Westward Ho - Again....

Tomorrow we head even farther west - to the Oregon coast. I'm anxious to see it - and my son. I am getting a wee bit tired of people telling me how impressed I'm going to be with the Oregon coast compared to my beautiful Gulf Coast, because (as we all know), Oregon has a real ocean. I have no doubt it's awe inspiring and I'm ready to be impressed. Bet the beach walkin' won't be as easy in Oregon as in Bama - I'm just sayin'....

House hunting is not going anywhere. Wait. I lie. I found the perfect place - only $3400 per month. For some reason, J doesn't think it's that perfect. :) I took a risk and got my hair cut and colored today. The color's fine, but oy vey! she cut most of my hair off! My head's going to freeze. It's a good thing they wear hats around this place - and that hair grows. So goes my life - in Oregon.

Merry Christmas to all and prayers for a peace filled New Year!

Hello from Oregon!

Drizzly, damp, chilly Oregon. We're here. It's been a bit of a whirwind, but it's fine - so far. After settling in (somewhat), I spent a frantic couple of days searching Amazon for some gifts to send the kids in NC - because....as we all know, the real Christmas gifts are sitting in our house in BR. I hope they're not too lonely. At least the kids will have some small gifts to open as we Skype Christmas morning. One good bit of news, we're spending Christmas weekend at the Oregon coast with son #1, who we haven't seen in a few years. If nothing else comes of this trip, that in itself will make it worthwhile.

We're staying in a neat little place nestled in an old train station. It's within walking distance to the downtown area, and they have Starbucks and The Beanery! Hoo ray! I'm frantically searching for us a place to stay in long term - a furnished place. It's proving to be difficult, but if all else fails, I have a place to fly back to and J can just stay his butt here. ....He hates it when I say that. Tomorrow morning I go with a property manager to look at yet another furnished house. $$$ Wish me luck!

West Ho - Day 3, aka The Day My Hair Died

I guess it's the cold temps, or maybe the lack of humidity, or maybe just a combination of the two - whatever the reason, my hair gave up the ghost today, right smack dab in the middle of Tucumcari, NM. After showering and dressing, I started brushing my hair as usual. Oy vey! It stuck straight up in the air - as if each individual strand was raising its arms and surrendering. WTH? After patting and pressing, I decided I had to be brave, go about my day, and ingore the stares directed my way. What I can't understand (besides why my stupid hair is acting this way) is why everyone else's hair looks fine.

Besides the hair crisis, we drove through the entire state of NM and most of AZ - ogling impressive scenery along the way, until it got too dark to see. Yet, we continued on in the dark - over really high mountains to get to our destination. We were both exhausted after that drive. We also crossed the Continental Divide, ate some unusual food, drank some unusual coffee from various truck stops, and saw one of hubby's must-sees - Meteorite Crater. The night ends in Kingman, AZ. On to Sacramento, CA tomorrow.

Westward Ho - Day 2 aka: Oh, yeah! I remember Texas!

I'd forgotten how big TX is - but an entire day spent on TX roads reminded me. I'd forgotten how long TX roads are, with miles and miles of nutin' - but almost running out of gas on one of those roads that go on forever yet seem to lead to nowhere, reminded me. I'd forgotten how windy TX can be - but driving through Ft. Worth reminded me. I'd forgotten how much meat can be found in TX - but eating BBQs piled a mile high with meat reminded me. I'd forgotten how hubby argues with the GPS - but hearing them bicker all day on those long roads, with the wind blowing the Rogue around and all that damn meat rumbling around in my stomach, reminded me.

That, my friends, was how my day went. We finally made it through TX and into New Mexico. Tonight we sleep in Tucumcari, NM.

Westward Ho!

And, we're off. Headed to Oregon. There seems to be no feasible way to get to Oregon from Louisiana without going through/over mountains, so we decided on the southermost way - don't snicker, we're not afraid of mountains, it's just that..it's December..we're from the swamps..we're not prepared to navigate snowy roads (especially steeep snowy roads). So, Albuquerque, Flagstaff - here we come. We actually decided to get a head start this afternoon. ....Nothing like your hubby coming home around 11 am and telling you he wants to leave as soon as you can - when you thought you were leaving the next moring! That's been my day. Not the calmest day I've lived through.

We stopped in Shreveport, LA for the night - mainly because we were both exhausted. If we hadn't stopped at Prejeans' for some delish Cajun food and fun music, we mighth ave made Dallas. Shreve is a bustlin' little place. I guess the casinos have been good to them. I wish we could just turn back around when the sun rises tomorrow and head home. Instead, we head to Albuquerque. Pray we don't run into any snow - or high mountains.

Wanna hear something funny?

My husband expects me to just pack up and head to Oregon - this weekend! Yep. Forget Christmas. Forget kids coming home. Just - pack up and head north. I'm laughing to keep from crying....

Thanksgiving's Over, Now We Face Down Christmas....

Hope everyone had a Thanksgiving that included at least one good memory. Jim and I met our NC kiddos at one of our favorite places - Gulf Shores, AL. A healing place for me. We didn't make it down there all last summer - not because of the oil, but because of personal finances (Jim was laid off). Things are all better now - both on the job front and on the lovely beaches. Gazing at nature's beauty made us realize how ugly the effects of greed and stupid decision making can be. The only reminder of last summer - the summer of oil - was the occasional sign instructing how to remove oil, and the closed businesses. People and businesses on the coast are working so very hard to stay afloat and maintain the unique lifestyle. Like New Orleans, ain't much gonna hold that beautiful Gulf Coast down - too many people love it so much!

Thanksgiving's behind us and Christmas looms - I wish I could look forward to it instead of counting the days until it's over. Maybe one day. Again I face the problems of getting everyone together (and figuring out who's bringing who - and how many), what everyone's into now so I'll know what to give them, and where we'll be for the big day. It's been many years since I waited this long to shop. Just a couple of hours ago, son #3 emailed me his list - he is in school so I must be somewhat patient. Right? Thank the good Lord it was a simple list, and one that could be handled entirely online. He's a good kid (and knows how his mom shops).

The big problem so far this year started last week - the day before we were leaving for the beach. Jim accepted a new job - in Oregon. I refused to think about it until yesterday when he told me he has to be up there in a week and a half! Yep. Talk about a fly in the ointment. Can I just think about all this crap tomorrow?