Teri Parris Ford's Blog

In Transit Back...

I left late in the morning on New Year's Day because Jim had to work and I was eager to get home with some time to transition back. I needed to have at least the weekend to prep for back to work but a couple days more would be even better. I had originally planned to stay until Thursday but once I found out Jim had to work on New Year's, that was all the excuse I needed to get going. As much as I wanted to spend time with him, I didn't want to spend time alone in a hotel room.

I must really like driving? I take so many of these long drives here and there every year. 12 days ago I left for a 20 hour drive to Corpus Christi, which was fairly pleasant. I left yesterday for a 23 hour drive from El Paso to Madison through New Mexico and Kansas. The New Mexico was a route I'd never gone through before but Kansas? I' ve done that and it's worse than Nebraska, plus there was construction. I ended up in Greensburg for the night because I was too drowsy to make it to Wichita. Since there aren't any nice rest stops on the 54, I thought stopping a small, cheap looking motel would be okay. It was so shady that Balt had a hard time getting to sleep. He kept barking at noises and stayed up past midnight staring out the window. I passed out with all my clothes on and was glad we weren't next to anyone to complain about his barking. He finally settled down at 1am. My alarm woke us both up at 6am and I was on my way. I had McDonalds for breakfast and Taco Bell for lunch, a pack of Starburst for dinner. Tomorrow the holidays are over and I'm on a diet.

Cold Day in El Paso

We woke to a blanket of snow. Balt let me sleep in until after 7am. My morning walk with him was very brief. Jim joined me for the hotel's free breakfast. Once Monika woke up, she joined us as well. We went exploring through El Paso but everything downtown looked closed. We ended up at a Barnes and Noble. We went to Andale's for lunch (#2 on Yelp-- the #1 place was packed.). Instead of going out to a movie we went back to the hotel, turned the heat up and watched a movie. 

I'm guessing El Paso is a much nicer place to visit when it's not freezing but I'm here for the company, not the sights!

Austin to Van Horn, TX

Balt and I walked to a Starbucks a couple of blocks away from the hotel, near the capitol early this morning. Monika got to sleep in. We packed up and drove around for a bit before heading out to Hamilton, TX where one of Monika's college room mates grew up and was visiting her family for the holidays. We enjoyed lunch there and a nice visit. We stayed a bit too long and didn't quite make to El Paso, but there was no hurry to get there since Jim has to work in the morning anyway. We are at a Red Roof Inn in Van Horn. We'll have time to do laundry in the morning. Ideally, I'd love to sleep in, but I know Balt will get me up early. Side note-- Balt is walking without a limp and seems to be on the mend.

The Day After Christmas

On Sunday, shortly after arriving at Jessi's, Balt tripped on the stairs of Jessi's apartment. I noticed his toe was bleeding, and his nail looked crooked but it was fully in tact. On Monday morning I called his vet to get some advise on what to do. They said that if the nail broke and became detached, I should see a vet but it was fine at that time. While at the beach on Christmas eve Balt enjoyed a nice walk in the sand without any limp and seemed like all was well. On Christmas morning we woke to find the nail fully sideways on his foot but still attached. If we touched him, he yelped. The quick was fully exposed and bloody. He needed a vet but it was Christmas day so yeah, it had to wait until today. Cody's grandmother gave me the number to her vet and I made an appointment first thing this morning, 7:50am. Balt needed to be sedated inorder to have the nail completely cut down so that it would grow back normally. The whole process took 3 hours and $175. I picked him up groggy but hardly limping at all.

Monika and I decided to drive to Austin, TX. I had never been and Cody's uncle needed a ride so we took him. The traffic was awful. The day was wet and at time pouring. Monika found a LaQuinta across the street from the capitol. We checked in around 3pm, giving us time to freshen up before exploring the capitol and some of the downtown. We got a 5 mile walk in and a vegetarian dinner. I'm very happy to report I'm sleeping in a very comfortable bed tonight!

Christmas in TEXAS!

The morning was really fun. I was on the couch downstairs with Balt, while the girls slept in upstairs. I made a second batch of cinnamon rolls which came out a whole lot better than my first batch yesterday. Eventually we gathered to open presents. I had a bit of time out in the sun before we had to get ready to leave. We had lots of cleaning to do and pack. We drove about 3 hours to New Braunfels, to Cody's grandma's home where we had dinner and a stocking exchange.

