When we lived in Kansas, strangers would ask Tim if he played basketball. On our way home, I could tell we weren't in Kansas anymore when a stranger at a gas station pulled up beside us and yelled through the window, "Hey man, do you play for
KU?"
The trip went pretty well, and although we decided not to stop at the Grand Canyon, we also decided not to drive all night, so we were able to stop at a scenic overview of the southern part of Nevada!
"So what do you call people down here? Nevadians? Nevadans?
Nevaticans?!"
Did you know that the name Nevada came from a word meaning snow-capped? and that 85 percent of the state is federally owned? ...at least that's what the poster at Quizno's told me.
Tim and I got home and settled in! I'm not sure yet how one goes about decorating a place like this. The walls are extremely bare, but their complicated structure provides enough interest that they could stand on their own if need be.
We went to the store to refill our pantry and to get supplies to finish my birthday gift: the loft as my painting studio! Tim also bought me a dozen yellow roses, just because, and one became the subject of my first still-life!
I was doing laundry, and I noticed Tim watching me as I reached down a pant leg to turn it right side out. "Silly!" he said, "pants go on your legs, not your arms!"
(Awkward Pause) "Am I irresistibly cute right now?"
Tim has made a lot of friends at work, and I have had the chance to meet them! Someone was celebrating his son's third birthday, and we were invited over for pizza and cupcakes! When we arrived, I was instantly grateful for Tim's suggestion that we NOT buy the kid any noisemakers. I had forgotten how loud three-year-old boys are! Everyone was really nice. I was invited to a girls' night out, and plans were made for a snow-boarding trip.
...which was yesterday. Tim got home from his night shift around seven AM and we got ready to go. We stopped at an equipment rental place, and then met with some friends at the base. It wasn't a long drive to the California mountains, but before we made it, the weather turned gray and rainy. I had never been to a ski resort, so it was all new to me. In the parking lot, Tim helped me put on equipment, and we bought lift tickets. More friends showed up, and we rode all the way up the mountain in the cable car.
Tim kept asking me if I was doing okay. At first I though it was weird. "I'm alright!" I kept reassuring him. Then we approached the first tower, and the "driver" said, "Alright, folks, we'll be experiencing a bit of a sway as we approach the first tower." The slow swinging of the cable car wouldn't have been so bad, but I couldn't see out. I felt a wave of nausea. I made it past both towers, and through the loading dock, but I was sure I was going to puke when one of the standing passengers started throwing his weight against one side, attempting to rock it a little more.
Everyone hoped the rain would be snow at the top, but they were wrong. Stinging ice and sleet pelted our faces. Tim took me back in to put his mask on me while the rest of us got started. I was glad for the delay; it gave me a bit more time to stop feeling sick... but I still felt dizzy.
Tim was patient, but I didn't learn well. I fell hard over and over until I had a headache, and I had a difficult time learning. The weather made it hard to see and hard to hear, and the wind was blowing pretty hard. Everyone was soaked through and ready to head home before too long.
On the way home, Tim informed me that I had to take over driving because he was about to fall asleep at the wheel. I realized that it was after 1:00 PM, past his bedtime. Even I had a hard time staying alert, and once we got home, we both slept hard till 5!
Today is the girls' night out! I hope to make some new friends.
...And last, for Eden:
