This first week has gone by fast. Overall, it has been a good week of seeing family that we have not seen in a while.
It started out with somewhat of an adventurous trip to northwest New Mexico. We were traveling with two cats and a kitten. The kitten, Lil Bit, decided it was time to use the bathroom in his cage not far after we got out of Lubbock. We had to pull to the side of the road, and my wife, Joyce, cleaned off the cat bed on the shoulder of the road. The older two cats smelled it and stood up with a surprised look on their face as if saying, “It wasn’t me”. We then got stuck in a traffic jam between Santa Rosa and Clines Corners. It would normally take about 45 min to get from Santa Rosa and Clines Corners, but this time it took over 2 hours. We ended up staying the night with my in-laws in Cuba, NM. We traveled the rest of the way to my parents in Bloomfield the next day.
Once we got to Bloomfield, it was a good time with my parents and siblings. We have not been all together since my younger brother got married in March 2016. My parents’ house was full. There were 11 people and 6 animals! My older brother, his wife, two of their kids and a dog came in from Las Vegas, NV. My younger sister and brother live in Grand Junction, CO. Both of them came along with my younger brother’s wife, and they each brought their dog. Our cats hid under the bed most of the week. It was a little crowded, but we had lots of fun playing cards and other board games.
My Parents, Siblings and family
Wednesday morning, my older brother went back home to Las Vegas. For dinner, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Si Senor. I got my usual stuffed sopapillas with ground beef in one and chicken in the other topped with green chili. It was good to have some real Mexican food. 🙂
Stuffed Sopapillas Dessert Sopapilla with honey
Thursday, one of my cousins and his family came to town for the day. They are teachers in China and are here in the US for the next couple of months visiting various family and places. I have not seen my cousin in about 11 years. We went to see my Grandma who is in a rehab facility recovering from getting a pace-maker put in and some other health issues. My cousin’s wife and kids had never met Grandma. It was neat hearing all the stories about my grandparents and about my cousin’s experiences in China.
On Friday, Joyce and I went to Durango, CO, and my younger brother and his wife rode with us. It is about an hour north of Bloomfield. Joyce and I got a massage and spent some time at the hot springs relaxing. Daniel and Melissa did some shopping and got lunch. After getting back from Durango, Joyce and I got some more good Mexican food at Taco Box. Later that evening, we all went to one of those escape rooms. It was a lot of fun, and we figured out all the clues and escaped with over 3 min left on the clock.
Escape Room
Saturday, Joyce and I went and had breakfast with her grandparents who also live in Bloomfield. It was good to see them again. We don’t always get the chance to see them when we visit, so it was nice to have the extra time to spend catching up with them. Later this afternoon, we will head to Cuba, NM where we will help with VBS at my in-law’s church next week.
This week, I also started doing devotionals from the book, “The Man God Uses” by Henry and Tom Blackaby, and started reading the book, “The Divine Mentor” by Wayne Cordeiro. They have both been very good. The common theme that has stuck out to me is the need to be teachable. Blackaby mentioned that the common thread in the people God used throughout the Bible was that they had a responsive heart ready to hear God and a life available to obey God. Cordeiro talked about two ways of growing in wisdom. One way is through life experiences, which can be costly in the long run. The other way is by learning from others’ experiences, which can cost some up front but better for you in the long run. The whole book is about listening to the lessons of the various people in the Bible and allowing them to mentor you and learn from their mistakes.
It has been a good week spending time with lots of different family members.
A man lives on the top floor of a 12 story building. When it rains, he can ride the elevator all the way to the top floor to get to his apartment.
When it doesn’t rain, he can only ride the elevator up half way and has to use the stairs the rest of the way. Can you figure out why?