cuzco; the beginning of my journey

I’m in Peru. Estoy en Perú.

For tres dias now I have made mental notes of all the sights and sounds of my experiences and could not wait to get to my macbook and start writing.

Besides a few misunderstandings through customs in Lima, we had a pretty easy trip here. I can’t say I entirely enjoyed the 14 hours of flying time, but I was pretty elated to finally set foot in South America.  I will spare you the details of my boring trip and move onto the exciting stuff.

Flying into Lima, I looked out over the city of 7.6 million people and saw so much poverty. Most of the homes had no roofs, and all were made from clay and mud. That’s not to say there aren’t wealthy people there, but the amount of pobreza is staggering. The view was strikingly familiar to that of Mexico City so part of me felt a comfortably factor I wasn’t expecting.

The flight from Lima to Cuzco only lasted an hour but it was turbulent. That is to say I really wasn’t prepared for the amount of wind here… seriously its so cold. We landed at the smallest airport I have ever been in and made our way with the crowds of people into the luggage area to grab our things.

First impression of Cuzco.  Brown.  I know that’s not a great description of the city I have waited so long to come to but that was mine.  All the buildings where we landed were dark with clay roofs. I was happy to see that downtown Cuzco was a little (a lot) different. 

We pulled into the Plaza de Armas (the main square of Cuzco) to see a grand square with a cathedral, a garden, many restaurants and street hustlers. Our hostel isn’t far off the main stretch but we had to wind through a very narrow cobble stone street to get here. The streets here are different than I’ve ever seen. Old stones, with water canals and short sidewalks where people cling to the walls in hopes that the speeding geo metro taxi’s won’t run them over.  There is a three day festival in the streets for Cuzco’s day of Independence, with many many police standing watch. The festivities begin around 8 am with loud cannons and cheers and big band music. This city never sleeps… seriously. A big band with trumpets and drums marched down the alley around 3:45 in the morning.

We found the main entrance to our hostel and headed in. Our room was waiting for us. Its very quaint and very cold. The water works sometimes and when it does it isn’t very hot.  At this moment I am bundled on my bed at 7:00 pm, with a freezing wet head and two pairs of socks. But, honestly, I don’t mind. Our room is very clean and the staff is really nice. We even have a tiny t.v. in our room, which we have never turned on. They provide coco leaves for tea to cure traveler’s sickness and there is a resident cat who is very very friendly and may possibly be in heat. Our room has triangle shaped windows that look out into the shared hostel space and the walls are thin as paper. We can hear the dance club music from outside all night long. I am bunking with my long time friend Alyssa and we have two other classmates staying here.

Last night we met up with our classmates and decided to hit the town. We went to a bar for travelers called Indigo where they play things like Green Day and Third Eye Blind. They had eclectic paintings on the purple and red walls, and a porch swing for seating. They also had enlarged photos of interesting people from different cultures, like a photo of a girl from Africa and a print of an old man on a swing from South America someplace. Groups of foreigners sat around us smoking hookah and laughing.  It was a great place to start and I hope someday to return. 

After eating a bit we headed to explore a part of Cuzco that we hadn’t been. We found a high end Pisco bar called Museo de Pisco. I tried Pisco for the first time and it was really good.  Pisco is the national alcoholic beverage of Cuzco and there are many variations depending on the age and variety of grape used.  I had mine mixed with fresh mango juice and it was divine. My second was a chocolate Pisco, and if you know me you don’t even need to ask if it was good. ( I am sitting at this moment eating salted Peruvian chocolate) At the Museo, they set out little bowls on our tables filled with corn kernels for munching and a band was setting up. We made good friends with our waiter and tried a few different specialties.  The music started and we had so much fun listening to them we followed the band like Cuzco groupies to the next place they played.  They played “Knocking on heaven’s door” and invited us to do a sing along. Then before we knew it, Alyssa and I were on stage with the band singing “La Bamba.” We danced with a group of Dominicans and chatted with people from Switzerland  and Canada and had a great time. Also, apparently the very native looking singer of the band is a Cuzco celebrity.

We walked our friends home and headed back to our hostel for the night.

One thing about Cuzco, the streets are littered with stray dogs. Limping dogs. Ferocious and tame dogs. Hairless dogs. But the funny thing is most of them are wearing clothing.  It is very cold here and I would like to believe that the people do their best to care even for the strays. Our teacher says the dogs are “free spirits” and come and go as they please.  Another animal typical of being in the streets is Alpaca. They are everywhere, although usually attached to a native Peruvian woman selling bracelets or mittens.

One of the people I have met who made an impact on me is a local Peruvian native girl named Carmen. I don’t know much about her. She sits on top of a church courtyard cliff (A very important Cuzco church that contains the remains of the founder of Cuzco) and sells hand made dolls and jewelry. She is quiet and shy but dressed in the traditional Peruvian woman style with heavy cloth skirts, vest, and straw hat.  She sits in the corner, playing with her younger brother and feeding her alpacas. Her mother and grandmother sit with her and they laugh about things I can only imagine. But. What I can see is the relationship that Carmen has with her family is the same as the relationship that I have with mine. They play, fight, love, tattle, and get irritated. They live in poverty, but they are content with each other. They know no other life. We can look at Carmen and think of how she lives so simply, but we cannot understand its complications because we have not been in her Peruvian shoes. 

carmen

Today was the most amazing day thus far on my trip.  Remember the waiter we became good friends with over Pisco, well he escorted us on a horse-back riding trip through the ruins and caves of Cuzco. Pretty phenomenal.  He speaks some English but not much so I did a lot of translating, and honestly I amazed myself with my vocabulary.  We took a questionable taxi up the winding cobblestone streets to a street where we were dropped off in front of a worn trail. We hopped out and another man named Abel walked us back to a hidden horse ranch. We were greeted (somewhat) by two young men, Ronald y Pablo, who were to be our horse guides.  We mounted up and headed out. Once Ronald realized I could speak Spanish he didn’t stop asking me questions. He wanted to talk about the Spanish conquistadors and education in The United States, his Incan heritage, and he even told me about the process of how they bridle the horses and prepare them for these tours.  He was such a cool kid and I loved to see the passion he had for the animals and his history.  Our first stop was the incan caves of Huayana Picchu. These were a series of 30-36 cave paths that crossed in the middle. In front of the caves were ancient Incan walls famously pressed together perfectly using no tools.  The caves were cool. Literally. It was refreshing to step out of the intense Peruvian sun rays and touch the cool quartz rock.  We had to squeeze through the tight passages and climb up ragged rocks out a small opening at the top of the cave. Honestly, I was scared to death, but so happy I did it. It was such an achievement to stand on top of that mountain knowing that I had just conquered one of its inner workings. 

im on a horse

our group after cave climbing

incan sculpture at las cuevas de mono (a headless monkey)

a view of an old incan villiage from the top of templo de la luna

Ronald

Ronald talked about the Spaniards who came to conquer the Inca people. As we walked through las cuevas de los monos he described how the Spaniards cut off the heads of every animal sculpture the inca had made. He proved his point more as we headed to the Templo de la Luna where the side of the mountain had been carved into a huge elephant head. Headless serphant and puma sculptures surrounded the walkway between the elephant’s head and ear. At this point we were told we were entering sacred land and had to remove our shoes. Entering the sacred cave was a feeling I cant describe. The smooth rock interior was impressive and at the end of the walk was a large smooth sacrificial stone. I looked up to see a hole in the ceiling rock and was informed that at midnight the moon shines through and animal sacrifices were performed to ask for good health of a loved one or cursing of an enemy. We were given a few minutes and as respect to the Incan sacred place, I placed both hands on the stone and stood in silence for two minutes, asking for blessings of good health for me and my children. After leaving the temple a woman sat selling bracelets and replicas of the Incan cross (which I bought for 10 soles) with her two sons. 
 I spoke with her a few minutes and learned her name was Margarita. She was shy but happy. She had a kind face and her children were well behaved sitting next to her.

