Mexico

I can't believe I forgot to post on my trip to Mexico. Early in December I went to Mexico to help pass out some Christmas baskets. There is a local woman who grew up in this area of Juarez and a local church does this every year. Above are the bags put together for the families. We hauled the trailer over the border with some stuff prepacked, then went to the grocery store and filled up the rest there with things like vegetables, rice, and sugar.
Me being cheesy for the camera.
Mark passing out the bags to families.
I helped pass out goody bags and stuffed animals to the kids.
This is a view in Texas. I believe the peak above the stop sign on the left is Guadalupe peak and is the tallest peak in Texas. The terrain here can be very flat (100 mile view on clear days) or very mountainous.

After passing out the food we went to the market in Juarez. I got to use my Spanish talking to a few of the vendors. Most of them could speak English (so much easier to sweet talk you into buying stuff), but enjoyed speaking to me in Spanish. One even said I had a beautiful accent and recognized it as being influenced from Spain. That was a great compliment because I've always thought of my accent as being mixed up from learning it in so many different places.

Cloudcroft

Me with my Christmas kitty. He had the cutest jinglebell collar.
Here's the buck that crossed the street. I hope the photo's clear enough for you to see it.

Cloudcroft shops.

Great (not so snowy) Christmas

Hi! Christmas was great here in New Mexico. A lot quieter than I'm used to, but still enjoyable. We even put up a Christmas tree and dug out the old ornaments. That may sound normal, but one year we actually drew a tree instead of doing the whole set up. Some may call that lazy, I like to call it nontraditional. haha. Cairo got to play with all kinds of toys and was much of our entertainment. It's back to work now. I work a double shift at the restaurant today and tomorrow. They are long days, but it frees me up to travel for a few days in a row without asking for a bunch of time off. I have a trip to Santa Fe in the works for January, plus a couple close-to-home jaunts. Last week I went to Cloudcroft. It is at 7000 ft. elevation. I slept for most of the ride (I still don't do mornings all that well) and, to my surprise, woke up to several inches of snow!!! It was in the 30s/40s, but sunny and bright. Then, a couple of hours later, we got back near Carlsbad and the thermometer said 69 degrees. Wow. You definitely have to dress for all weather when you go out here. In Cloudcroft we had lunch at a great barbeque joint where I got to get messy fingers and pour on the hot sauce. Mmmm, good stuff. The town looked like an old western town with a bunch of shops lined up for browsing and buying. Driving out, I saw a local ski slope and a couple of deer (and even some turkeys) crossing the road. Not too much different than MI with all of those creatures.

I finally found those pesky cords, so I can include some photos. It's amazing what can get lost when everything comes from one of many boxes banished to a corner. I'm still avoiding them until I actually need something dug out. (By the way, I got all of my lost luggage back! My sleuthing paid off.) I just realized I don't have any photos of the house yet, but I'll work on that. Take care and thanks to everyone that has been checking in on me.

Much love,
Haley

Safe, Sound, Warm and Dry

Hey y'all. (I can say that now!) For those of you that haven't heard, I made it safe, sound, warm and dry to New Mexico. The drive went smoothly. I listened to a few books on cd (the narrator for Harry Potter is outstanding) and cranked the music. Cairo was a dream traveler. He was far from loving it, but mostly slept and hid under the bed when we had to leave in the mornings. We've been here for about a week and a half now. Carlsbad isn't as small as I thought it was going to be. It has 2 McDonalds, 3 Subways, a Chile's Restaurant and a Payless Shoe Store, so it's bigger than Cheboygan. I've stayed close, trying to learn the lay of the land. One day I did venture to Artesia, a town about half an hour away. The thoughts of a nice vacation were great to start, but after about 5 days I started to get restless and decided it was time to get a job. Luck would have it that Chile's hired me on the spot. So, I'm serving there and they are willing to work with my schedule so I can do some traveling.

The people I've met have been very nice so far. Most have a light southern drawl that is easy on the ears. There are a lot of people my age at work, so hopefully I'll start to make some friends. My neighbor has already offered to set me up with a 'nice young man' that she works with. :-) (No, Rose Mary, he's not a veterinarian. I'm still keeping my eye out.) All in all, thing are going very well. I have more photos, but I'm still missing a cord for my camera in boxes, so those will follow once I do some digging. Right now the concentration is on work training and luggage retrieval. (Did I mention the luggage I shipped with 75% of my clothes got lost?) What's an adventure without a hiccup or two?

I miss you all and hope everything is going great in your neck of the woods. I'll be back soon with those photos. Take care and Merry Christmas!

Besos,
Haley

Goodbyes @ Leo's

Packing has been at the top of the list of things to do, but for some reason, the socializing has been much more fun!! Tuesday was my last day of work at Leo's. A bunch of us went out after for one last hurrah! Bowling was fun over the weekend, too. I'll miss that crew a lot.

Halloween

I went to a Halloween party in Grand Rapids at Amanda Kennedy's and got to see some Cheboygan friends. The feet are all I can show you of my costume. :-) It was great to see everyone. Some how we all seems to find each other even when we're away from home base. I'll miss the random meet ups, but don't think I won't be back!

Who said man's best friend had to be a dog...?

Cairo has been quite the little helper! Luckily, when I need a break he jusk as willing to snuggle in for a nap. We'll see how he does on the drive to New Mexico. He's very aware that something is going on. We now have no furniture and I keep taking away his cozy hiding spots as I clean and pack.

I'm moving!

For those of you that don’t know, I am making a big change. I am moving to New Mexico! Why New Mexico, do you ask? Why not? I have been looking for a place that called to me and, finally, I have found my jumping point. I know a few people in the Southwest and the culture seems like a great fit. (Hopefully I’ll get to practice my Spanish lots!) Carlsbad, New Mexico is where I'll start. My mom is relocating there. I am going to stay with her for a few weeks until I decide where I want to settle. I also have a friend moving to Santa Fe, NM and another in southern California. I’m going to do as much traveling as possible to find the RIGHT place instead of just A place to settle in. I am starting this blog on the heels of my cousins Jay and Erica. They both began their blogs as a way for family and friends to check in on their new babies, Micah and Braden. (How adorable!!) My idea is for you to be able to check in on me as I continue on my journey of life. (Minus the baby, for now.) :-)

I will be done working right before Thanksgiving so I can visit my family over the holiday. I will then leave the last week in Nov or the first week in Dec. Cairo, my cat, and I will be driving cross country for the first time! I would love to hear from you all as I go. And if you are ever in the southwest, I hope you let me know! It will be my first time not being within driving distance from home. Even being in Grand Rapids, there has always been the comfort of knowing I can get in the car and head north for whatever reason.

That’s all for now. I’ll be adding more soon, but feel free to keep me accountable if I haven’t added anything for a while and you are curious!

Besos,

Haley