Little Adventures

 "Play is our brain's favorite way of learning"

- Diane Ackerman

One of the many sculptures at a local park.

Carousel at the mall.

One of the fun things about moving to a new area is finding out what fun activities are at your disposal.  We loved our day at Monahans National Monument and hope to find more family activities like that one.  We're well on our way to finding some really great things to do as a family.

Recently we explored the weekly local flee market which will full of hundreds of unique items.  We left with a few drinks and a bow for Zoey's hair.  I wasn't looking for much due to our small living space, but it was fun; though, I think I would do better there if I learned more Spanish.  While searching for the local Farmer's Market, we ended up at the local fair for the Midland Arts Counsel, which had hundreds of displays to tempt any art lover. After hours of walking we decided to reserve the Farmers Market for another day.

Zoey and Babs

  Most of my activities  involve the entertainment of my little girl.  At first we found ourselves filling our time at the public parks in the area or at the ponds feeding the birds and ducks, and we still do, but we also found some additional activities to fill a little girl's days with adventure.
One of those places is the Odessa Mall.  It' s a short 15 minute drive from our home and this mall definitely caters to families. There is an indoor ice skating rink at center court; but I have yet to take Zoey out since I sustained a knee injury as a teen and am unsure of it on ice, yet I'm sure we'll figure out how to get that kid on ice soon enough. There are two play areas throughout the corridors complete with slides and tubes to climb through, which Zoey makes full use of both of them.  There is also a carousel and a small train for the kids to ride (for a price). On Saturday they have someone creating balloon animals of each child's choice (free of charge), and these are pretty elaborate animals by most standards, you just have to be willing to wait in line.  Of course Zoey chose the pink Babs Bunny.

Since our arrival in the area, we have noticed carnival rides at every turn.  Sometimes in Odessa and sometimes in Midland, but they never seem to leave the, yet.  After realizing the rides set up at the Midland Mall didn't require admission (I hate paying admission to something I'm going to spend more money at), we decided to take Zoey to the rides.  Pulling up she saw the drop ride and the Kamikaze, she declared that she was going on those rides and "Don't worry Mom, I'm not scared."  Although she didn't meet the height requirements for those rides, I'd have to say I was pretty proud of her bravery. We bought her an unlimited pass and a few tickets for Mom and Dad to join her on the kiddie rides that required a parent to accompany her.  She rode every ride without hesitation and loved it.  Her favorites were the giant slides (we got some air on those) and the caterpillar roller-coaster. John and I kept putting a hand of comfort on her as parents do, but she defiantly pushed our hands away, because she can do it herself (she's getting so big).  Hearing her little squeals of delight whenever zoomed at higher speeds or flew through the air on the slides was priceless. 

The last days, weeks and months have been a blast.  I'm sure there is still so much more we can enjoy in this area and I can't wait to find the next adventure for my little girl.

On the rides with Daddy

I don't need hands for this ride!!

I can steer this thing!!!

1....2....3....4 Already!

 "Childhood is a short Season"  - Helen Hayes

Four years old, it seems so grown up and yet my baby is there already.  I keep hoping time will slow down but instead it gets even faster.  Zoey has become her own person and surprises me every day with her loving nature, opinions and questions.

Sometimes I take for granted what she may know and she surprises me with a question that I never thought would go through her mind.  "Mom, is Idaho on Mars?"  (There are times I thought it was.) We had shown her maps of the route from Idaho to Texas and she loves identifying points of interest to her on maps.  When she spotted the red star in the sky we confirmed it was the red planet and told her that was Mars.  Somehow she put the two together and wondered how they worked together, concluding Idaho is on Mars. After showing her images of planets on the internet and explaining that 'only Earth has good air', she now understands planets.  I just love the internet for teaching.


It also amazes me how educational cartoons have become.  She has learned some basic math principles, geometry, reading skills, and sometimes tells me of animals I've never even heard of.  "Mom, my favorite butterflies are the blue morpho butterflies and the monarch butterflies, but a pink butterfly would be the coolest."  Most interestingly is how she was watching Dora and began to speak Spanish words to me, even counting in Spanish at age 2 before I had started to teach her.

Each day we do a lesson (or five) in some of her preschool workbooks, practicing writing, letter sounds, basic math and the like.  She is ready and eager to start her lessons and understands most concepts quickly.  Then we sit for a while and the both of us practice Spanish words (Mom is trying to learn a bit too).  I hope this eagerness to learn continues to grow as she does.

She's become such a girlie-girl too.  Her favorite color is pink and anything pink she must point out (or ask for) from toys to walls to food.  In her words, "Pink is the most beautifullest color and that's why I like it."  She even told me she is going to drive "the pink car with no top" she saw parked near our house, a convertible pink Cadillac.  She often expresses her opinion on how she wants her hair done, often without me asking her, and she recently has decided she wants no bangs.  I was considering growing them out, so I think we're going to try it as long as mom can get through the awkward stage (her hair grows so slowly.

Zoey has about  6 swimsuits from hand-me-downs and gifts and wears most of them when the temperature reaches above 95, because she feels its the only way to stay cool even if you're not swimming.  I let her as long as we're not going anywhere, but once we are heading out I insist she put something else onand hear her new favorite phrase, "But MooOOoom....".

Our little girl is growing up, way too fast for me, but I'm loving every minute of it.  What will the next year bring?

Zoey and Mommy

Zoey and her friends at Memorial.

Everything Changes

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one."   -Hans Syle

Catalpa Tree in the Park

I've never been brilliant at dealing with stress, but I'm guessing few people are.  I'm a planner who relies greatly on the strength of my husband and when you change the plans or take my husband out of the equation, I stress.

In the last eight months the road of life has brought me many stressful situations but I've come out on top of them all (some less gracefully than others).   All the while my husband, John, has taken every change, every disappointment, every challenge with determined persistence and grace.  I look to him for support and he is always there in word, deed and example.  But still, sometimes it was not easy for lil ol' me:

Stress #1 : Big Changes

The hint of big changes to come was the moment John received word that he had been accepted for a position in Texas.  We didn't know when he would be leaving so we held our breath as all things were "processing".  One afternoon he was informed he would have to make the 2-3 day drive in less than two weeks.  It was official, our life was changing, and fast!

Ocotillo Cactus at Monahans

Stress #2: My Partner Gone

Those two weeks flew buy faster than I knew possible and I tearfully watched him walk out the door not knowing when we would see each other again.  With the help of my Aunt, I quickly threw a yard sale to take advantage of the waning good weather and continued to work for another four weeks, all the while juggling being a mom.  I concluded that single mothers are super heroes (and I have only one child comparing to some other mothers).

Stress #3: New Experiences and Break Downs

We scheduled for John and I to meet in San Antonio so I could both visit him and Texas for the first time.  I was a bit nervous not having flown alone, but found the whole process quite easy.  Upon arrival in San Antonio, John's truck quit working and we ended up towing it to a garage and taking a rental car.  Our arrival in San Angelo found us canvasing the town for a motel room and paying twice what we should have for a hole in the wall. I wanted to stress, and did a bit, but I endeavored to focus on enjoying my trip despite hick-up we had encountered in our plans, and the trip became enjoyable. Upon leaving John in Sonora, TX, I found a roach motel room waiting for me in San Antonio and after a few minutes of "freaking out", I focused, got my refund and found a better room elsewhere.   In the end it all worked out. (Isn't it funny how it always does?)

A trip to Tucson was a good practice run for the longer drive I would be making when Zoey and I finally moved.  My usual position was passenger, so being the driver was a whole new experience for such a long trip. I found that my little girl was a gem and despite the fact I never payed much attention to the road before, our new GPS on our phones worked wonders showing me the way, including redirecting me when I took the wrong exit in Vegas during rush hour, and the trip couldn't have gone smoother.

Stress #4: The Fork in the Road

After four months away from my husband, tackling house renovations, and numerous other changes in our life along the way, I left for Texas early in January.  Half way through the trip John informed me that I would be meeting him in Midland, Texas instead of Sonora, Texas and we would have little to no income for about a month during the transition. "Okay", I said to myself, "change in plans instead of heading South at the junction I head North." That was it, change my driving route,  these different plans and circumstances were no more than a little bump in the road this time, a little wrinkle to be smoothed out. And it all did smooth out, soon John was back to work, the bills were caught up, and I had settled into this new city.

Conclusion:

Pump near my house, the sky was so yellow.

As I contemplate going back to Idaho, I'm dreading the coming months of sorting through the last of my stuff and preparing my house for the real estate market.  I remember the piles of boxes left behind in my living room and  I can only hope the house repairs will go uneventfully with a bright shiny house as the end product with a line of potential buyers at my door.  Even if it isn't what I want; even if it takes longer than expected, even if there are more repairs than I had imagined, even if the house takes a while to sell, I vow to take this stress as confidently as possible.  Focusing on the end results, I will remember that someday all this will be a distant memory, a bump in the road, and I will enjoy the journey.

The Cat Conundrum

Stormy on his favorite stool.

Moving into a small space requires making a lot of difficult decisions as to what to bring and what not to bring.  I pondered and agonized over two things in particular, my boy kitties Stormy and Sunny.  I know some of you might think me heartless to consider giving them up, but there is so much more involved when living in such a small space.

Stormy was purchased as a kitten over 9 years ago from the Sheena Foundation and this cute little gray and white fur ball stole our hearts in minutes.  It wasn't long before we tired of this lone kitten attacking our feet in play and soon we found Sunny, an orange tabby, at the local shelter to join our home as his playmate.

Both cats are hugely affectionate and loyal.  When I found we were moving into the 5th wheel, I realized I would now be dealing with a litter box, cat hair galore, and any other lovely things that accompany pet ownership; but now confined to 400 square feet.  I spoke to people of my predicament and even had a possible home for Sunny, but in the end my love for my furry friends won out and they were packed along for our journey to Texas.

Sunny wouldn't let me finish making the bed.

There were some adjustments I had to make once we arrived.  The cats hadn't used a litter box in a while due to the fact that in Idaho they had access to the outdoors and therefore found their own places to go.  But they took to the adjustment quickly and I found the pine pellet litter essential to the small space living to prevent dust and particles from being spread throughout the home.  The cat hair will always have to be managed so I've made it a routine to brush the cats a few times a week and vacuum all corners of the house just as often.

Stormy had a few upset tummies (which made me swear never again will I have an indoor cat) and Sunny made it clear that the litter box must be completely clean or else he will find his own place to go. Sometimes in the middle of night Stormy decides Sunny must get groomed and a cat fight ensues.  I curse the cats at those moments but those times are followed by a head bump of love, a purring roll over to get a belly rub, or kitty-paws on my chest as I wake in the morning.  Then there's seeing our daughter poke and prod her cats in every sort of childish play as they acquiesce with immeasurable tolerance and I know I've made the right choice.

Our plans for the future still call into question how much longer we will enjoy the company of our friends.  Costs of importing them into new countries and the dangers (even death) that such a foreign environment may bring to them, lend us to sadly consider parting with them in the future. As of now we will tackle the challenges and enjoy the rewards of having two well adjusted feline companions in our tiny home.