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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Working on the Living Room...

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I am not finished painting yet but I LOVE the color (even if the name IS Arizona)!! It looks sooo nice with our dark brown couches.  Sebastian & Alex said they loved it too...will post again when I am finished!!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Trying to Cool Off...




The boys were playing in the backyard one day and decided since we don't have a pool to swin in anymore, a plastic bin would do the trick!
We went to the lake with Teddy & Tina on Sunday and I finally got a video of Alex riding the kneeboard. I am not sure what happened b/c I had pictures of both Sebastian and Alex but the ones of Sebastian have been erased. I will get some of Sebastian on our next trip. Luckily for us, summer isn't over and it is hot...we'll be back at the lake soon enough.

Sebastian's World Record Sunflower




Sebastian planted a sunflower seed a while ago and maybe it's not a world record but it is super tall! We think it is approximately 12 1/2 feet tall but we haven't been able to get an accurate measurement yet. It is growing on a slope behind Nancy's house.

Unlikely Visitors


Something you're not likely to see very often...yes, we had a goat and a pig walk through our yard. Who they belong to, we don't know but you usually see deer or something like that!

Helping Dad and Our First Dinner at Home




Alex helped Matt work under the sink so he could remove the old dishwasher and we also had our new furniture delivered. A few days later, we had our first dinner together using our makeshift coffee table in our new home.

The Awful Pink and Purple Room...




...is now a beautiful color called "Coral Reef Bliss" that Sebastian chose because he said it reminded him of the color of the ocean. After I scraped off the popcorn ceiling, Nancy and I painted. In these pictures, the room wasn't finished, but at least it wasn't pink or purple anymore!!

Our New House









We found a nice house, with enough space for us and lots of front and back yard...I will post pictures of each room as we fix, paint, etc. instead of all at once. The boys ate breakfast in the backyard one morning, surrounded by the "roads" they built for their cars and trucks. Also, a picture of two of our neighbors across the street.

Driving Cross Country...Part 5




3 days of driving and we are tired, sore and ready to get out of the car!! I am tired of writing, but by 3 pm were in Arkansas. 4:51 pm we crossed the bridge into Memphis, TN and finally pulled into Nancy's driveway at 8:30 pm...1619.6 miles 29 hours, 22 minutes after leaving Las Vegas AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Driving Part 4







Most of the drive through here was very windy- about 40 mph and there's also cheaper gas in Gallup, NM at Grandma Max's on I-40.


12:10 pm- lunch at Cracker Barrel (I was so excited about this! There isn't a CB anywhere near Las Vegas) on Coors Blvd in Albuquerque, NM


5:23 pm- Finally in Texas!! About 75 miles from Amarillo and the Big Texan. By the time we made it there (approximately 9 pm I think, like I said, time zones made everything a blur) we weren't very hungry but by the time we actually got the food, we were ravenous. The restaurant looks like a saloon and we were even serenaded by a trio of cowboys. There was a guy who was trying to eat that 72 oz steak in under an hour (there is a clock on the table) but didn't quite make it. He looked as if he'd probably sleep for about 10 hours after that meal.

Driving Cross Country...Part 3




We were up by 6:45 am. I am not really sure what time it is really, the time zones are now a blur. By 8:20 we had showered, had breakfast and put gas in the car. Somewhere near a city called Geronimo I couldn't help myself and took a picture of a power plant- the CHOLLA POWER PLANT, HAHAHAHA!!! (That's for you Gabadoo) It was pretty windy, thank goodness that we were driving such flat land. Matt at some point asked me if I had to choose between there and Kentucky...easy choice there! At around 9:15 we were passing the Petrified Forest National Park, getting ready to pass the Painted Cliffs and Desert. I tried to get some pictures but a point and shoot digital camera does this place no justice. In these pictures you can't see the rich colors of these rocks or the (dry) riverbeds too well. I told Matt that of all the people we know, probably Nancy and my mom would love to hike and explore around here more than anyone else. http://www.chiefyellowhorse.com/

Driving Cross Country...Part 2

8:18 pm- Kingman, AZ Still the middle of nothing.
9:42 pm- Seligman, AZ The sky is full of what looks like a million stars, it is beautiful. Alex is now asleep, Sebastian is going strong with the second DVD. Matt is tired, but not saying so, and I am making him listen to an 80's mix cd I made. New Kids on the Block to be exact. I'm bored, my left hip hurts and it's too dark for me to read now. I can't wait until tomorrow when we get to Texas. (In case you're wondering, I kept a pretty detailed journal of our trip as we were driving. Ididn't want to look back at our pictures and not know where they were taken.) Sebastian began to salivate when I reminded him that we were going to try to go the Big Texan in Amarillo. Check it out: http://www.bigtexan.com/72ozlive.htm Sebastian, Alex, my father & I ate here 4 years ago when we drove through this area.
We finally stopped at midnight in Winslow, AZ at a Holiday Inn where we had made reservations ahead of time. 4 people, handicapped room, 1 King bed, no electricity in our room. ?!?! We were moved to a 2 bed SMOKING room. Enough said.
Luckily we were too tired and were all asleep in about 5 minutes. 311 miles covered so far.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Driving Cross Country...Part 1





Friday, June 6, 2008. After an entire day of trying to load the U-Haul, Gabriela came over to help me. I couldn't get everything in there. My mom was at work, Matt's flight got in at 3pm- and we finally got on the road at 6pm. I think I just didn't want to say bye to my sister or my mother and was putting off the time we left. By 7pm we were driving through Hoover Dam. Note to anyone driving through that area: before you security lets you pass, if you are hauling anything, or look like you have a trunk full of anything, you will have to stop for inspection. We had to open the U-Haul- of which a rollerblade, a bag and who knows what else fell out in front of the cop. He simply asked if we had any kind of metal storage containers (such as a refrigerator, microwave, etc.). Thank goodness we weren't- the cop would have had to help us load that trailer back up! After that awful drive up that mountain, we were in the middle of nowhere Arizona. There were commercial lots everywhere. I asked Matt if he would like to buy some land there- he wondered if we'd be lucky enough to get one of the rusty old trailers as an added bonus too. Let me tell you, it looks like there is NOTHING here- very flat land!!

Krispy Kreme Bandits...







After the BBQ, my sister Gabriela- who has been known to eat desert first (not kidding!) called me in the middle of the night (2 am to be exact) and informed she would be over in about 5 minutes and we were going to Krispy Kreme. Years ago, when Sebastian was about 2 or 3 we had been up all night looking at pictures when for some reason NEEDED to get a dozen KK donuts AT 4 AM! So the Krispy Kreme Middle of the Night Club was established. We actually bought 2 dozen on that trip, ate almost 1 dozen on the way home and left the other box for everyone else when they got up the next morning. Today, we can't eat that many donuts at once anymore, but it was fun to sneak out and do something we will always laugh about. On this particular trip, believe it or not, Sebastian did not want to go, but Alex did. Here, some pictures of the evidence and our newest member...and yes, we are all in pajamas!

BBQ at Nikkol's House





June 2008. I somehow talked my dear friend Nikkol into having a going away bbq at her house. I wanted to see everyone before we left Las Vegas and since we all have kids, it was easier to do it at her house. My house was too small and my wacky neighbors would have gone nuts (as fun as that would have been, I was not interested in ruining anyone's time!). Thank you Nikkol & James, for welcoming us into your home and to the wonderful friends who were able to make it: Jessica, Alicia, Nina, Teresa, Denise, Rob, Ken and Rosie. For those that couldn't make it, I'll see you when we visit. THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING!!!

A New Journey/Adventure

I wanted to start this blog because I figured it would be easier for me to send to everyone as opposed to trying to send E-mails...so this is our page. We are back in Kentucky, on a new journey, a new adventure. I call it Salty Ocean Air & My Boys' Laughter because those are two of the things that make me happier than anything else ever will. (And I really could not fit Peruvian food & Music, Salsa, Merengue, Amazing Healthy Food that you share with your family and friends when you have them over on a Saturday night or Sunday breakfasts like your dad used to make or BBQs when you had 50 people over at your house and your mom and dad cooked and later danced while everybody watched. No. I couldn't fit all that in the title so I shortened it for you...and here we are...) We start in June 2008, Las Vegas... Enjoy! Antoinette