 

margarita

Our horse ride continued and ended at a small community of shack style homes. I had to pee at this point and asked if there was a restroom I could use. Our friend Pepe  walked into the nearest store and asked for me. The old lady behind the counter was reluctant at first but then offered to let me inside. Walking into the store I realized that this was also her home. She pulled back the curtain and invited me to walk through her home. An old man sat perched in the dark (they had no electricity) surrounded by flies and buckets of household items. The floor was mud, the walls were mud and clay, and the doors were linens hanging from rope.  I said “buenas tardes” and he said the same almost with a surprised tone. I passed through their one room home to be led back outside. The lady pointed down the hill and told me if I followed the narrow path it was down there to the right. I did.  When I got to the bottom I found a mud walled 3x3x5 ft enclosement with a curtain door and a bucket outside. I gently pulled back the curtain to find a hole with places to put your feet. My heart sank. Not for myself but the fact that this is how these people relieve themselves on a daily. Needless to say I didn’t use the ‘bathroom’ for sanitary issues.

maximo

We headed back down the cliff to the Cristo Blanco, the large Christ statue overlooking Cusco. Here I met Maximo. An indigenous Peruvian flute and guitar player. He was thrilled to talk with me about the United States and his instruments. We also met a little girl and her baby alpaca, who we took photos with, something she was very used to from all the tourists.  

For me, Cusco has made such an impact in only three days, I am excited about the culture and the people I have yet to come to know.

Help me fund my Peruvian research and photo journal

Hi. I’m Heidi.

Sometimes in our lives we have to take risks. Risks as small as asking someone to share in coffee conversation or risks as big as traveling to a third-world country suffering extreme poverty, environmental damage and losing indigenous traditions to tell them that there is someone who hasn’t overlooked them.  Someone who wants to share their rich culture’s beauty with the world.

This July I will be traveling to Cusco, Perú on a tropical ecology and community field study with the University of Washington.  I was chosen along with 13 other students to travel to remote areas of the Amazon to sit in the sacred valley of the Incas, to weave baskets with the indigenous women tribes, to explore wildlife and nature conservation of the cloud forest of the eastern slopes of the tropical Andes, and to explore the historical and majestic Machu Picchu.

After being accepted to this program I realized that I could do more for the people of the country. My strength is my photography; my ability to creatively and uniquely capture people and places in a way that maybe others have not seen, to present beauty and personality and also to capture the connection that we all can feel through a photograph. I will be photographing my trip start to finish and upon my return I will be publishing a full color photo journal to raise money for a non-profit organization in Perú that helps to build community from the foundation; their children.

In order to take this trip, I have to leave my own children.  They will be making rounds to stay with friends who have offered their homes for a week at a time and I am forever thankful. Leaving them is the hardest thing I will ever do. However, out of it will come so much good benefiting not only our community but also a community struggling with poverty and the loss of their culture.  That is a gift I want to share with my boys.

After the loss of both my parents I wondered how I could continue to live without their direction and encouragement.  I realized that they live within me, they are my driving force, they watch over me and when I feel scared and alone, they make it apparent that they are watching out for me. It is from losing them that I recognized life is short, do good, be everything and take risks that you know in your heart are worth it.

If you would like to help me realize my dream of publishing my photo journal and help hundreds of people in Peru as well as educate the people of our own community, I am accepting donations to make this trip successful.

For more information about me or my project, you can email me at hvladyka@gmail.com

To support me, you can deposit money to my paypal account: hvladyka@gmail.com or send it to Heidi Vladyka, 2906 N. 21^st #3, Tacoma, WA 98406

Thank you.

Chapter Next.

What a life. Four years ago my life took an unexpected, but invariably desired, path down the road of higher education.  Jumping in with both feet, I continually grew to crave the concept of conocimiento, (knowledge, awareness, conceptual understanding). 

My life has been crowded with chapters, more than, at times, I’d care to review. Within each chapter has been a different Heidi, one learning about herself, her strengths, her abilities, what pushes her, what hurts her, and what/who she loves. She’s acquired different life titles; Daughter, Amante, Friend, Competitor, Estudiante, Mother, Teacher, Artist, Musician, Creadora. Marvelously wonderful and definitively terrible people have come and gone, and here, I stand, empowered. I have found IT, the ultimate ambition of what it is to be human. Estoy contenta within mi mismo. Inside of myself I have found peace.

