"We'll get there when we get there!"

Hello everyone !

Yes, I am finally getting around to typing again!

Well, If I remember correctly, we left Mexico on the 25th of July, in our Minivan, pulling a small trailer with the last portion of our belongings. We were feeling pretty intimidated, Highway 57 is sporadically dotted with towns, goat herds, and rest stops, and the in-between parts can be quite far-between!! The drive with the trailer and stops was probally anywhere from 10-14 hours. Our electronic entertainment for kids and adults alike had just died, no radio, no DVD. We were really doing this the old fashioned way. Lots of games . . . . . . . . . and songs. . . ..and games.. .

So, we were making good time, about 2 hours from the US border, on a llllooooonnnnggggg stretch of highway at about 9pm. We all noticed a shudder, thump, grinding noise. Neil, glancing out the rear-view mirror, sees sparks where our trailer tire should be, and I, looking forward out the windshield, see our tire bouncing down the highway, crossing the lanes, the median, and into the Southbound side of Hwy 57. . . hhhmmmmm that's a BAD thing ! ! !
For a good oh, I don't know 5 seconds, or eternity, we are trying not to panic as the gravity of the situation settles on us.
Right about then, a Roving Tow Truck stops, and offers Neil the best rate in town. His "No otro option" to tow the trailer on his flatbed to a town he knows, where there was a machanic who just might be working tonite.
While Neil is discussing his one option with this very nice man, the kids are, of course wondering what is going on, and Steven, upon seeing the trailer being pulled up onto the flatbed, comments, "OOOOHHHH, NOW I see the problem!" Yep.
So, now picture any old Mexican western movie you have seen, (only add electricity). Dark streets, swaying streetlights in the wind, flickering neon signs welcoming, selling, or just plain blinking. People standing on the corners, watching our procession down the street. We pull into "Hugo Mechanico", your standard, scary, night-time junkyard scene, plenty of truck, van and car carcassas laying around. And one dude, named Hugo. This prompts a phone call to a family member, with instructions as to the city we are in, and the name of the shop. Don't know if there will be a hotel, or if we are sleeping in the van, in thejunkyard! Bracing for Hugo's "No otro option" speech, he simply says that he will get started!
What had the potential for the worst of the worst was handled in typical Mexican style. Straightforward and polite, he directed us to the "family hotel" and gave us his business card. The hotel was beautiful, suprisingly inexpensive, and the trailer was fixed the next day. AND the icing on the cake, the trailer was not empty when we picked it up!! A whole new axle and so forth, but at least our things made it !! I won't say the same for our sanity, however !!!
While we were waiting for our trailer, We decided to look for a park for the kids to play. We followed signs for the local city park. After feeling that we may never find it, we enter a serene little valley where the park is located. At this time of the year, the butterflies are migrating, or something, and the valley was so populated with them, it was as if you were driving into a yellow fog. I can honestly say that there was a humming noise from the wings of the butterflies. There were little, light-yellow butterflies, and 2 different types of low-flying butterflies or moths at your feet. As you walked, they just kind of flew out of the way in a small brown wave. What a surreal experience. It was an afternoon that I will remember.
We managed to cross the border, and rendevous with Neil's parents who would be driving the UHaul truck to Florida with us. Neil and his Father loaded the waiting goods from storage, and we hit the road. Already one day behind schedule.

According to mapquest, we were looking at about 24 hours of driving time from Laredo to Florida. We had toyed with the idea of making it a "fun, family road trip". We had only just started, and we just wanted it to be over !!! We did most of our driving at the kids' bedtime, so we would get a good portion of East-bound highway under our tires. . A nice city park in one city, a Burger King indoor playplace in another, and we made it to our new home on the 31st of July.

Thanks to family and the internet, we were able to find and rent a great condo while we were still in Mexico, so it was waiting for us in Florida.

My first trip to SuperTarget was amazing, I could actually read all the boxes, and what a selection!! I was afraid to blink !!! No more "grab bag grocery shopping!!"

One of the first things we did was to hit the beach. The kids were elated !! David was in his element, crashing waves, water everywhere, and Mom was telling him to dig and roll around in the sand !!! Hailie and Steven were serious about building a castle, and protecting it from the waves.

Steven started Kindergarten on the first day of Elementary School. His Pre-K experience in Mexico had totally prepared him for the real deal. I don't mind bragging that he is reading and writing wonderfully, and is one of the top kids on the class! ! ! ! Yippeeee ! ! I am helping out a friend and babysitting their cute little 1 year old boy. Hailie and David are having fun. David is convinced he is still older than his 2 years, so he is playing like a big kid. Neil is booked solid with his new home-repair / handyman business. And, as an added bonus, Heer cousins live within 15 minutes of us, so we are catching up on old times, and enjoying each other !!!!

We are stressed, overworked, tired, and very, very, very happy ! ! ! ! We really enjoyed Mexico, it was a great year for us, but, wow, Dorothy was right, there's no place like home ! ! !

Our love to all our family and friends! ! !