Driving My Life Away

So we made it to CA!

(Helpful hint: Best rest areas between TN and CA: Amarillo-ish, TX and Sky City-ish, NM)

We left Monday morning around seven. I know, I KNOW!! I said we were leaving Friday. But then I decided to let Louise go to the Recon, so we couldn't leave until Saturday night, and then I decided that that was just plain crazy and we might as well go to church on Sunday and leave that afternoon. BUT I just couldn't get myself in gear. So we left Monday morning. And drove and drove and drove. Even though I do this trip roughly every two or three years, I forget how FAR it is. My goal was to make it to Albuquerque, but I only got as far as Santa Rosa (is that right? Santa Rosa? anyway some big town before Alb.) before I had to crash.

Reminder Note to Self: I AM ALLERGIC TO NEW MEXICO. I woke about two hours after settling down to sleep, with a frightful sneezing attack. (Dallas said I sounded like a typhoon, and Louise described it as a "sonic boom") I was absolutely miserable all day. We spent the next night in Holbrook, AZ, and I was much improved. Fine now that we are in CA.

We spent most of the day Tuesday just kinda hanging out, since I had rendezvous(es) with friends in the evening. We went up to Santa Fe, and I gave the kids a brief tour of Trauma Camp. (Louise and Dallas were so interested in where their mother had spent a month in "rehab" that they stayed in the car.) I only saw one staff member I knew, and she didn't remember me. All the good ones are gone. Ha.

I did get to visit with my therapist from Trauma Camp (who is in private practice now in Santa Fe.) It was great to catch up with her. She is way cool. Even Louise thought so (she deigned to go in to meet her, even though she had asked if she could just stay in the car). Then we went back down in to Alb. to see my bestest friend from treatment. We had dinner together and they were mopping the restaurant before we noticed it was time to go. LOL. Her husband kept the kids entertained with stories of his world travels, and with thoughtful questions about themselves, and with games of 20 Questions.... They all loved him. And the food was great. (Helpful Hint: Best New Mexican style mexican food: Padilla's. It's just off hiway 40, and worth the stop. Dallas asked if we could eat there on our way home!)

The rest of the trip is pretty much a blur of driving and driving and driving. Punctuated by Louise getting her first traffic violation citation. (84 in a 75, but he just gave her a warning). I had JUST told her to slow down as she was going NINETY. See, the thing is that we had to get new tires on the big van, and now it doesn't sound like it's about to fall apart when you hit seventy. It just keeps gliding along, faster and faster....

We got in at about ten last night, and the kids had to watch American Idol with their cousin Leah (Tivo) and we had to put everyone's height on the chart. It is official: Dallas is now taller than Leah. (She is still, and I believe ALWAYS will be, two weeks older.)

I start class on Sunday at the freaky new age school. Can't WAIT. There will be a "new moon celebration in the lower pool" while I am there. I'm eager to check out what that's about. (There will be a full moon celeb when I am there in late April, so that's way cool, too.) I'm sooo excited about exploring a totally foreign culture while I'm there. It's like I'm going to Japan or something!

Thanks again to all who helped me get here. I'll do my best to keep you blogged!