Food Adventures

Yes, he is putting Pad Thai into a corn tortilla...

We've had a couple of new food adventures in the past two days. Yesterday, I made Pad Thai for Ulises. He, of course, had to make it as Mexican as possible, including eating it with tortillas, even though it is a pasta dish . . . But in any event, it was an experience. And he was surprised that he actually liked it. Then today, we made potato chips!! They actually are really good, though HORRIBLE for the health.

Thai food, Mexican style!

Home made potato chips, fried, not baked

Out and About

Outside of Frida's with my LOCO :)

On Friday night, we went to eat at Frida's again.  I like the atmosphere, though I haven't loved the food.  But every now and then, it is worth it just for the environment.
Today was a fun day.  After church, we went to the park to walk around with a friend.  While we were walking, we found a place that has a stone wall for each of the Mexican states.  Since Ulises is originally from Veracruz, we took a picture.  From there we went to Ulises's sister's house.  We played chess with his niece.  It was a good day.

Around this monument you will find all the states of Mexico.

Veracruz . . .

The greenery of Juarez

Back Home

I am back home in Juarez. It was a long day. We had to drive to Billings, MT this morning so I could catch my flight to El Paso. I had only about an hour and a half layover in Denver, and arrived in El Paso almost two hours ago. It is good to be back. Although I love traveling, love visiting friends and family, I always feel worn out at the end of a trip. But I am glad I went, glad I got to meet Bentley before he gets too much older, and glad I got to see Heather. It had been nearly a year since I saw her last.

When I got home, I was surprised by flowers waiting
for me, from Ulises of course.  These two flowers
he got in memory of my mother, for mother's day.

And these flowers for me :)

Shooting and Smoking

Shooting a pistol

Today we went shooting.  Heather and her husband own a wide variety of guns.  Although I personally don't own a gun, I don't have a problem that they do, and I feel that knowing how to handle a gun is an essential skill for everyone.  That way, if I ever HAD to use one, I wouldn't hurt myself or an innocent bystander in the process.  That being said, I had a great time shooting, and then taking pictures with Heather.
While we were out shooting, we had meat smoking so that we could eat when we got back.  It was a great dinner.  All in all, this has been an excellent trip.  Tomorrow is back to CDJ!

Don't mess with us!

This rifle looks like an assault weapon, but it is actually
for shooting coyotes, if I remember correctly.

I'm bad, I know it!

The arsenal

Williston DMV

Me and Bentley at lunch

Heather and I drove to Williston today so that I could renew my driver's license (the other reason I made this trip, second to meeting Bentley).  Luckily, it wasn't a very long wait, and I didn't even have to prove that I am still connected to my dad's address!  It went very smoothly, and the picture turned out alright.
After that, we spent most of the rest of the day in Williston.  We went to lunch and then stopped at Maurices.  I have to say that I love Maurices, and there is no Maurices anywhere near the Ciudad Juarez/El Paso area.  I only got a few things, but only because I knew I didn't have room in my luggage.  There were a few more items that I wanted, so I ordered them online.  I will be very excited to receive those in a week or so!  We then grilled tonight for dinner.  It was delicious.
This weekend is going by way too quickly.  I only have one more full day left before I have to head back to Juarez!  Despite that, I am missing Ulises and Gizmo, so it'll be good to get back.

Jalapeno cheese pull apart bread.  Yum!

Trip to Sidney

I am now in Sidney, Montana.  I arrived this afternoon after a rather long and treacherous flight.  I say treacherous only because I have never felt a plane move like that before in my life.  It's hard to explain, but the plane shook from side to side as we got close to landing in Sidney.  I guess there was some pretty nasty weather, and being in the smallest plane I've ever been in didn't help, either.

Heather and Bentley

But I made it safe and sound.  The airport in Sidney is the smallest I've ever been in, as well.  Soon after landing, Heather arrived and we went out to lunch.  It was good to see her and to FINALLY meet her son, Bentley.
After lunch, we went back to her house.  We basically just hung out until her husband got home, and then we went out to eat for dinner as well.  We were talking after that, and I suppose I will be tired tomorrow, but it was worth it.

Present

This is a pull-up bar.  In reality, you can use it for
push-ups and sit-ups as well.

I know it's late, but I didn't have a chance to buy my gift for Ulises prior to our anniversary yesterday.  Today I had an orthodontist appointment, so it was the perfect opportunity to pick up my gift.  I actually was planning on buying something else, but the store I went to didn't have what I was looking for.  When I saw this, though, I knew it was perfect.  Let's just say, the gift was opened by a very excited boyfriend.