On June 14^th of this year I will be attending my own graduation ceremony with proud students of the University of Washington as a graduate of the Global Studies Program minoring in Hispanic Studies.

With teary eyes, I am compelled to separate that sentence from the rest of my words, because of the profoundness of that statement to me.  Late nights of black coffee and half opened eyes, stressing over quizzes, pruebas, tests, mid-terms, finals, exams, graduate school application packets, conjointly with the responsibilities of motherhood, friendship, music, art and community. Often, I sit in a window sill of a study room hall at the university surrounded by Spanish literature, books on cultural studies, reglas de composición  history, Pasajes , and I think of my parents.  How much I miss them and how the continuation of life was seemingly impossible at their passing.  Yet, I am alive; the most alive that I have ever been, and they are alive within me.

As the end of this quarter nears, I advance by turning that last page to find myself looking at the title page of a bright new chapter.  What it will be called, yet, no sé, I don’t know, but I am ready and excited to see what titles Heidi will be given, what her strengths will be, who she will love, what will hurt her, and what will push her.  I will be flying off to Peru to begin my own independent photo journal about the indigenous women, the history, the amazon, the social struggles, and Machu Picchu in which will be privately published upon my return with the proceeds benefitting those communities. If you or someone you know would like to assist me in my financial responsibilities at home during this time I will be accepting donations.

Thank you to everyone who has stood by me through all of it, this long journey, you have made an impact inmenso. Adémas, I am so thankful for my life, even the saddest, loneliest parts, because within these parts arrived the conocimento that I have the strength and ability to achieve anything. 

Dia De Los Muertos Exhibit

Sometimes life just gives you a great big slap in the face and says.. oh hey, remember, you have responsibilities.
Thats how Ive felt since I got back from our trip. 
I love my life. I really do. I have huge goals and I don't plan on letting any of them go.
We have been back in Washington now for about 2 months.. and in it full force. We are just sooo busy.
Parker is playing basketball and Noah is being Noah. School is going alright for the both of them.
As for me, I'm back in classes full time, teaching ESL at MFL in S. Tacoma, working on the band part-time, and shooting photography in my spare time.
I started this blog because I wanted to share with you my recent art installation at The Tacoma Art Museum.
I was asked to help install an 'ofrenda' or altar to Carlos Fuentes, author, for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  Some people aren't really aware of this Mexican tradition or think its just about some folks dressed up as skeletons and dancing in the streets. It is not.

Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of the cycle of life. It gives the living an opportunity to remember and celebrate those lives who have touched them in some way. On the altar are many symbolic items. Water, because the journey from life to death is long, the passing may become thirsty. An arch of flowers, represents the passage from one life to another. A photo of the person or people you are honoring. Candles symbolizing life and eternity. Honestly, I find it to be a beautiful holiday and I was honored to be a part of it. 

If you are interested in viewing the displays, they will be up until Nov. 4th along with many activities for Day of the Dead.

And thats, that. Fun facts about my last 3 weeks.

The last few weeks have gone by so fast. I haven’t had the opportunity to write much because I’ve was sitting behind a wheel for 4,000 miles seeing the sights of the U.S.

Now I am sitting on a comfy carpet next to my bed at Ray’s, drinkin my coffee, and thinking about my trip.

I wish I could write about spotting a UFO (cause Lord knows I looked) but I can’t so…

Here is a summary of what has happened. 

Viva Las Vegas.

We were able to find a place outside of Vegas in Henderson NV.  Beautiful resort.  Two Pools and on Lake Las Vegas. We had so much fun just playing in the pools and hanging out at the hotel that we only went into Vegas one day.

I was pretty excited to show the boys Vegas Architecture. We drove through (twice) and looked at all the cool buildings. We saw where they film “Pawn Stars” and we watched the water show at the Caesar’s Palace.

It was sooo hot, so we dipped into a buffet for lunch. Then we headed to Circus Circus for playtime.

In the evening we headed to Old Vegas to catch the Fremont Experience… it was pretty cool.

I think our experience in Vegas was the most relaxing time I’ve had this entire summer. I really enjoyed the sun and the fun and I would definitely do it again.

