Zoey's Texas

Zoey has adjusted well to the move and is happy to have her daddy back.  It's her understanding that our old house was getting too big so we had to move into our fifth wheel.  She says her favorite part of her new home is her new bedroom which has a ladder up to reach it and is decorated in all girlishness. She loves going up her ladder, hiding out and pretending it's Rapunzel's tower and hiding from the ruffians, hooligans and bad guys. Although a loft room is great for a little girl, it makes putting her to bed a bit of an acrobat act and although she cleans up herself, it still needs brushing up and that would be easier if I were a contortionist. 

Zoey speaks constantly about her family back in Idaho and starts most of her stories, "When I was two in Idaho....", because everything in the past was when she was two. Sometimes she questions it and scrunches her eyebrows together and asks "or was that when I was three?"

The fun thing about this age is they are always absorbing the world around them, and Zoey is no exception.  She loves all the new things she is learning and spews facts at random times.  She has learned a lot from TV, family and such.  Some random facts I have recently heard during our long commute to and from town are the following:  "Did you know what?" (it always starts with 'Did you know what?'), "Elephants have hair!" and "Horses can sleep STANDING UP!".  Some of her facts have sprung from her new experiences too.  "See there's a cactus! I told you there are cactus in Texas, but not big ones like in Arizona."  " Mom, when I go to school I'm going to tell the teacher that Oil Derricks can also be called Pump Jacks", and "There's a Pump Jack, and another, and another, they're everywhere, but not in Idaho because there is no oil in the ground in Idaho."

Recently Zoey refuses to eat any meal unless her "tummy has grumbled".  This is nondiscriminatory so neither her favorite food nor treats can tempt her into eating a  minute early.  Although this will no doubt contribute to her never having to worry about weight issues, it does make feeding her a challenge.  I have become an on demand cook and started slipping granola bars into my purse when we leave the house because she just may get hungry at any minute, but not now.  Not to worry though, when she does eat,  she eats well, and if we're out and she has something with catchup, she'll lick the catchup container dry; must be a Campbell thing.


The best part of being in Texas right now is the warmer winter.  We've tried to make the best of our long trips to town and visit the park between errands to take advantage of the best days.  Some days it has reached nearly 80 degrees and Zoey has been upset that the swimming parks aren't open yet. She tries to make friends at the park each time we go, sometimes she is successful and sometimes she is not, but every time she is adorable.

Goldsmith

After hitting all the RV Parks we could find in Odessa and Midland, we only found ourselves on waiting lists, many of which were several months long.  So we've landed in the little town of Goldsmith, population 250.  We're about 20 minutes Northwest of Odessa and therefore John is 30 minutes from work.

 Our current RV spot is merely a patch of dirt designated ours in a lot with hookups.  Each trailer is squeezed in to a minimum of personal space.  Our nearest neighbor is about 18 inches away, which could be helpful if I needed anything: Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?  Fortunately we are the end trailer for the moment.  The owner plans on putting in more hookups but we hope to be gone before that happens.  The town siren is right over our heads and due to the fact I am living in an RV, I'm hoping that's not to warn of tornado's ...yikes!

Is this lived in trailer falling or is it just me?

The town offers a country store with sparsely stalked shelves of necessities like dish soap, trash bags, water (not advisable to drink groundwater in oil country), etc,  but few perishable items are offered.  Although there is a gas station here, it has no working pumps so we make sure our tanks never get below a quarter full before heading here. There are mini-RV-spots, much like ours, which are set up throughout the town to accommodate the overflow of oil workers who have come to the region.  Half the houses in Goldsmith are questionably inhabitable, but the people seem to be holding out. Dogs seem to be the pet of choice, maybe its a Texas thing, maybe its a small town thing, but they're everywhere and when I take a walk I "set off" all of them in town.  Interestingly, the town doesn't have individual trash service at all, but rather there are dumpsters at intervals in which the residents deposit their trash.  This is something I've never seen before for a whole town.

Goldsmith is our home for the moment, besides the natives are friendly and we have the comfort of our little home.  We are hoping to move into one of the parks that has a playground, trees, spaced trailers, a pool, and quite paved roads.  Until then, Goldsmith it is.

We're not in Idaho anymore!!!

Oil Derrick/Pump Jack in the snow.

First day in Texas and we get a snow storm of about 6 inches!!!  I can't be sure because of all the drifting, but it was more snow than I had seen in Idaho in a while.  Unfortunately I didn't exactly pack all my winter items, so I had to tough it out in sweaters and running-shoes. We waited until mid-day to venture out because we were more afraid of other drivers not knowing how to handle the snow, then the snow itself.  Two days of the roads looking like rivers, the famous Texas sun had quickly melted it all away.

Like anyone moving, I am finding some things are different in Texas then back home.  While other things  are the same: all have Walmart and McDonalds, but who needs those anyways.  Sam's Club is like Costco, but not really as nice.  This area has had such a boom that all the stores, restaurants and car washes are packed all the time.

I'd have to say, for the most part, driving in Texas is pretty good. The freeway in this part of Texas is 80mph and the rest stops are really nice.  One rest stop about an hour from Odessa is building full air conditioned buildings, has wifi, new and very large playgrounds, and best of all Texas is okay with travelers staying a night.  This is a good for someone living in an RV.  Most rural side roads are 70mph and .  When on a side road and coming up on a slower vehicle, (because I'm never the slower vehicle), the slower traffic pulls onto the wide paved shoulder and allows you to pass in the lane -eliminating the head on traffic passing.

John has done most of the driving and neither of us would survive without GPS navigation.  How ever did people survive without it before the wonderful technology age?

The Kingdom Hall is like any other with warm loving brothers and sisters, though I admit I felt pretty home sick and alone about 10 minutes into the meeting and not knowing a soul.  The Hall I am currently attending, subject to change if we find a better place to park the RV, houses 2 Spanish and an English congregation, and half the English congregation is also Spanish speaking. I look forward to getting to know all the 100 brothers and sisters in my congregation.  Meetings are Sunday at 1pm and Tuesday at 7:30pm, so don't call me in case I forget to turn my phone off, hehe.  Oh, and remember the 1 hour time difference.