1 Cat, 2 Days, 1200 Miles
My last day in El Paso on Monday was one filled with getting ready to leave, in all its various forms.
AM: Packing! It started off pretty organized, but then became a case of squeezing everything wherever it would fit! I didn't have to leave anything important behind except for my hangers, which I figured were easy and cheap enough to replace. When I was finished, there wasn't room for much more than Freddy's carrier and Dad's backpack!
I didn't have any plans for all afternoon, but that didn't last long. Chris took me out to lunch, then we swung by Lowe's to say bye to all my friends there. I think that really says something about my life in El Paso! When we got back, I ran into Susannah Barbian and wound up spending a lovely hour or so at a little cafe talking to her and her husband Frank, drinking tea, and eating sopapillas. That night, Bob and Kathy Zeeck (one of YLM's "Snowbird" couples who had arrived in their RV that day) took me out for my "Last Supper!" We went to a Mexican place that I had actually never been to with the BEST flan ever. Then I hung out with Chris and Jeff until I was falling asleep on the couch!
Tuesday morning I put the finishing touches on my packing, cleaned the apartment a little, and then picked up Dad from the airport at 10:20. When we got back, my car had been condemned by the DEA (aka Chris and Stephen):
AM: Packing! It started off pretty organized, but then became a case of squeezing everything wherever it would fit! I didn't have to leave anything important behind except for my hangers, which I figured were easy and cheap enough to replace. When I was finished, there wasn't room for much more than Freddy's carrier and Dad's backpack!
I didn't have any plans for all afternoon, but that didn't last long. Chris took me out to lunch, then we swung by Lowe's to say bye to all my friends there. I think that really says something about my life in El Paso! When we got back, I ran into Susannah Barbian and wound up spending a lovely hour or so at a little cafe talking to her and her husband Frank, drinking tea, and eating sopapillas. That night, Bob and Kathy Zeeck (one of YLM's "Snowbird" couples who had arrived in their RV that day) took me out for my "Last Supper!" We went to a Mexican place that I had actually never been to with the BEST flan ever. Then I hung out with Chris and Jeff until I was falling asleep on the couch!
Tuesday morning I put the finishing touches on my packing, cleaned the apartment a little, and then picked up Dad from the airport at 10:20. When we got back, my car had been condemned by the DEA (aka Chris and Stephen):
Then Victor (one of the YLM maintenance guys) tried another tactic to keep me around by parking the pick-up in front of the car, but to no avail After more good-byes to everyone in the office, we left at about 11:45, slightly delayed because trying to get Freddy into the carrier was a bit of a battle. He was the angriest that I have ever seen him, and he bit me really hard on my left wrist. Its much better now, but was pretty red and swollen for awhile.
We made it to Abilene, TX, by 7ish on Tuesday night--about 440 miles. Freddy turned out to be a little angel the entire drive, after the earlier incident. The hotel we stopped at had TX shaped waffles as a part of the continental breakfast!
We left Abilene about 6:30 am on Wednesday morning. Here is my last TX sunrise somewhere along US 277:
And we arrived back in St. Louis around 8 pm on Wednesday night with 1 cat, 2 days of traveling, and 1260 or so total miles logged under our belts. Praise God that the trip was completely uneventful. No car trouble or weather issues, and only 2 wrong turns of about 1 1/2 miles each. It only got a little tedious after stopping to see a friend of mine in Springfield, MO, about 3 hours from home.
I am completely unpacked by now, and running lots of errands. Yesterday I bought necessities like hangers and cat litter and went to the eye Dr. (new glasses should be ready in a few days), and today I am getting my car inspected. Maybe I'll go shopping for business casual clothes with Christmas and birthday $ sometime too. I start my new job on Monday, and I am so excited! Freddy is adjusting fine--he hid under my bed most of yesterday but is getting braver and more adventurous in his new space by the minute!
Until next time, blessings!
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