Been away from home but not away from family

Just got back home from an unexpected long week with my daughter, nephews & my Mom. It was not planned out at all and it was very unexpected. What was just a weekend trip to drive our eldest daughter to the airport included my sister heading to the airport with her husband. So I already knew my Mom was going to be watching my nephews for Spring Break, I was not thinking of staying with her for the break. Our kids have sports at home so I figured we were set on their schedules, but my husband suggested me staying with my mom for the week with our youngest daughter. He would return at the end of the week for us and our eldest daughter's return flight at the airport. Made sense. So we went with the impromtu plan. Even as he loaded up to leave, my eldest nephew grabbed his bags and jumped in with him to go home with him and his cousins for a week. It just all worked out for all of us.

The six hour drive that seperates all of us is common but sometimes we just can't pull it off. So this Spring Break was good for the family. The older cousins spent some time together on the rez while the younger cousins spent some time in the city. With our eldest daughter flying out to Washington, D.C. and the little ones with us at the city zoo, museum, park, and movies.

The entire week was devoted to the kids. In the city, my Mom and I woke up to preparing breakfast for the kids and planning out activities for the day. My Mom was so glad to have me there as her partner and backup. You need reserved energy for a 5 & 6 year old plus a 12 year old. Thank goodness my 12 year old nephew found humor in all the places we took the little ones because if he didn't have fun I would've felt really bad for leaving him out.

Back home on the rez, the older boys were loving their bit of freedom. My husband works in the seperate office all day so the boys are in the house. When he needed to drive our eldest to baseball practice or games they were together. When he needed to drive on an errand for work or grab some groceries they hopped in with him. Our youngest son loves to cook. So he was my backup in the kitchen while I was away. But I'm sure they all added in their own ingredients and flavor breakfast and lunch.

I think in both places we were all so busy in the day time but as soon as the day ended and we all winded down for bed, that was the time we all missed each other. As I laid next to my youngest daughter each night she would trickle down the list of everyone she missed and asked what they were doing and when we would see them. My answer was always the same each night, We'll see them Friday. My eldest daughter would be calling and texting at bedtime from Washington, D.C. My husband would be calling and texting from hom missing all of us. My boys would send out a simple text. We all had our bouts with sleepless nights here and there though. Comforting as a Mother to know that my family likes to have that close bond.

Funny that I have been waiting so long to stay with my Mom in the city and get my little things done. No time for hair appointments. No time to get my haircolored...and I'm really needing a touch up. No time for my nails. No time for a brow wax...even though its super quick. No time for browsing in my section of clothes. No time for popping into my favorite shops. No time to call up my friends in the city for a quick visit. No time for my favorite morning runs on the local walk path by my Mom's neighborhood. No time to sit and read my book that I carried in my purse all week long. No time to blog about my daily outtings on my new Blogger.com App that I uploaded onto my cell phone on the drive over to the city. There was simply no time we made for ourselves. We literally devoted all time to the kids. Which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Well Friday snuck up on us and we found ourselves surprised it was really the end of the week. We started out our morning at the movie theater, which was great because we had a big pancake breakfast and no one in our group required concession food. Plus we sat through the entire movie with no dashes to the restrooms. As an added bonus, there was only one other family so we pretty much had the theater to ourselves. Gotta love that.

Right out of the theater, we grabbed some lunch and off we went to the airport. We didn't plan out the airport and security situation with three children so well, so we were laughing at ourselves trekking through the busy airport with all the kids, getting escort passes for all and standing through long lines of security checks. But we did it and it was great for the kids to experience that event. Our little group made it even more special for our eldest daughter when she walked off the airplane and saw all of our faces at the gate awaiting her return. She had her own little cheering squad.

Then we shuttled off to a family friendly spot to meet for dinner and arcade games. We played there until we were all yawning and cashed out with prizes. Returned to my Moms and then welcomed in my husband with all the older boys. Since my Mom's house was full of her grandchildren, my husband and I decided to take our youngest daughter with us to our regular hotel a couple of blocks away. But we were surprised to learn that all of the local hotels were booked solid. Then we found vacancies available. At a very beautiful resort and one of the first resorts built in Arizona, The Arizona Biltmore. So this was an unexpected treat for our tired senses. We were barely awake at check in.

When we woke up the next morning, my Mom and her husband were ready to take all of us to an air show at the Luke Air Force Base, so we said we would meet them at the air show. As they rushed off to the air show, we enjoyed a breakfast buffet with wonderful coffee. We took in all of the architecture and landscape around the resort. We took our daughter for a quick swim in the pool. When we checked out, valet delivered our suburban and we glided off to meet up at the air show. It was wonderful. Truly a treat.

