Monday was, as expected, a long day of travel, but our lay-over time in Dallas was quite enjoyable because the Southwest employees hosted games for the waiting travelers. They explained that Southwest Airlines was founded in 1971 (a fact stuck in my head forever). For the first game, they offered a hundred dollar travel voucher to anyone holding a 1971-dated penny and a fifty dollar voucher for the individual with the oldest penny. I dug in my pockets to play along, but most of mine were 2000 or later. John discovered a 1956 penny in his pocket and took it up, but someone else snatched the prize with a 1940s penny. Next, they offered vouchers for people whose credit/library cards, etc. ended in 71. Then, 1971 birthdates. For the final game, they offered prizes to the three who guessed the closest to the number of gallons of blue paint required to cover a Southwest 737. Sean told Trevor to go up with a guess of 73 (I think the correct answer was 90). Then Sean went up with his own guess. When the woman called out Trevor's name for the third place prize (a $50 voucher good for one year), Trevor went nuts - "You mean I won???" He was stoked! It made for a very memorable travel experience (in a good way).
On Tuesday, Phil and Martha drove us to Carlsbad Caverns. We knew ahead of time that the elevator was not working, but figured we were young and healthy enough to take on the challenge. The orientation park ranger explained that it would be a four mile trek on a steep terrain. I don't think we grasped the magnitude of that wrinkle until we were on our climb back up and out of the cave. Talk about hard work! I was huffing and puffing like the proverbial wolf. I could feel the blood pumping in my head. The boys kept an unbelievable pace on the return (even with my daily treadmill workouts, I couldn't keep up with the youthful vigor of boys who often spend too much time sitting around playing Fortnight - their current fixation). Thankfully, we all made it back to the surface safely. The structures in the cave were magnificent and it was great fun in the midst of the giant workout.
When we returned to El Paso, we hoped to meet up with our niece, Sarah, and her husband, Saul, for dinner at the restaurant they took us to last year - Barrigas (best Mexican food I've ever eaten). Alas, we arrived to an empty parking lot and a vague sign that did nothing to explain the temporary closure. Sarah and Saul suggested a second option, but we vetoed that because it had a Mexican seafood emphasis and neither of the boys are big on seafood. Finally, we settled on Carnitas Queretaro and Saul enjoyed their Taco Tuesday deal, getting a variety of different tacos, plus treating us again to the classic Queso Fundido. The boys and I all ordered the "Golden Tacos" and John had some sort of Mexican soup. We had pleasant conversation and may have guzzled more water than usual because of our day's activity.
On Wednesday, we embarked on another trip into New Mexico - this time visiting White Sands National Monument. As we walked toward the entrance to the visitor's center, I overheard someone passing along their 3 round plastic sleds and a small cube of wax. They weren't finding any takers, so I happily took them. We marveled at our exceedingly good fortune when we discovered inside that all the sleds for purchase were sold out. It was a good thing we acquired the sleds for free because sledding down the sand dunes was rather anticlimactic. You really didn't go fast at all. Still, we had a great time climbing the white gypsum sand dunes and sitting atop them while the boys (and occasionally we grown-ups) sled down from time to time. The view was stunning with a clear blue sky above the distant mountains and an endless stretch of white before us.
Upon our return to the visitor center, I set off to pass along the sleds to someone else. When a man approached me and offered $5 for the sleds and wax, I instantly decided to take him up on the deal - he was obviously willing to expend the money and they were sold-out and inaccessible otherwise. I think everyone else in our party was appalled that I took the man's money without explaining that we had obtained them for free. I assured them that I would pass along the unexpected windfall (or in their eyes, mercenary extortion - ha) to a worthy cause (I intend to donate the money to my Bible Study Fellowship offering - they do not charge for their study materials and provide such eternal profitability).
On Thursday, in keeping with our exercise regimen, we decided to repeat last year's hike up to a cave on Franklin Mountain. This time around, John actually made it to the ground above the cave, where he said the view was even more spectacular. Although I was quite achy and sore by the time Thursday afternoon rolled around, I felt exhilarated by my accomplishments.
Our return flights home on Friday went smoothly and during the 30 minute layover window in Houston, we received the long anticipated call from Bryce with news about his job assignment (we have been waiting patiently to learn whether or not he snagged his first choice assignment in the Chicago area). Alas, instead of three openings in the Chicago area, it turned out there was only one available in Blue Island and Bryce didn't get it. He will go to his second-choice location, a plant in Marietta, Ohio. Thankfully, the assignment is a temporary one (from 18 to 30 months), so even if he doesn't exactly like the location, it will be a learning experience with a short duration. Hopefully, when the more permanent rung of placements arrive, he will not be all the way across the country. For now, I can live with a five to six hour drive to visit him. He seems thrilled and excited about the whole thing and that is all that really matters.
Although we had great visits in 2017 and 2018 for our spring breaks in El Paso, I'm hoping John will choose a different location for next year (I think we've milked their kindness and hospitality enough - you wouldn't believe how much bacon Martha cooked up for the boys during our five day visit). Perhaps we will venture to Florida and include a brief visit with my parents (we cannot impose on them too much due to the limited size of their home and limited patience of my mother, whose dementia makes visits far more tricky these days). I wouldn't mind a mother-son trip to London (as one of Sean's classmates enjoyed for his spring break). Doubt I could get my travel-averse husband to jump on board for that one, even though we already possess the necessary passports. In my dreams, anyway. Too bad Southwest doesn't fly to London - after all, Trevor has a $50 voucher to offset the expense!
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