Home...Oh, But it is GOOD to be Home, Again!

My own bed, my 'stuff' put away (not in a suitcase) and Internet access!
Just a few of the things I appreciate about being back home from my road trip with my sister!
Oh yeah, and it's been really good to see Randy...my awesome husband, and father of our children...and the kids...all of them, including grand kids! They are all so much fun! All talking at once, all telling me about their week 'at once'! Holly, Madison & Mallory were at church camp all week. Mallory had done a pretty good job at a softball game that she came over to play in because the team was going to be 'short' a member. And, a tree actually fell on a house in front of our hospital...and it looks to me like the house is a loss...but I'm not an adjuster. Will & Ally are getting their first puppy next month, and Will had gone to 'visit & name it' yesterday afternoon. These were BIG news items last night & today! It was fun to hear all their stories from the week!
But, I wanted to write about finishing up my trip:

• LaDonna & I had such a good time together! She's a great trip navigator & planner. She always has a plan, and she's easy going enough that if the 'plan' changes, she's OK with that, too! So, to say we had an 'easy trip' is a huge understatement! I drove most of the miles, but we spread it over all 9 days, so that was a good thing!
• We both really enjoyed Graceland, much to our surprise! Well done, and well thought out displays. I could go on and on, but as I said earlier, there are web-sites devoted to Elvis & Graceland!
• And, we, of course enjoyed our visit with family in Odessa. Grandma not only looked great, but she seems busy in her life, making friends, encouraging those around her and still laughing a lot! Our aunt & uncle were awesome hosts, making sure we were comfortable, feeding us, laughing with us, telling us great stories, and encouraging us on the next portion of our journey! I'll write more about that visit in another blog, as I'm still contemplating much of this journey in my brain!
• We both really enjoyed the drive between Odessa, TX & Sante Fe, NM. There was actually a stretch of road, (90 miles or so) that we only met 10-12 cars. nothing else was around. I mean nothing. just land, and in the distance striated hills that turned quickly in to mountains! Speed limit through much of that portion of the journey was 75-80mph. I love driving my car...and I love driving it fast...so this was a perfect day for me! During this portion of the trip, we stopped in Roswell, NM, just for fun! Remember? The claim to fame for this town is that a UFO landed there in 1947. The girl at the gift store told us that a person 'through' there recently, told her that he was one of the ones the space ship left. She congratulated him, and went on...she shared with us that 'she meets all kinds of people' in her job...let me just say this: I'll bet she does!
• Sante Fe was everything we'd hoped for--and more! The people were so friendly, and helpful. We kept our visit, because it was 'short', to the historical/downtown attractions. We stayed in the 'Pueblo Bonito Bed & Breakfast', down town: highly recommended! The inn keepers were there to make sure our questions were answered, that our room was satisfactory and that our visit was great!
• Among the attractions we enjoyed the most were the Loretto Chapel, and the Bell Tower at the LaFonda Hotel.
• The chapel, was breath taking. This chapel is famous because of the story of it's winding staircase. Two complete 360 degree turns in it, and it was built only using the wood, a little water for the curves, and three tools...almost 400 years ago! This was a school for women, so a staircase was necessary for them to have access to the choir loft. It was only accessible by ladder before, and women didn't climb ladders back then, apparently.
• The tower,because of the view! They don't even open til late afternoon, and it's a fabulous place to watch the sunset. LaDonna loves to take pictures...lots of pictures...and so this was a fabulous opportunity for that!

Today, fittingly, is Father's Day. God blessed my children with the most amazing 'daddy'...now known as 'dad'...but he's so good to all of us...If he weren't, I would not have been able to share the above story. He cherishes each of us, and we feel loved by him...so thankful that God blessed me with him as my husband!

Reminds me of that song, you know the one: "Oh God, You've been SO good to me!"