As we approached the air show traffic, we realized everyone from the city was attending this event. We plugged along in traffic, parked with the masses and hiked it a couple of blocks to the security entrance. Was just like airport security, but all outdoors and performed by military soldiers. Now we were there and it was vast. Thank goodness for cell phones. We hoaned in on each other by describing our surroundings and finally all met up just in time to enjoy the show together. The blasting planes were awesome. The unimaginable force of being inside of the aircraft as they flew above the crowd was mindblowing. The speed and force of the aircraft flying overhead us made us yell out, take pictures and videos. There were a couple that snuck up on us and made our hearts rumble. Once the show was over, we knew we had a long walk back to the parking area and we already expected to be caught in traffic. So we didn't meet up together again until two hours later. Then it was time to pick up my sister and her husband at the airport but this time the kids were ready for dinner and we were all packed up ready to leave Mom's house. So my Mom and her husband went to the airport and my husband and I loaded up the kids for the restaurant. About an hour later, we were all together at the restaurant, kids were fed and playing ball in the half empty parking lot. Then we had to return to Mom's for more luggage and my sister's family labrador.

Enroute to my Mom's house, my husband and I pulled over to a bakery and picked up a birthday cake and ice cream for our nephew. His birthday had gone by and my sister had been trying to schedule his birthday party with snow storms popping up every weekend before Spring Break, so this was a great opportunity to sing Happy Birthday for him with all of us together. He was surrounded by family in the dark with only the light of the candles shining on his bright smile.

I must say it was sad to say our byes to everyone. We always see each other and we always stay in contact but it's rare that we get to stop everything and just be a family together.

burrito magnet

Okay..so, there is this burrito. Not an ordinary burrito. It's a burrito that I look out for, that I get excited about and that I can't replace. I'm so hooked on this burrito that it has gotta be laced with something...ha! This burrito is only available in the mornings...they sell out by 10am.. so if I'm seriously craving this burrito in the morning I gotta schedule my route around it before they sell out and close up shop. When they close up shop, they literally disappear. Then there is no evidence of them, until the next morning.
Now, now, I don't eat this burrito every morning...but I do come close to it. I know it's just waiting there, ready to be bought but I resist. The burrito has gotta be respected. You have got to take it in doses, the goodness that is. Once you make the decision to purchase the burrito, you gotta go through the obstacle...every great thing as got an obstacle.
First of all, are you getting one or are you getting two? Are you going alone or is somebody joining you. If three are going it can get tough, wires can get crossed and you might not get the full satisfaction, so three is tricky but doable.
Now morning school traffic is a mess and the burrito is located right across from the school, across the cross walk with constant pedestrian traffic, next to the car wash traffic and the laundrymat traffic...so you see, it's an obstacle. So once you make the decision, you gotta commit, there's no backing out of that obstacle. Once you maneuver through there, you gotta park. Now I have a full size Suburban, so people have gotta get out of my way for this machine. At first, I let my obsession over the burrito get the best of me and I would zip right through the obstacle and park right up front like I was the burrito VIP drive up window. There is a window, but it's for people to walk up to order & pick up. Anyway, I've tamed myself and now I park further back, giving all the compact cars plenty of room to stack next to each other.
When it's time to walk up and order you gotta hurry because people are coming from all directions to get in line. The line throws you off too because it's not an orderly visable line. People get a ticket number once they pay so customers are lingering around holding their tickets. PLUS some people get their ticket number and wait in their vehicles. So you gotta hurry so that you don't end up being 8 tickets behind.

WARNING: When I am enroute to the burrito window to make my order I have one mission, the burrito. Sometimes I get there and various burrito options will be crossed out SOLD OUT so I gotta pay attention and prepare my tastebuds for the burrito I will be ordering. So forgive me, my attention is absorbed. If you call out my name, if you wave at me to get my attention, I may not recognize you, you may be a blur at the moment. I have a friend who came with me and almost knocked her head on the window shade because she was so focused on the burrito...so be careful.

You make your order, get your ticket number and now you wait. Depending on your position in the ticket number line, it could take up to 20 minutes (which is the longest I had to wait). And if you decide to wait in your vehicle and get to happy about the burrito on its way, friendly fellow customers will signal out your number to you through your windshield....oh yeah,  its that great.

When you approach the window, please observe, you get your burrito/s handed to you with two hands, a smile and "Have A Nice Day"!! How frickin awesome is that? I love that part :)

You quickly rush (I always tend to rush) back to your vehicle, holding the warm paper sack holding the burrito. Inside is a napkin, green chili, salt, foil & parchment paper wrapped fresh hot burrito. When you open up the burrito it is completely filled, sometimes, even overfilled that there is extra yummy goodness on the parchment paper.

While you take your first bite (omg~ my mouth is watering) you will notice and tell yourself out loud in your head, "Ohh my goodness, this tortilla is so soft, warm and smooth...it is melting in my mouth". The filling is a whole different story because there are different selections that I can't ruin it for you, you gotta try yourself and have your experience of the burrrito.

When you are all done and have consumed the entire burrito, you are superb. You can conquer the world at this point. Now don't go crazy and rush to buy a second burrito for yourself, again, respect the burrito and take it one at a time. Savour the flavor and embrace the wonderful power it has given you for your day.