How did I end up here? How can it already be "almost October?"
It's hard to believe that I've been here--here, in New Mexico, in this job, in my parent's house--for nearly 6 months! Some days it feels like I just got here. I'll look up and be unexpectedly surprised by the gorgeous mountain sunrise. Or, I'll be shocked to find some random wildlife (rabbit, roadrunner, TARANTULA) playing chicken across the road. Other times, I feel like I've been here forever. Why haven't we been able to find a house yet? When will I ever get a pay raise (after 1 year "probation period')? Is it really time for my very first Balloon Fiesta?

Since the last time I wrote, we've done a lot of interesting (and not-very-interesting) things. We haven't accomplished or reached any of our major goals (besides getting R back in school--more on that in a minute). It's a little depressing, and somewhat disheartening to realize that we're still playing "musical houses" with my family. 95% of the time we've been at my parent's house, with 2 weeks in July spent at gramma's and the current 2 weeks at my aunt's house. The cats are still crammed in the bedroom with us (we let them out into the "rest of the house" sometimes, usually for a few hours on the weekends) and we've moved the turtle in there, too. Guapo is still doing damage to the back yard (he's never been this mis-behaved before!) and I'm worried about what we're going to be expected to fix/replace when we finally do leave.

The Xterra's "Service Engine Soon" light apprears to be permanent this time and the only time it goes off is when we "rejuvinate" (i.e. our trip to Ojo Caliente) or "abuse" (our recent drive UP a "Mountainous Unimproved Road") it. I am up-to-date with the oil changes, but we just don't have the time (or alternate vehicle) to get it in for whatever it could possibly need. And then there's always the new tires we're going to need before winter rolls around...


We're also planning a trip back to Mississippi (end of Nov - beginning of Dec) for my best friend's wedding. I'm so excited and happy for her, and it will be nice to spend at least a few days with family and friends. But, then there's the whole money thing... yeah... It's not so bad, just that we're TRYING desperately to save for a house...

Speaking of "saving for a house..." What an experience THAT is becoming! We started out very hopeful and excited. Now, it's almost too draining to even go look. The places we started out looking at were pretty much "fixer-uppers." Which would be great for US, but the bank only sees $$ (cost) and not the potential! So, we've pretty much decided that we're going to have to look at wider options. Now, we're mostly in the condos stage. Also, not so bad, just... small. Yeah, and still sooo expensive (considering the size, locations, and restrictions)! But, we have a pretty nice realtor, and she's being very very patient with us. So, we're still hanging in there. We're just trying to have faith that something will come up for us... eventually.

Two weeks ago, we went to the NM State Fair. Pretty cool. WAY bigger than any fair I've ever been to! While there we: Watched demonstration and tested products at a consortium of "Live InfoMercials," ate a deep-fried Snickers bar, and saw the Blue Oyster Cult live. Yep, awesome! Last weekend we went to the local apple orchard (Dixon's) and bought a HUGE bag of champagne apples and 2 gallons of REAL apple cider--YUMMY! Then, we were going to drive up to the (free) hot springs, but the weather was a little... scary... so we went the other way and nearly ran over a tarantula. A what? That's right, a real-live, hairy-legged TARANTULA! In the middle of the road! And we turned around 3 times to look at it (by the 3rd time, it was gone, so we didn't even get a picture)!!


Now, for those of you who read because this is your main gateway into what's going on with R...

He is absolutely LOVING school! And, I must admit, it suits him to a "T!" He's taking 4 classes (Mon - Thurs, 9-3:30) and it's about as perfect as it gets! We drive in together in the morning and he drops me off at work. Then he heads a mile down the road, parks, grabs a cup of coffee (or donut, depending on his sugary needs), and gets to class a little early. His favorite thing is this AC lab he has (I thought it was AC/DC, like "ROCK ON!!" but the DC lab is separate). Anyways, they spent the first couple of weeks learning diagrams, drawing diagrams, etc. Now that they've done all the diagrams, they're actually in a LAB (a huge shed with open walls) wiring STUFF (lights, switches, plugs, etc)! It seems pretty awesome, and he's so funny! One day I was telling him that I needed him to adjust my windshield sprayer thing (it shoots water over the roof of the truck) and he said, "I don't do that! I'm an electrician now!" Ha! And, he's all "correct" in what he calls things--like what we've ALWAYS called the "circuit breaker box" is now a "service entry panel" and stuff like that!

When his classes are over, he heads to the library or some other quiet area and does his homework. By the time 5:00 rolls around, he's parked outside my work, napping in the shade! At first, I think he didn't really like the idea of waiting around until 5 for me, but it turned out perfect! It gives him enough time to chit-chat with his classmates, get on the computer, or get ahead on his homework! And, we get to enjoy each other's company for the 45 minute (each way) commute! Friday is his "off day" and he really enjoys that, too! Usually he has plans to do something (work for gramma or my aunt, running errands, etc), but sometimes he just sleeps in, cleans up a little around the room, and gets to drive his Jeep around town!


This Friday, since auntie is gone, I'm sure he'll spend most of the day playing his New Game. Yeah, come on, you know the one. That's right--Halo 3. Or with all they hype it was getting it should be more like HALO 3!!! The guy worked his butt off the past couple of weeks to buy the game system (I can't believe he actually held out this long to get it), an extra controller (so I could play, too. Oh joy.), and the game itself. Thankfully, he's not so hardcore that we went and camped outside of GameStop! We just went and picked it up yesterday after work (and stayed up until 11:00 playing).

So, that's the past oh, month or so, summed up in a couple of paragraphs. Sigh. I guess that's all. See you next time!