I got back last night from my weekend adventure. Boy am I ever tired!!
The way to Colo Sprgs is pretty much a straight shot - 25 to 40. Unfortunately I ended up taking a "shortcut" which led me through the mountains of Taos, etc. on the way there. I was able to cut 30+ minutes off the drive by sticking to 25 to 40 on the way back. I am going to need to get cruise control installed in my car sooner than later though, otherwise that route is probably going to cause me to receive some speeding tickets sooner than later ...
(filled up w/gas a total of 3 times at a bit under $100 total)
Yes, I will be making the trip again, although this next time all the way to where NE lives. We talked a lot about a lot of things and cleared the air about other things. Friday night a few hours after I arrived, we officially agreed that we were back together. We are both determined to be more open and forthcoming with any concerns or issues - this is especially on my part. So far, so good.
We visited Pike's Peak, although we weren't able to get all the way to the top due to a recent snowstorm. It was quite beautiful, and even snowed for a short while. (It was outrageously expensive though - $12 per person just to drive the road!!) We also went through the Cave of the Winds. It was good, but I don't know if it was quite worth $18 pp for a 45 minute excursion. We also saw Iron Man 3 -- It was his first 3D movie in a theater. ($12 pp!) I took care of the meals and outings, and he took care of the hotel. It was pretty even.
He's asked me to come spend a few weeks this summer with him in NE. It really makes a lot of sense. If he came here, he'd have to stay in a hotel, and would only be able to here for a few days at most. While if I go out there I can stay at his place and stay for a few weeks. The longest we'd ever had together in person previously was about a week, so it'd be good to have some length of time in the same zipcode!!
I figure I can bring my desktop and some planning books and work on the website/activities, lessons and Swagbucks while he's at work. That way I'll still get stuff done. Maybe I can also check out the local university library for book ideas, etc. I'm thinking of taking Kari .. it'll be a test to see if she can get along with other cats. He has 5 (two of whom he had when were together before.)(Will need to get some kind of sleep aid/relaxing agent for Kari. She can barely tolerate a 30 minute drive - can't imagine how overly stressed she'd be with a 16 hr one!!)
He was so sweet. The first time he asked me to be his gf back in 2005, he met me with a rose. I'd mentioned to him in an email that I still had that rose (dried.) He gave me a new rose this weekend. Roses aren't my favorite flowers (snapdragons are) but they are still a special flower.
My car ran with no problem (other than not having a lot of horsepower on some of the mountain highways.) I listened to my music off my phone via the mp3 plugin on my radio most of the way there and back. It was SO nice.
When I got back here, there had been some drama due to a decision made by the mission office/principal. Of 50 staff members who said they were coming to a barbeque (staff appreciation) only 20 came. This was some lame protest. Ugh. I'm actually kind of glad now that I wasn't here, it would have just made me sad.
Oh! I also got a cool email from the lady who's asked me to babysit her girls a number of times this year. She is needing someone to take the girls to and from summer school because her mother in law is doing poorly and her husband is going to be going out to be with her for a few weeks. She told me that she'd prefer to have me do it over any other babysitter in the area. That made me feel pretty darn good.
The yearbooks are selling pretty well - nearly 40 sold out of 76. So maybe we'll be rid of most of them ... (Somehow some of the staff/teachers got the idea that they get a yearbook for free. I have NO idea how they got that idea - didn't last year!! NE got to hear me be annoyed at the idea when I got the texts from my asst. about the whole thing. He was impressed at how seriously I took my job. )
I forgot to take a camera with me to take pictures. Luckily NE took his. He's going to email me the pics we took. It was funny thinking back to 2005 - he'd taken pics back then too (and he had kept them! He brought them along to show me.) Only back then he sent me copies of the photos after having them developed, and now they can just be emailed.
I am so tired - haven't got much sleep this past week or so. Either too excited/anxious, too much to talk about, or overtired. I need to give my brother a call, as well as my aunt - they both want updates. Probably will hit the hay as soon as I'm done with those calls. (Am going to attempt to catch up on blogs here too.)
Home :D
May 15th, 2013 at 01:19 am
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May 15th, 2013 at 02:53 am 1368582784
I forgot something else really sweet he did. When I visited him in NE he had introduced me to cheese frenchies. I *really* liked them. Before leaving, he picked up an order of them for me. Yum! (although I'm looking forward to fresh ones!)
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May 15th, 2013 at 12:29 pm 1368617391
Wouldn't it be easier, all things considered, to leave your cat with a friend or someone you know who's a cat lover and can take care of kitty? The long car ride does sound like it would be more trauma for the cat than anything else, plus the stress of having to acclimate to 5 other cats just sounds over the top, in a cat's mind.
May 15th, 2013 at 12:48 pm 1368618485
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May 16th, 2013 at 12:26 am 1368660364
I asked AL (co-worker who recently fought and won against lung cancer) if she'd be willing to take Kari in on the off chance .. and she said she would! Yay!
Thanks everyone.
May 16th, 2013 at 09:07 pm 1368734870