Interesting facts about Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world:

Over 60,000 pounds of shrimps are consumed in Las Vegas every day, almost as much as in the whole United States.

The world’s biggest mechanical neon sign is that of the cowboy in Las Vegas.

They say it is so big that it can be seen from outer space.

Elvis Presley performed in 837 consecutive sold out shows in Vegas (and he’s not dead).

Flagstaff, AZ

I love driving through the country. I love the land,  the climate changes, the colors, and just the time spent listening to music and chatting.  We left Vegas and headed to Flagstaff to stay the night.  The countryside was so interesting with the huge rocks and hot weather and then dramatically shifting to tall trees and rain.  If you didn’t know you were in AZ you would think you were in WA.   We enjoyed the cool weather and stayed in a comfortable hotel where there was a Mexican wedding going on… how fitting J

We got up early and ate in a really cute diner on Route 66, then headed to the Grand Canyon south rim.

We stopped at “Flintstones Land” and had a blast running around all the stone houses and the awesome theater where they show Flintstones re-runs.  Then after the lightning and rain showers started we decided to head out.

Disclaimer: the last time I went to the Grand Canyon, I was supremely disappointed. Nick and I ventured to the North Rim and it looked so much like Washington I cried, literally sobbed, because it wasn’t what I expected. This time, I was happy.

Despite the massive lightning storms and clouds we were able to see how grand the canyon was.  It was beautiful … and grand.

We took quite a few photos, trying to snap the perfect one of the lightning bolts, but alas, they were too quick for us.

We continued on to Monument Valley.

Fun facts about AZ:

Arizona has 3.928 mountain peaks and summits.. more mountains than any one of the other mountain states.

Yuma is the country’s highest producer of lettuce

Out of all the states in the U.S., AZ has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian Land.

Billy the kid killed his first man, Windy Cahill, in Bonita, AZ.

Mexican Hat Rock, UT.

Yeah. We did it. We stayed at a town called “Mexican Hat Rock:” A town smaller than Mossyrock and named for an actual rock that looks like a sombrero.   The hotel we stayed at was nice and situated along the river, although we didn’t really spend much time there.

We headed out to see Monument Valley.  I loved it, we spent a few hours driving around the self guided tour where you could gawk at “monumental” size rock formations in the shapes of everything from Russian guards to waving hands.  The colors were amazing, bright reds and oranges and the weather held out staying at around 97 degrees until the storm came.

Also, I happened to stop along a long stretch of hiway to snap a photo… the one that is my background photo on FB right now, and randomly Justin and I noticed a sign to the right.  “Forrest Gump ended his trip here” it said. Amazing!! We stopped at the same point as Forrest.  It was pretty exciting so we took some photos and went on our way.

One thing I forgot to mention was the crazy lightning and hail storm that we drove through out of AZ to UT. Seriously, I don’t think I have ever been this scared in a storm in my life. Huge balls of hail smashed down on our jeep from every direction and cars were strayed all over the road.  The lightning would light up the cloud that surrounded us every 3 minutes or so and I was terrified, although I managed to capture some video. Never again do I want to experience this type of weather.

Kanab, UT

After leaving Monument Valley, we drove back up to UT toward Zion National Park.  We passed through a small town and it was getting late so we decided to grab a cheap motel and squat.  The town was named Kanab and it was a good thing we stopped cause the hail and lightning returned almost immediately after receiving our keys.

The kids were dying for some microwavable food (I don’t know) so we grabbed some hot pockets and some microwavable cauliflower and sat on our beds and watched the Olympics.  This ended up being our every night activity. Olympics and food. J

**Kanab is known as Utah's Little Hollywood because of the large number of motion pictures that are filmed in the area.

Zion National Park, UT

If you know me, you know that I have wanted to go to Zion for so long, even planning the trip to Utah based around it.

The park was beautiful, complete with a mile long tunnel through the mountain. It was soooo hot outside and packed with people that we opted out of the mountain bus tour. We pulled on the side of the road somewhere and treaded our own path down the canyon. We stumbled upon an area that is usually underwater, where the stones are smooth and curvy and there is mud below your feet that is in the shape of waves. It was beautiful. I could have walked forever, but the yearn for a bathroom and some non muddy shoes was stronger. 

