November '15 - Back to AZ

Back in Sioux Falls, we spent two days with Katie, Jordan and the boys and had an early birthday party for them. 

Veggie Tales Larry (Sam) & Bob (Riley) birthday boys

Wednesday morning, Nov. 4 we left Jan's and headed the south.  This time we drove west on I-90 to Murdo and then south on Hwy 83 all the way down to McCook, NE.  We stayed in their city park.  A long day, but good start for our travel.  We won't go that way again, many parts of the highway were rough for the motorhome.
Day Two:  We continued south on Hwy 83 all the way through Kansas.  At Liberal, KS, we turned on to Hwy 54, which took us through Oklahoma, Texas and in to New Mexico. This highway was better until we reached Dalhart, TX, then it became very rough with no passing lanes until we crossed over into New Mexico.  Reaching Tucumcari, we stayed at the Elks Lodge there in their camping sites.  456 miles today.
Day Three:  we traveled on to Lincoln, NM to visit my cousin Ginger and Winston.  We continued down Hwy 54 to Carrizozo, then down Hwy 380 past Capitan to their home.  We stayed two nights and had a great visit.  We were invited to join them for the Lincoln Historical Society's Volunteer Appreciation Night.  It was really nice to meet all the people who have worked so hard to keep the history of Lincoln NM and Billy the Kid preserved.

Nov. 7 - we left Ginger's and moved on.  Hwy 380 back to Carrizozo, then south on Hwy 70 thru Alamogordo to Las Cruces.  There we got on I-10 and landed at the Elks Club in Willcox, AZ for the night, 349 miles.  Attended Mass and had a great dinner at a super Mexican Restaurant. Sunday, Nov. 8 -  we drove all the way to our park at Oracle Junction.  Hurray, we are back safely!

At the "Junction" as we lovingly call it, we were able to park our motorhome in the RV site next to our house, making unloading it much easier.  Jan and Wally were already back from their travels.  They opened up the house before we arrived, turned the refrigerator and hot water heater on and were ready to help us unload and set up.
You may remember that we had remodeled the house the year before, completing the painting and cleaning before we left.  At that time, we had no furniture - we had slept on an air mattress and sat in our bag chairs to eat.  So, we needed furniture.
When we were sitting in Sioux Falls late October, I had watched Craiglist in Tucson, particularly to find a round table dining room set for us.  Luck would have it that there was an estate sale not far from Catalina the end of October, that had the perfect set and other furniture.  I spoke with the seller and she agreed to hold the dining room set and a few other items for me.  I called our dear friends, Wally & Jan and they agreed to go look at them and pay for them.  Jan called and said it was perfect and I ended up buying the dining set, two lamps, card table and chairs, set of pans, silverware, and a folding round side table.  When I spoke with the seller initially, she wanted me to buy her bedroom set, but the price was higher than we wanted. Jan said the bedroom set was beautiful and considered buying it herself.  The seller lowered the price again while they were there, but we said no.  Then we arranged for Gary's brothers to go and pick up the furniture in their pickup.  The day before they were going, I called the seller to make the appointment and she begged me to take the bedroom set and lowered the price again.  We decided if it really did not work, we could sell it, so we agreed on that as well.

So, before we arrived that day to our house, Jan and Wally took the air mattress bed down and were beginning to set the new bed set up.  We helped them finish putting it together and then brought in our Sleep Number base and mattress that we had brought back with us from Katie's.  We got the bedroom put together and brought in a few more things to get us through the night and then enjoyed relaxing and having supper with Jan & Wally.

Our first sunset at the Junction

Over the next week, we cleaned the house, moved everything from the motorhome in and then cleaned the motorhome for it to sit in the storage lot, which is located in our park at the Junction.  We were careful to set mothballs around the tires and in the outer bins to keep pack rats from moving in.  At the house, we continued to get things put away and set up for living there.  We brought the recliner in from the motorhome, but still needed other furniture for the living room.  I continued to watch Craigslist and we found a nice recliner loveseat and side chair.  We ordered a nice TV stand and had things set up pretty well.

At the same time, we were applying for jobs for the season.  We found out the stores do not want you to come in - they want you to fill out the application on line and then they will call you.  Gary applied at Home Depot and a few others on line and talked to places in Catalina, like the new Tractor Supply store.  I applied on line at World Market, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, Family Dollar and a few others.  We also found out about a job fair the Miraval Resorts was having and applied for a few jobs with them.  We went to the job fair day and had good interviews, they said we would be called.  Gary also called UPS and got hired for the holiday season again as a driver helper.  I finally went one morning and walked in to Tuesday Morning, Big Lots and World Market to see if there were openings.  The first two said I would have to be called, but at World Market, the assistant manager took me back and I had an interview right then.  She reviewed my application on line and had the store manager visit with me.  Later that day I received a call that they wanted me!  I started with them the week before Thanksgiving.  That same week, Home Depot hired Gary and Miraval Resorts called and hired me.  All part time jobs, so the juggle began.

Both Home Depot and World Market allowed us to give them the days we were available, so we managed to mesh our jobs through the holiday season.  It was a little interesting making it work with one car, we had a lot of help with rides from our friends when our schedules conflicted.  Gary was done with his UPS job the week before Christmas and my hours were cut back at World Market after the end of the year.  My job with Miraval Resorts was as a part time spa receptionist.  They had great training and provided a uniform for me.  I sat at the spa desk with one or two other gals and checked in the guests for their spa services and helped guests set up their appointments over the phone.

My lovely Miraval uniform, our loveseat and dining set

Deb & Joe were able to join us on Thanksgiving day, it was nice to be with family.  Friday afternoon, I joined the gathering for the holiday meal with our Saddlebrooke friends at the Smith's.  Gary worked with UPS that afternoon and did not make it.

On the few days or evenings we were home together, we enjoyed sitting on our deck in the sun and watching the sunsets.  We continued to work on our new home, finding the right places to put everything and finishing little projects.