Plans changed, but I made it to Texas

 Well, if any of you follow my Facebook or talk to Mom you know that my WY to TX back to WY and then back to TX plan didn't work out at all.  The Thursday before I was supposed to leave, I threw my back out BAD.  I'm talking I could barely move - sitting was agony, standing was agony, laying down was ok as long as I didn't move.  That Monday I went to the chiro and he popped me back into place.  It still hurts sometimes but not at all as bad as it was.  To describe the spasming pain, it was like someone grabbed a handful of nerves in my back, squeezed, and twisted, then let go.  Then if I moved wrong, it happened again.  Driving was a nightmare because every bump and turn it would happen.  So all in all, it's a good thing that I decided to just take it easy and relax.  

On Friday night Mom and I headed up to Shell to see my cousin P and his wife R.  It was a really nice visit, I got to see their shop and their cows, I chose not to go see the pigs, as the pig I was most interested in was already in the freezer.  They raise and butcher their own meat, so it was a real treat to have home-grown steaks, bacon, and sausage.  They took us up on the mountain and so I got to see Shell Falls, which was pretty cool (and cold, it was snowing the whole time).  Then we went to a cemetery where my aunt, great grandparents and great-great grandpa are buried.  Great-great grandpa's headstone was in Gaelic.  We got to the shop and had steaks for dinner (from a bull named Fred) which P cooked and they were AMAZING.  The next morning R made us some breakfast burritos and then we hit the road back to Riverton.  I took off the next morning for Texas.

Sicc'em Sam in his stylish coat!

The dogs getting ready for the cattle drive.

A 21st century cattle drive.  Have the treats in the truck, let the cows see ya, drive slowly until you get to where you want them to go... 

... then spread out the treats for all of them to find!  Easiest cattle drive EVER.  This is R, the cow whisperer.  

Here's P, doing his part (besides driving the truck).  They also had to fix some of the fence to keep the darn cows in.  Apparently they are escape artists, who knew?

This one stopped for a pose.

So did the longhorn.

I loved this idea - perfect in the summer, a bit impractical for the winter.

Such a nice creek.

Up the mountain and to the falls we went.

Aren't we cuuuute?!

SO, SO cold.

Shell falls - just a little cold and icy.

It's a pretty area.

Headed back down the mountain we saw some elk, but I couldn't get a good picture of them.

Love the canyon.

Great-great grandpa's gravestone.

R noticed this sight - the baby is BRAND NEW - the momma still has some after-birth hanging out.

Headed back to the ranch.

Their friend made this - they have it in front of their stove that heats the place.

Fred was DELICIOUS.

Lou Lou is not happy she didn't get any (she's on a diet).  On the way home we say 2 bald eagles and a couple of hawks.  Then there's the usual deer and antelope, too.

The trip down to Amarillo was mostly uneventful, though there were a few parts of I-25 in Wyoming that looked like an ice-skating rink.  I got down to Colorado and just had to deal with cold and slush on the highways.  Going thru Denver was no problem.  I was talking to my OTR trucker sister, and we had to laugh because we were both looking for rest areas at the same time, just on different roads in different states.  I stopped in Amarillo to spend the night, which was probably a good thing, but LORD have mercy, I gave myself a heart attack.  I stopped the car, whipped out my smart phone, and found a decently priced Super 8 motel.  Then I got the GPS going and started off.  Well, right away I drove by a skeezy looking Super 8 and thought "crap, that's probably the one I just booked."  I continued to follow my GPS and it took me to a nicer looking one.  Walked in, tried to check in, and the lady said "You're at the wrong one, there are 3 along this highway."  I went "crap, I booked the skeezy one, didn't I?"  She looked at me sympathetically and said to go down the highway a couple of exits and that should be my hotel.  Lo and behold, there was a Super 8 between that one and the skeezy one, which I hadn't noticed because I was distracted by the American Quarter Horse Museum.  Turned out I was booked at that one, which wasn't bad but was under renovations.  The room was pretty nice, but the shower hadn't been done yet, so I didn't shower that night.  I went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, came back, and went to sleep.  