We didn’t stay long because we knew we had one more park to see before heading to Salt Lake, and that’s a lot to do in one day!

Bryce Canyon, UT

Geez.  The weather was not on our side. The lightning storms were strong and almost stopped us from going to my other fascination, Bryce Canyon.

There was a small town on the way up the hiway to Bryce and I can’t remember the name but the town couldn’t have been more than a mile long. Within this mile was three separate Rock Shops. Utah likes their rocks and I like their rock shops. We stopped into one that was shaped like a giant rock, chatted with the crazy shop keeper and ate some soft-serve.  Maybe Utah really likes the Flintstones too because they had a replica of a yabba dabba doo car in the front. In any case, it was a much needed stop before continuing on to Bryce.

Bryce was the quickest stop we made to a National Park.  We entered the park and went straight to the canyon. The clouds were ominous and grey but beautifully covered Bryce’s long, tall, skinny red rocks.   I noticed as we walked out to the viewing point that all the women that were standing outside had hair that was sticking straight up. It dawned on me that the lightning  storm that was on its way was causing so much static electricity that your hair stood on end.  It wasn’t safe to stay long, so we jumped back in the car and headed for Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City, UT.

We made it and we were staying for a few days. It was nice to get a small break from driving. I really loved Salt Lake.

The most amazing sunset presented itself as we drove into town, the thick sticky kind with pinks, reds, blues, purples, clouds, sun, sunrays, mountains and water. The most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

In Salt Lake, we relaxed and did some shopping, bowling, mini-golf, eating, reading, and tanning. It was hot, again, but I loved it.  We went to a dollar theater and watched “The Hunger Games,” (sorry Macy) and watched more Olympics in our hotel. 

I think the best part of Salt Lake City was when we went to see Journey and Pat Benetar. Seriously, the kids and Justin were soooo excited. And, Journey killed it. Phenomenal show.

Justin and I decided that instead of paying for another hotel, we would just drive all night to Idaho. So we did.

Fun facts about Utah:

Levan, is "navel" spelled backwards. It is so named because it is in the middle of Utah.

The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City took 40 years to complete. The Mormon temples in St. George, Manti and Logan Utah were completed before the Salt Lake Temple.

State symbol: The Beehive symbolizes thrift and industry. (and its on every sign)

Beaver is the birthplace of two very famous individuals of the past, Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television and Butch Cassidy, the notorious western outlaw.

Coerdelaine, Cordalane, Coeur D’Alene

First of all, I can’t tell you how much trouble we had spelling the name of this town. Second, everyone and their cousin were here. Its like they followed us from Salt Lake to Idaho just so we had nowhere to stay.  We were so tired after the long drive through the night. We stopped in Montana for some chow and gas  then made it into Idaho and relaxed all morning in a park. In Coeur D’Alene there was a festival going on, which was awesome, it gave us all something fun and cheap to do. We ate and played soccer in the park. It was a really relaxing day.

Our purpose of going to northern Idaho was to go to Silverwood theme park. Oh man, it was fun. We spent two glorious fun filled days there riding rollercoasters (which Parker hated) and jumping in waves in the wave pool (which Parker loved). We had so much fun I would like to make it a regular family vacation, probably  with camping next time.

Northern Idaho is beautiful, covered in lush green forest and blue rivers, the sun was out and the temperature was perfect. We were pretty happy up there.

Fun Facts about Idaho:

Idaho is the 13th Largest State in the U.S.

The deepest river gorge in the North American Continent is Idaho's Hells Canyon - 7,900 feet deep. Yes, it's deeper than the Grand Canyon.

One of the largest diamonds ever found in the United States, nearly 20 carats, was discovered near McCall, Idaho.

A person may not be seen in public without a smile on their face in Pocatello, Idaho.

A treasure is said to be hidden in Beaver Canyon near Spencer, that has never been located. The buried cache is said to be that of the Montana sheriff turned outlaw, Henry Plummer's.

Heading Home. 

On the way to ‘home’ we stopped at two other ‘homes.’ The town of Union Gap where my father grew up and Mossyrock where I grew up.

