So Chris and I embarked on another great adventure this last weekend. We drove the 19 hours to McAllen, TX. Chris will be completing a job down there for his company and will be spending the next 5 months there on site. So we took the weekend to drive down, move him in, and fly home. We packed up a small U-Haul trailer with essentials (having a second house worth of good came in handy) and started the trip early Friday morning. One of the most... exciting parts of the trip was that the Wednesday before we left, the AC in the truck decided to die. So we drove all 19 hours in a very hot truck! The drive down was interesting. As we moved into TX, I found it to be much flatter than I thought it would be. I had not been to that part of the country in a very long time and most of the times that I pass through I only see the airport. Anyway it was flat and the trees didn’t grow as tall as they do in Alabama. And let me tell you... we really did see tumbleweed! It was pretty cool! We also had a blast counting cowboy hats and belts with silver decorations. I decided if I ever move to TX than I am definitely getting a pair of cowboy boots. They were everywhere and super cute!
We drove all day Friday and stopped in Houston. We stayed in a hotel right off the interstate. By this time we were both exhausted and nasty from riding in the baking truck. So we decided to grab some dinner to go, watch a movie in the room and crash! We went to Denny's. Big mistake! Chris says that our stomachs just aren't as strong as they used to be. I don't think I ever would have enjoyed the meal of overcooked, cold eggs and super heavy, ever absorbent pancakes. I just thank God we didn't get sick off the meal. We watched a great movie and then slept like rocks. The best part was the AC in the room was wonderful! The next morning we got up to finish our drive. We pulled into McAllen and went straight to Chris's new apartment. After checking in and getting keys, we moved him into his second floor place. It is a really nice apartment in a gated community. It has a beautiful pool, a sand volleyball area, and is near a big open field that is perfect for flying kites. Unloading the U-Haul was not that complicated. We decorated his new apartment in early monastery or monk and kept everything very minimal. He doesn’t have a couch or dressers but he has his favorite recliner, a nice TV and a comfortable bed so he is happy. We even got him a mini gas grill for his porch so he is a very happy camper.
After moving him in we decided to go drop off the U-Haul and explore our new surroundings. On the way down to McAllen I had done an internet search to find the top 10 things to do in the city. The public library made it into the top 5. Needless to say, I was determine to find something great about the city, maybe a hidden treasure that hadn’t made it on to my previously found list.
Our first challenge was finding where to return the U-Haul. After finding said location, we discovered that they were closed. Luckily we could just leave the trailer there. So then Chris and I had to get the trailer to release our trailer hitch. Sounds easy right? Nope. For some reason the trailer really wanted to stay with us. After fighting with it for what felt like forever we finally removed the trailer hitch from the truck and then the trailer released the hitch. So… two challenges down. Who would have thought we were about to face our third and biggest challenge when it came to the simple act of dropping off the U-Haul… placing it in the line with the other three trailers. We fought and lifted, pulled and pushed, and finally got that U-Haul where it had to be “parked”. By the time we were done, we were extremely dirty, sweaty, and sore. I think I pulled muscles I didn’t even know I had. After the exhausting U-Haul drop-off experience we didn’t feel like really exploring but we needed food.
For those of you that know me, you know that I love good food. I love to eat and try new things. It is one of my favorite parts of traveling. I often say that I work out so that I can eat! Well, Chris totally made up for the awful Denny’s experience. He took me to this great little hole-in-the-wall pizza place. We had a quiet meal and enjoyed a great pizza with tons of meat and other toppings on it, including mushrooms, onions, and olives! YUM! We then hit Wal-Mart for just the basics. We then went back to the apartment and crashed. It had been a draining day and our battle with the U-Haul just abut did us in!
On Sunday we slept in and then went exploring. We found some great shops, restaurants, and sights to see. McAllen is a pretty little city full of trees, houses with Spanish architecture, golf courses, and lots of fountains. The people were all very friendly to us… even though neither of us spoke Spanish! The weather the entire trip was beautiful according to me. Chris thought it was too hot. He described it best when he said that it was like being in a hair blow-dryer, hot and very windy!
On our adventure on Sunday we bought some kites and took advantage of the open field near the apartment. But the wind was so strong that one kite couldn’t get off the ground and the other flew well for a bit before the wind tore it up.
Sunday also brought about our next great experience with food. Chris picked a Mexican restaurant that was exceptional! The service was good and the food was wonderful. I got carne esada burritos and loved them! There were different than the carne esada that I had in San Diego, but they were still really good. I also had one of the best strawberry daiquiris I have had in a while!
As Monday rolled around, Chris took me on a tour of the job-site. It was awesome to see where he will be and meet some of the people he will be working with for the next couple of months. After visiting the job, we headed to a few more shops (including getting squeaky toys for the girls) and then off to the airport.
We were blessed to be picked up by a good friend from the airport and driven home. The girls returned the next day and it was wonderful as always to see them. Overall, Chris and I had a blast on our mini working vacation. It was fun to spend time together and meet challenges together as a team. I liked Texas. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit again.
I think Chris will do great on this job. He is a strong engineer and project manager. Honestly though… I want the job to start so it can end and he can come home to me. This separation will be the first of our marriage. I know we can do it. If anyone can do it, Chris and I can. I just have to think of this as another great adventure… another challenge to meet together as a team.
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