Arrived in Arizona

I made it.

At first I thought that when I got off the interstate that I somehow was teleported to Switzerland!  It was so snowy. It was snowing and there was so much snow on the ground you could not see anything but snow.

Let's see if I can get at least one complete day of blogging done and then I can go back and work on the previous ones.

After a not so good sleep last night... less than 3 hours and it was restless and very noisy. I should have just taken my sleeping bag and slept on I 40 as loud as it was and I also could not get the temperature to regulate. I was either way too hot or way too cold.  So at 5:30 I decided to just get on up.  I chatted with Jeff for a few and then decided to start getting ready to go as I was getting sad as I miss him.  I called the boys but the calls went to voice mail, but the weather was not the best all day and reception was spotty in New Mexico.

7:15 I am packed up with coffee and a better attitude... ready to get on the road. I have just a short ride today of 437 miles.

I am so glad that I chose to stop when I did last night as I would have been so upset to have missed New Mexico to the dark. It is absolutely breathtaking!!  The weather was cool and the temperatures varied mile to mile.  I stopped at Clines Corner which is at an elevation of 7200 feet.  I sure could tell I felt like someone put rocks in a hat on my head!  I got a geocache here and took some pictures.  They had a nice diner and I ate French Toast and then looked through the large gift shop purchasing 2 postcards to send to Prestin and Martin.

As I continued through New Mexico there was so much to see.  On one side of the road was rocks and mountains the other side would be green and fields.  There were beat bridges and the I came to the quarter mile of billboards!  I thought I was heading to South of the Border but without the funny logos... all these to advertise the next rest stop and it was the size of a Dollar General.  I really need to figure out how to upload my photos here for everyone to see, I bet there is a widget or gadget for it I have not figure out yet.

I also drove through Las Vegas... the New Mexico one and loved that I could keep looking to the road to the side of the interstate and knowing it was Route 66!  Actually my condo is 1 mile from it here in Arizona.

It was cloudy for a while then sunny and then once on the other side of Albuquerque it happened... SNOW!  The funny thing is that I have never in my life seen people drive so great in these conditions.  No one slowed down to a crawl and they continued their 75 mph runs.  The highways were well maintained. I was very impressed.  It snowed for awhile even until I got to the Arizona state line and then... it stopped, the sun came out and it even crawled to 50 degrees! Not much to see from the interstate except the tourist sites and when I was about an hour away from Flagstaff... these dinosaurs popped up on the side of the road and started to run out our way... thank goodness I was able to avoid them but got a great picture of them as I drove!

Okay back to reality!

I called the lady whom I am renting the condo from to let her know I was an hour away and that I would arrive at 2:15 and she sure does bust my bubble.. here I am enjoying the sun and warm and she said she was already at the condo and that her husband was shoveling the drive and patio as there was a snowstorm going on... I thought she was kidding.. so I said I would see her in an hour and hung up.  Well over the next 30 miles it was wonderful and then it happened... the temperature dropped from 50 to 36 in I swear 4 miles!  It started to snow and continued to snow all the way until I arrived 25 miles later. The interstate was clear and then it happened, I got off the exit and when I did I though for sure that I was transported to another country.... Switzerland was the first thing that came to mind!  There was so much snow and white everywhere I was stunned.  I made quick work to get to the condo just right off the exit and pulled into the Country Club.  There is a golf course there... but you would never know!  I got to the condo and out come my owners.  96 inches and it was still falling. They said it had been really snowing this week and it even had the interstate closed down for a few days.  I got the keys, a quick tour and she told me how to find the gym, coffee lounge, country club lounge, hot tub, and business center all of which I have use of while here. Then she told me directions to the mall and grocery and such which is all a quick 2 mile ride.  I was still so stunned over the snow I still to this minute have no idea what she said and I am sure it will result in a phone call or email tomorrow. 

After unloading the car I post my facebook status to let those who care about me know I have arrived and I call my best friend Alaina to vent about the snow and I get sent to voice mail! It then realized it was already evening back in South Carolina and that Jeff would be up and getting ready for work so I called him and had a short brief call. Then I uploaded my photos and drank some hot chocolate.

I fully expected to hear from Joe, my cheerleader (oops, recruiter) but not a peep.. and then I decided that if I wanted to eat some supper I better go explore for the grocery store.  So off I went.  I drove through the country club and then found the mall and grocery stire right away.  There was a Best Buy so all is well and the grocery store had a Starbucks in it... so a few comforts.

Then it hit me as I was in the Safeway... I was homesick. I realized that I had to grocery shop, not just get a meal like on vacation. and I suddenly started to feel panic and like I was going to cry.  I quick text to Jeff to get my mind off of it and then Alaina talking me through what we were eating tomorrow (we start our diet and exercise program then look for details tomorrow) and what things I needed to buy got me through and then I was back on track and ended up with my first week of groceries ... $88.00 later!  I was signed up for a Safeway card and the checker and bagger were very friendly and they immediately knew I was NOT from this area!  I left feeling like I had accomplished something and headed home. It was now approaching dark and the snow was blowing pretty decent.  Got back home unloaded and put groceries away got on some warm jammies and cranked up the heat!

Well that pretty much sums up my day and I am excited that I actually typed out a whole day.  I am looking forward to doing this and maybe this will keep me sane.  I am nervous about tomorrow and already have my alarm set for 5:45AM and will leave at 6:30 as I want to have plenty of time to get there and allow for the weather.

I made two of three of my goals for the day... I saw a sight and I got here before five. I have to give myself a fail for not crying... well two out of three isn't bad considering.

Goals for tomorrow:
1. Get up on time and be a morning person for once!
2. Start my diet
3. Start my exercise
4. Unpack

I am going to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket, some soup and the TV. Until then.... Sweet Dreams!