It was really fun showing the boys the places that I hold so many memories. We ate burgers at Minors in Union Gap and I took them to the “G” theatre in Mossyrock and down Baker Drive.  Parker was so interested in knowing every detail of my childhood there.

Getting home was interesting. Its strange to be away, seeing new faces every day and having new adventures, and then just coming ‘home.’

What a long and wonderful trip. Filled with new people and places and memories. I will place them in a box and keep them forever. But now, here I am.

The saying “home is where the heart is” rings true for me because even though I consider Washington my residence, Im not sure it feels like home. Home is inside of me. Home is what I make it, its my children and its my art. Home is my spirit and my laughter. Home is not a physical place for me any longer, I think I lost home when my father died. Now, home is here, wherever I am, and you are invited over for coffee anytime.

Below I am posting what home is to me. Home.

Ive got friends in low places.

Justin is coming tonight to finish the trip with us. I pick him up from the airport at 11:50- YAY!

Make new friends, but keep the Old

Years ago I had my first day of work at Borders 417. A friendly face answered the door for me, tall, mildly to moderately handsome, some band t-shirt that I’m sure was a group only he knew of. “Hi,” he said, “welcome to Borders.”

Joe and I became friends in a manner that neither one of us really remembers, and maybe that is for the best. The thing we both do remember is that it was instantaneous. Joe and I have had our ups and downs, our backs and fourths, but we have always found that common ground, even though I would argue that it’s me that gives the 60% while he remains constant at 40%.

When Joe moved to Phoenix it was really hard for me because he became one of my closest and dearest. He is like my brother in a better way to put it, and I was his family when he lived in WA.  I was able to visit him a few years ago in AZ (pictures available in a folder on FB) and I was so proud of him. We had the best time, he had grown so much and was finding his way.

I have looked for every way to make it down to see him, but haven’t been able to until now.

I have to be honest. I was nervous. I hadn’t seen him for a few years, and our busy lives were getting the best of us and becoming an excuse for non-communication. And this trip I had my boys with me, what would we all do? Not to mention he had a girlfriend now that I was equally nervous about meeting in person. I’m so close to Joe, what was it going to be like now with a girlfriend, and what if we didn’t get along or have anything in common?

Well, not to worry. Going to his house was like going home. The boys felt comfortable and happy  hanging out swimming, playing questionable games on the playstation, and eating pizza all weekend. Uncle Joe was a hit, again.

Katie, Joe’s girlfriend, is an impressive addition. I love her. She is beautiful, smart, funny, actually I don’t know why she is with him (haha just kidding, Joe)  I think he was a little upset at how well we got along.  

The visit was really great. Joe and I stayed up til 4 in the morning catching up and it made me realize that I don’t have many  close friends, I don’t have anyone that just gets me or is really concerned with my daily life, and it was really wonderful and much needed to be with Joe and Katie. I can’t wait for them to move to Seattle. 

We made a really great breakfast that Katie and I enjoyed more than everyone else I think, but it was really good, despite killing a chocolate chip waffle by accident.

The rest of the weekend we mostly just hung out but Joe talked me into going to see the new Batman movie with the children. It was a bit violent, but it was a pretty good movie and not too harmful for the tots. 

Basically, we had a great weekend, great friends, and fun. We celebrated Katies birthday with her family and even did a little shopping at an outdoor mall.

After visiting with Joe and Katie, we headed to Gilbert, AZ to catch up with a friend from ELEMENTARY school. Mandie!! 

Oh man, it was so great to see her. She is married with two really awesome little boys. You can imagine what it was like for all the kids to be together playing video games… haha it was crazy, but so great. They made lasagna (even vegetarian for me) and a really great Nilla wafer desert that reminded me of Mexico. We only had a few hours to visit, but I’m so glad we did, Mandie and her husband are such great people and it was fun to talk about old memories and newer experiences. 

I cant wait to hang out with them again!

 

Arizona is really growing on me.. we have had the warmest weather, dust storms, friends and family and the scenery is so different from WA, but all  of it really just makes me realize how much I love Tacoma, and I do love Tacoma. 

Heading out to Vegas tomorrow, picking up Justin, then heading to our resort in Henderson!