It is old base housing, but nice because it is like staying in a fully furnished house, with maid service. Here are just a few pictures of it. I will try to add more later.
I have more news to post soon. Hopefully good news! So, check back soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment