Well, the PCS went well... so far. The movers came bright and early on Thursday morning and got right to work. They didn't do a thing without asking me first and if I told them something made me uncomfortable, they made sure to wrap it up tight or let me do it. They came at 8am and by 12:30 they were gone. They were funny guys, cracking jokes and telling stories. They knew I was a nervous wreck, bless 'em. Despite the good job they did, I still packed most of my breakables into the back of Das Boot. (Our very old, very monstrous SUV). Sorry guys.
We ate lunch and then drove to the kiddo's school to drop him. It was very emotional for him, poor guy. He's got such a soft heart. We waited for a good twenty minutes while he hugged every one of his classmates and his teachers and told them goodbye. I feel so unbelievably guilty for putting him in this kind of situation in the first place. Originally I had wanted to wait to put him in any kind of school until after we PCS'd instead of putting him into a school for only three months back home. But at my husband's family's insistence, I enrolled him. I just keep thinking he could have been saved so much grief.
We spent the last weekend sleeping on an air mattress in our empty apartment and bright and early (actually it was more like after noon) we loaded up Das Boot and got on I-10, heading West to Texas. It was uneventful. There were no tearful goodbyes, no smothering hugs. We were there one second and gone the next.
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| Habibi driving us to El Paso, wearing my shades! |
The first day of driving was pretty boring, save for the multiple pee-pee stops (he's a BOY! Seriously? Pull the car over and tell him to whip it out! Nooo, we HAVE to find a gas station and use their nasty toilets...) and a brief psychotic breakdown from our GPS lady, who kept telling us to get back on the road we were already on and commanding we make turns that would have sent us over the side of the highrise... We drove all the way to Junction, Texas before we finally stopped at a Best Western around 1am for the night, where I regrettably left my favourite Ninja Turtles tee shirt. (Blasphemy, I know. I'm kicking myself.)
The second day of driving around was beautiful, with mountains as far as the eye could see, surrounding us like a giant bowl. There was no horizon... just mountains and mountains and mountains...
I'm not sure how I feel about El Paso yet. I like the temperature, for sure... and the mountains are just beautiful. But otherwise, I haven't quite decided. It's different. It's a whole different kind of air, trees, plant life, weather, people... I was pretty disappointed to learn that there are no Whole Foods Markets or Fresh Markets out here- one of the worries I expressed in my last entry. Where's a gal got to go to get Organic/Vegetarian/Vegan food out here!? And of course, the absolute brilliance of having a dairy allergy, moving out to an area where the local food contains nothing but butter and cheese. Eating on the road was TONS o' fun, let me tell you!
All we've got is a Wal Mart across the road from our street, which is small and doesn't seem to carry anything we have been used to back home. I'm going to have to do some more exploring in the area... There has got to be some kind of organic and whole food place somewhere out here.
Meanwhile, I really like our apartment. Not only is it on the GROUND FLOOR! It's definitely a lot more for the price! Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,000 square feet, built in shelves, furnished with kitchen appliances and a fireplace! For $730 PER MONTH!? AMAZING!
When the day was done and we blew up the air mattress and settled down... it hit me. I suddenly realized it. I'm in El Paso. My friends won't be coming over for the weekend to see my new place... We won't be driving over to the Westbank to see my Grannie and hang out with my Mom and Sister. Suddenly, I admitted to myself that I wanted my Momma. And then, of course, I felt stupid. I'm a grown woman here with my husband and child. Time to suck it up and become an El Pasoan.
Still want my Momma.
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| Me, my Momma and sister Tabi for Mardi Gras |
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