Quick Trip

We found out, last week, that we needed to jump in with both feet and purchase a home from our preferred builder, in Temple, or miss out on the opportunity to get one of his homes. We hadn't planned to buy this early, but upon hearing this news we dropped everything and dashed down there, leaving early Saturday morning.

On Monday we took care of business. We managed to sign a contract on a home we liked, and get all of the supporting paperwork submitted. We are supposed to close on the house on September 30. We will be able to do that from Albuquerque, so it won't require another trip down to Texas right away.

Here is a picture of the front of the house. I've always wished for a brick home, and soon I'll be living in one!


My favorite part of the house is the kitchen. As you can see, a refrigerator does not come with the house. I can just imagine doing my first Daring Bakers project there. (By the way, for those who've been wondering, I'm on "sabbatical" from Daring Bakers until we get moved and settled.)



Another feature we're happy with is the back patio. It's all covered and is large enough to enjoy both, cooking and eating, outside.


The house has four bedrooms, one of which will be our office space. We'll have a jetted garden tub :-), and his-and-hers walk-in closets. Here's the corner fireplace, in the living room. Can't you picture our grandkids waking up, on Christmas morning, and seeing stockings full of trinkets hanging there?


Since we accomplished everything on Monday, we decided to drive home on Tuesday (yesterday). We usually take two days to make this trip, but wanted to get home, so decided to try it in a single day. It is, typically, a 12 to 13 hour trip. Dan and I shared the driving, and things were going pretty smoothly until we were 90 minutes from home. All of a sudden, traffic came to a halt on I-40. We sat with our engine and air conditioning running for about five minutes, until it became clear that we were not going to be moving anytime soon. We turned off the engine, covered the front windshield (facing west) with a sun shade and opened windows to allow a little breeze - though it was a hot breeze - to move the air.

After awhile, we got out of the car and started visiting with our "neighbors" in the next lane. We even found a spot, in the shade of a semi, that was a little cooler. We waited two hours before the road was reopened. When we finally drove by the scene of the accident, it was a semi-truck, overturned and burned down to its black, charred skeleton! Although our trip was extended another two hours because of this closure, and although we were totally spent by the time we got home, our day was definitely not as bad as that truck driver's!

Looking forward:

Looking back:

Now it's back to work and back to apartment living, here in Albuquerque.

First Day of School

Wasn’t it just a few months ago that Chris and Kelsey gave me a gift – a Boyd's Bear figurine that reads “When a child is born, so is a Grandma”? That was the way they announced, to us, that our first grandchild was in the oven. Shortly thereafter little Miss Clara arrived, and we couldn’t wait to get down to Texas for our first visit.

No. It wasn’t just a few months ago. It was six years ago when we learned that astoundingly wonderful piece of news, and Clara is now five-and-a-half years old. The school bells are ringing in Spring, Texas, and Clara starts kindergarten today. (Photo swiped from Kelsey's blog.)


I know it’s been a long time ago, but I remember as clearly as if it were yesterday how I felt when my own babies headed off to school for the first time. My emotions were all tangled up – excitement, fear, hope, worry, sadness, happiness, curiosity and pride were all knotted up in my stomach. In some ways it’s easier, as a grandma – in some ways it’s harder – having a child go off to school for the first time.

The world has done a lot of changing since my boys were five years old. There are more scary things out there. There are new ways of teaching and learning. Children have less freedom. Teachers have higher expectations about some things; and lower expectations about others. The next time I get to visit with Clara, I’m sure she’ll be teaching me all sorts of things.

One thing, though, hasn’t changed. We, as parents or grandparents, still have to put our children in God’s hands and trust in his loving care for them. I’m so grateful that Clara and Robert are growing up with two parents who know and believe Him. As Clara steps out into this new adventure, she’ll be wrapped in a blanket of prayers and love and protected by the Good Shepherd.

Clara, I wish I were there to hear your after-school chatter today. I know you'll have lots of stories to share. I know you'll always do your best and make us all proud. I love you!

Seeing Albuquerque in One Day, with Takashi and Yoko

First, here's a picture of one of the gifts Takashi and Yoko brought us. It was a box of absolutely decadent chocolates, from Boston, where they visited Takashi's cousin before coming to see us. Kind of hidden among the other chocolates in the box I discovered this little fellow. Isn't he cute? Too cute to eat!

This morning, as planned, we took our guests to Krispy Kreme. It was a "sweet" way to start the day.


Then we drove to Old Town. Dan and I relaxed in the plaza while Takashi and Yoko strolled and shopped for souvenirs to take home to family.

By the time we were done with Old Town, it was almost lunch time, so we headed to the Sandia Peak Tram, and rode to the top, where we had lunch at the restaurant there, called "High Finance."




We decided to take a siesta break during the heat of the afternoon, and then, around 5:00, I picked T & Y up at their hotel and deposited them at the Cottonwood Mall. They wanted to take a look around there before dinner. Dan, Tim and I met up with them later for pizza dinner at Dion's.


We ended the evening at our apartment, remembering old times and sharing stories of more recent happenings.

Tomorrow morning I'll be picking them up at the hotel and taking them to the airport. It's been such a short visit, but we made the most of it. We're already talking about "next time."

Look Who's Here!

Takashi and Yoko arrived right on time yesterday afternoon. After taking them to their hotel room, to unload their luggage, we met up with Tim for dinner - Mexican food at Garduño's.


Yoko, we learned, is an elementary school teacher. She is sweet as can be, and seems to be a perfect complement to Takashi's personality.

We ended the evening at our apartment, where we opened gifts (Japanese visitors ALWAYS come bearing gifts!) and caught up on the past few years. The last time we saw Takashi was about ten years ago, when he came to see us in Juneau. Sadly, Chris wasn't able to join us for this reunion, but we placed a call, and the two of them had a nice, lengthy phone conversation.

Today, being their only full day here, we plan to see a few of Albuquerque's sights. We'll be picking them up, at 8:00 a.m., at the hotel. To Dan's delight, Yoko LOVES Krispy Kreme donuts, so we'll be going there to start the day. Old Town is next on the agenda, with a trip up the tram, to the top of Sandia, as a possible afternoon activity.