July 5th: Happy Birthday to Me!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!
Today is my birthday. I am now thirty-six. We spent the majority of the day traveling from Carlsbad to Deming. But on the way we stopped at White Sands National Monument. What a great place to see! It is 275 miles of pure white gypsum sand dunes in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert that are so vast they reach the mountains that encircle the dunes on all sides of the horizon. We had no idea what we would see, but were shocked by the endlessness of the white sand. Families had brought sleds to slide down the dunes as if on snow. It was so blistering hot that no one could stay in the direct sunlight for too long. Aidan found a left over rain puddle and played in it. He pretended he was at the beach! Being the nerdy teacher, I had to get out and get my hands in that sand. And so what if some of it ended up in a water bottle. Hmm. Hope no park rangers are reading this!

That evening, we stopped at a small RV park where we were greeted by a very crabby woman who practically yelled at us for arriving after six o’clock when the office had closed. But we smiled and parked for the evening. We had a nice meal of fried green tomatoes, zucchini, and squash, cooked green beans and potatoes and pork chops. I got some really nice presents for my birthday. Lee and Diana gave me an adorable pair of polka-dotted chickens and a new apron. I will certainly enjoy displaying them in my new kitchen. Matt surprised me with two original acrylic paintings of a hen and a rooster for our dining room. I had spotted them in Pecos and never even mentioned them to him until we were leaving and I saw Diana emerge from the museum with wrapped paintings. Knowing that she loves art, I assumed she purchased them for herself. I even said to Matt, “I’d be willing to bet she bought the two chicken paintings!” But he knows me so well. He had already purchased them before we finished our museum tour, and Diana was the decoy. That Matt; he sure is a good gift giver. Aidan gave me lots and lots and lots of hugs and kisses for my birthday, and then we snuggled on the couch and watched TV together. That is all I could have ever wished for.