October 27 - November 2, 2024
This week’s highlights included earning my Master level Splankna certification training and reconnecting with two of my fellow high school alumni. I was back on the road briefly, making the road trip from Denver, CO to Phoenix, AZ and then (wait for it!) staying in one place for more than a handful of days! 😱
Sunday, October 27th
Today wrapped up Master level Splankna training. It has been a long haul, but I finally obtained my Master Level Splankna certification! 🎉🎉
After packing up and checking out of the hotel, I met up with my friend Joanie after I had checked out of the hotel.
We met at the Children’s Hospital in Colorado to walk their labyrinth, which I also visited last year with Joanie.
Afterwards, we headed to a nearby cafe, LostCoffee, where we had subpar drinks and bad service, but still enjoyed talking and catching up soon each other’s lives. I’m kicking myself for not getting a photo together, but we promised to keep in better touch, and after we said our goodbyes, I headed over to Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Centennial, CO to meet up with a friend from high school, Kristin K.
It was so great to see Kristin after so many years. The last time we saw each other was during a holiday trip she and her family were on in Alaska– we met up for a sled exchange. This was more than a few minutes, and it was SO GOOD to have a couple hours to catch up and talk and then *really* talk.
Our visit ended far too soon (but it’s a work day tomorrow for Kristin!), so with a hug and thank you, I was back on the road. I finally stopped for the night at a rest stop in Pueblo, CO just before midnight.
Monday, October 28th
I slept about 4 hours, but it was a restless sleep, so I was back on the road, driving another 45 minutes until I hit the El Moro Rest Area in Trinidad, CO, where I slept another four hours.
Around 10:30, I stopped at the Las Vegas Carnegie Public Library in Las Vegas, NM where I worked for a few hours.
Then, I grabbed a couple smoothies from across the street before getting back on the road and heading to Gallup, NM.
In Gallup, I stopped at Westminster Presbyterian Church to walk their labyrinth, then jumped back in the car and on the road, stopping once for gas in Holbrook, AZ before arriving in Phoenix at my friend Kristina’s just after 10 p.m.
I settled in and went straight to bed,
Tuesday, October 29th
Kristinas works an *early* shift, so she was up and out early. I got up long enough to say hello to her before she had to dash out to work, then went to lay back down for a while.
Once I finally roused myself, I realized I needed to do some laundry, so I drove a few minutes down the road to Papa’s Laundry. Hindsight’s 20/20, and while I could have used the washer & dryer at Kristina’s, there’s something about a (clean) laundromat that is comforting- maybe it’s the warmth, or the smell of fabric softener. Or maybe it’s because there are days where getting laundry done is my biggest win, and today was one of those days- not because there was anything wrong with my day, but because sometimes we have to revel in the simple victories in life- like clean laundry and fresh-smelling clothes.
Wednesday, October 30th
I dropped my car off at Christian Brothers Automotive (CBA) for the 90,000 mile maintenance, and caught a shuttle back to Kristina’s.
The shuttle driver was friendly, and we enjoyed some quiet conversation as we drove. The scripture on the courtesy shuttle bumper drew my attention- Matthew 22:39.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Such an easy concept, yet something we struggle so mightily to do. I hope we can all do better.
When CBA called me later in the afternoon, they advised me of a couple things:
1. That I was overdue for an oil change, which I vehemently denied since I had an oil change on October 1st. However, after comparing my current mileage to the mileage on my vehicle on October 1st, it seems that I have driven over 5,000 miles in the last month. 🚙😮 So apparently, I will need an oil change. Add it to the list, I said!
2. They would not be able to get all the 90,000 mileage maintenance work done today, so I can’t pick it up until tomorrow.
Consequently, I just spent the day working on my laptop.
Thursday, October 31st
Cliff notes version of the day: picked up my vehicle from CBA this morning, dropped it off at Audio Express to have the stereo issues fixed.
From there, I decided to add a dash cam since I drive so much, and scheduled that for next week.
I grabbed a few items for Kristina from the grocery store, then headed back to her place to do some work. Her adorable doodles kept me company until Kristina got home, then Kristina spoiled me with an amazing dinner!
Friday, November 1st
For First Friday, we joined some of Kristina’s friend and went downtown for the First
Our first stop was the Cobra Arcade Bar, which was just the blast of fun and nostalgia I needed.
While the others were primarily obsessed with Dance Dance Revolution, I fed Donkey Kong and Galaga about a buck in quarters before learning that the bar was giving away free tokens to play the video games. Once I had a handful of tokens, I spent a solid hour of feeding quarters into Donkey Kong and Galaga, losing consistently at both, but having a great time.
Afterwards, we wandered the streets for a bit, stopping to eat at a restaurant I can’t remember and wandering the booths.
Later, we popped over to the Churchill (901 N 1st St), which is an event venue and community gathering space with about ten businesses within it. We grabbed some pizza to go from one of the restaurants (Kristina, what was it called again) and headed home for the night.
Saturday, November 2nd
We hung at Kristina’s place all day, and went to a neighbors in a nearby unit for a BBQ that night.
They tried to grill, but it was POURING rain, so we moved the BBQ inside to the oven and their friends house.
I called it a night early, and headed back to Kristina’s for bed.
It was a low-key week, but I am really enjoying the time and conversations with Kristina.
