Settling in.

We just had our first guests over last weekend. My brother and his wife arrived Friday and left on Monday. It was fun but I got sick right before they arrived so I was pretty tired most of the time and at some point I started losing my voice. Friday I made chicken enchiladas with spanish rice (a pressure cooker recipe I threw together) and some refried black beans. Everything turned out perfect and for dessert we had bunellos with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. That night we all watched 500 days of summer and relaxed.

The girls were suffering with colds and gas all night long and we couldn't figure out a way to console them but eventually Larry rubbed the girls tummies and they fell asleep. I woke up feeling rested in spite of being up half the night and I made everyone some whole wheat pancakes for breakfast. We went to the zoo that day for the easter egg hunt. Admission was free (to our surprise) and the girls seemed to have a lot of fun running around in the midst of lots of other children. I couldn't convince Layla that she should pick up the eggs and Larry couldn't convince Ruby either so they ended up with 5 eggs between the two of them. Afterwards we toured the whole zoo and grabbed some lunch at Taco Box. We all laid down for a long nap after we ate and it really helped recharge my battery. Larry and I made Easter dinner that night (because Larry had to work on Easter) and it all turned out great. Larry is a wonderful turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy cook. I made broccoli salad with pecans and yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. For that evening's entertainment we watched Gentleman Broncos by the makers of Napoleon Dynamite. It was a strange but enjoyable flick with an interesting soundtrack.

Sunday was very low key. I couldn't show them Joes' boot shop because they aren't open on Sundays and it was Easter so instead I drove them all the way to Texas and then all the way to Portales to see our church and visit the cute little town that I may want to live in some day.

For lunch we had limited options besides leftovers so Rhys and Andrea treated me to lunch at Taco Box. That evening we brought our leftover turkey, cupcakes, and some green chiles I had to the fire station where the guys were planning on fixing us turkey enchiladas. We put a baby gate up at the fire pole so that the girls could run around without me worrying that they were going to fall down the hole. Everyone made us feel very welcome and at home during our visit and they kept saying that I was always welcome to come by and visit Larry.

That evening we all sat on my bed and watched a couple episodes of the marriage ref;-)

The visit came to an end on Monday:-( but at least I have my parent's visit in May to look forward to.

In other news...

We found a CHURCH!!! After visiting three different churches around the area we found a church 20 miles away in Portales! I love everything about it. There are lots of kids the girls' age, the worship was sincere and easy to follow and the pastor was passionate. They have small groups with one that is a play group for mom's and their kids. Larry recently started carpooling so now I'll have a vehicle when he's away at work.

As a probationary firefighter Larry's making a very small wage and after looking at our bills we realized that we would need to find a way to bridge the gap. I filled out an application at Albertsons and Larry filled out an application at Lowes. Larry got a call and had an interview and the following week and was hired for the cabinet/appliance department part time. Apparently this department is the most coveted position on the floor because it includes sales commission. The amount of money he'll be making will more than bridge the gap and we'll be doing quite well.

Larry's really enjoying his job and his co-workers. On his last shift he got to perform chest compressions on a man having cardiac arrest due to having cancer and liver disease. The patient had a pulse upon arriving at the hospital and Larry said the whole experience was pretty overwhelming emotionally.

Right now Larry's working on getting his NM EMT license and in August he'll start classes to become an EMT Intermediate.

I'm really enjoying it here. People are very friendly and relaxed and I never have to deal with traffic.