Day 2

Greetings from Las Cruces!
Where did we leave off? Dinner last night was lovely. I had a decent steak salad and got to read a book (purely for pleasure) for the first time in a while. I got back to my hotel at about 6.30PM and fell asleep right away! I got twelve hours of sleep and it was GLORIOUS. First time I’ve slept really well since Diane left and it felt so good! The Holiday Inn express has this cute system for labeling pillows- there are two “soft” and two “firm” on each bed and the label is sewn right onto the pillowcase!
Found this odd little fraying plant on my way out this morning, anyone know what it is???

So, Diane and I had purchased a number of concert tickets for the upcoming months, and now I’m trying desperately to sell them. I listed them for sale online (they’ve been listed for weeks now) and what do you know, a pair sold last night. This morning I dug through ALL of our stuff to find the offending pair and drive around Phoenix looking for a UPS so I could ship them. Jeez.
I wish I could say that was the excitement for the day, but not quite. At my first gas stop I saw that I had a tiny stowaway- a Black Widow spider! Although not deadly, these spiders carry neurotoxic venom and can be very dangerous. She crawled behind something and I wasn’t able to kill her, so I was pretty jumpy for the rest of the day. My good friend Mary is an arachnologist, who told me about a special spray to get to take care of the spider. Tomorrow I will be ready. Bring it on, bug!! Those of you who know me know I’d never kill anything if not for a higher purpose, but introducing this spider to New Orleans would probably not be good (not to mention me going batshit crazy on my cross-country drive would also not be ideal).
Had a few great chats today including B&B, GM, Bianca (who kept me company for two hours! A record!), and my seester-in-law who got a call even though she’s not a grandma! I have to say that the support I’m getting from everyone is propelling me through this trip and making it much easier and better than I thought!
Here’s my midday Starbucks stop. :)

Not much more to report, I suppose. I almost pushed farther today since I was feeling so energetic, but the skies opened up! Thunder and lightning and pouring rain was a little bit daunting, so I went along with my original plan and called it quits in Las Cruces.

The beautiful hotel I wanted to stay at was all booked up, so I found another Holiday Inn Express. I got a customer rewards number since I have a feeling i’ll be frequenting the chain this trip.

In other news, I made it through my first time change! So happy to be one hour closer to my family!!

I looked up restaurants walking distance from my hotel and there was a Subway and a Pizzeria UNO. Not happening. Sad I had to drive, but I found an Outback up the road. I’m not a big fan of chains, but there’s something to be said for consistency, right? I’m sitting here, ordering little plates one by one. I ordered some Ahi Tuna (one of my faves) and it was served alongside Italian Dressing. Oy. Toto, I don’t think we’re in a coastal town anymore!

Anyway, Monday night football is on so you’re all outta luck. I’ll write ya from Texas tomorrow night! Proof of life below…