The next day, I was able to see my truck driving sister!  I met her at a truck stop, we cleaned out my front seat so that she had a place to sit, grabbed the puppy and went for coffee.  After coffee we found a park to walk around and get the pup all exercised and have us work up an appetite for lunch.  After that, we went to lunch at El Patron (SO GOOD), and then picked up Chinese food for her hubby when he woke up (told them to make it EXTRA spicy, like, make him regret being BORN spicy), then I dropped her off at the truck and headed for Granbury.  The funniest part of the trip was the puppy being quite confused that she couldn't jump into the back seat the way she normally would.  She looked at my sister with a "what the heck??" look and we both got quite a kick out of it.  Goofy pupper.  

Small seester, BIG truck.  Hehe.

Puppy!!

Puppy is ready to GO!

I think this is the "I was eating a chip!" smile.  Hehe - seriously, GREAT mexican food at this place, and the drinks looked good, too.

I mean, SOOOO GOOD!

I got into my friend S's house around 7-ish.  There was a bunch of traffic around the square which I later learned was because it's spring break.  Remember that?  Yeah, I forgot about it, too.

The next day, I went to GRMC to handle all the HR stuff.  Now here is something to think about.  I don't do drugs, I know I don't do drugs, I'm the least likely person to take anything stronger than whiskey.  However, every time I have a drug test I have to ask, "It's negative, right?"  EVERY. STINKING. TIME.  Why does my brain to this to me?!  The most I had in my system was caffeine from the coffee I had that morning.  SMH.  Anyway, now we are just waiting for the background check to come back and I'm good to go.  Then I went to Fort Worth to look at apartments - so many choices and so many different prices.  I'm glad I went to check out the areas, because some apartments seemed good but the stores in the area had bars on the windows and the road had a lot of dips in it before you got to the tollway.  I decided on a cute little complex closer to the tollway, tucked back away from the main drag, that is all coffee themed.  The lady was personable, helpful, and didn't tell me to "check back every day" for an opening.  So, I went back to my friend S's house, filled out the application, and regaled her with stories of my day.  I also found out that WY got ANOTHER big snow storm the day after I left, so I'm really quite glad that everything worked out so well.  

The view from my friend's house - notice no snow in sight!

The floor plans of my apartment complex - my bestie introduced me to the fun of looking at floor plans.  The prices were the most reasonable I'd found.

Spoiled dog.  Whiskers being dramatic because S was upstairs!

His "You aren't my momma" look.

Yep, I get to stay with someone who has spoiled pets.  She also has a German sheperd and a Belgian sheperd, who loves to play fetch and is smart enough to drop the ball!  

Today I got the call that I'd been approved for the apartment, the one I want will be on the 2nd floor and it will be available on April 1.  That is pretty much perfect - long enough for a good visit with S and short enough that I don't feel like I'm leeching off her good nature.  As soon as HR calls and says I'm good to go, I'll have my orientation.  Things seem to be working out rather well.  Which brings me to another thought.  I suspect that when life is "working out" the way that you didn't expect, but that is really quite good for you, it's a sign that you are on the path God wants for you.  I'm not sure why He wants me back in Glen Rose, but I'm excited for how awesome our leadership team is and how amazing we can make our little rural hospital.  If everything works out, I should have insurance by April 1 as well, so I can get an appointment to see about my thyroid and back issues.  

I'm excited for the newest chapter.  I'm gonna miss my parents and friends in WY, but that's the price I pay for the life I've led.  I'm always going to miss people because I can't ever have ALL of my people in the same place at the same time.  Closest I'll ever come will be my wedding or my funeral.  I do feel good about being back - it's nice to be in a familiar place with amazing people.  Seeing my good friends in TX will be WAY easier and being in Fort Worth will give us plenty of shenanigans to get into.  I even have a couple (true) Yankee friends coming down.  I'm pausing on dating for a while to really try to get that part of my life in line with the Lord since I'm not doing so well on my own.  Lent is a great season for that.  I've also got a book to finish called "Pray, Decide, and Don't Worry."  Seems fitting, right?