Everything about this Christmas was different. I had to pick who to do Christmas with and only Monika had the freedom to join me. As I went to bed in a yet another pull out mattress, I thought how wonderful it is to sleep in a good bed and perhaps that should play a part in my travel decisions in the future. I know my meeting Cody's family was important to Jessi and I wanted to be a part of her holiday experience. As much as I missed having Erika around, I live with her and I knew she would be busy with work most of my time off. I looked up yoga studios in New Braunfels (thinking about tomorrow morning) and there wasn't a one. That was what Erika did this morning and I would have loved to have joined her!

We finished the night with a fun game of rummy. Keeping score, I was in last place when we finally called it quits. 

Christmas Eve Fun

After a leisure morning, we spent the day exploring Corpus Christi and ended the day at the beach. It was wonderful!

Driving to Texas

I left on Saturday morning at 6am sharp. I popped into Starbucks to pick up my venti latte and then got to driving. I had a 20 hour drive and I wanted to try to get most of the way in. I listened to Becoming by Michelle Obama which was a 19 hour book that would get me almost the whole way! My truck overheated in Arkansas. I brought extra oil and coolant with me, so I was able to pull over and add fluids and get back on the road pretty quickly. I've been prepared to have to buy a new car as soon as mine dies, but I think it's still got some more life it after all! Balt was a dear the whole trip-- no complaints and enjoyed every stop. He's great at keeping me company and scaring all the bad people away.

After 11pm, I was getting close to Houston and decided to stop at a very a rest stop. I had made a nice bed for myself and Balt. I climbed into the back and fell asleep. My alarm woke me up 5am. I was able to freshen up a bit and take Balt for a short morning walk. I had to wait until I got to Houston to stop for a Starbucks latte. Once I got to Corpus Christi, I did a quick stop at the grocery store so that I could make sure to have the stuff to make Christmas cinnamon rolls. 

Jessi picked up Monika early this morning from San Antonio airport. The 3 of us went out to lunch and enjoyed our meal outside in the sunshine. The beach weather means its very mild (mid-sixties). There was no way for all of us to spend the holiday all together this year, but at least 3 of us can enjoy some nice weather!! 

Travel Back

We woke up at 5am to get out on the roady by 6:30am. Erika had a 9:20am flight on standby. Jessi and I had tickets out at 9:45 and 9:50. All three of us on different airlines. Jim had to get back to El Paso and Monika got to stay in California. We all had smooth sailing home-- no delays, no problems. I'm not sure when the next time all five of us will be together again... it won't be in 2018 and we forgot to get a family photo!!

Erika and I got into Madison with a few minutes of each other. I had Balt waiting for me, Erika had Kelly. We both have a very busy week ahead of us. 

A Funeral

The weather was cool and grey. I suppose for mid December it was seasonal for Santa Clarita. It was somewhat appropriate for the taste of the day. Jim's dad funeral was at 11am. It was a very private affair, no guests, just immediate family. Jim spoke and Erika and Linda both shared some as well. Tears were shed remembering the life of a good man who had lived for 90 years.

It is interesting to find Jim and I are on parallel experiences with our parents although my parents are so much younger than his. We are finding ourselves in a very transitional time of life as we watch our parents age and our children become adults.

After the funeral we gathered for pizza and pasta at a local Italian place. Monika scheduled a family activity per Jim's instructions at 4pm. We got reservations for the Broad in downtown LA. It was a really fun experience and great opportunity for photos. I kept thinking how much I wish I could bring my department! We made our way home in the traffic and spent the rest of evening together watching tv.

Out and About

We had a very relaxing morning. I got up at 5am just knowing it was 7am in Wisconsin and I didn't want to sleep in too much. My feet hurt from all the walking I did yesterday, so I decided to take it easy today. Diet and exercise start on Monday. We enjoyed family breakfast, lounging around. Jessi and Cody went hiking, Erika and Kelly went to the mall and Monika and I went out to visit my brother's family then to a cat show. We had In N Out for a late lunch and got ice cream after seeing a movie-- the new Fantastic Beasts. We had back tomorrow early in the morning. 

A Red Eye

I had the day off but Erika had to work. I went into work to take photos of the girls basketball team and check on the newspaper. I made it to a noon yoga class and then took Balt for a follow up exam. He's back to normal officially which makes leaving him behind a lot easier. I have a service walking him in the morning and a friend of Monika's condo sitting in the evenings. Erika, Kelly and I left at 5pm for an 8pm flight that was delayed. Luckily we did not miss our connection through Kansas City to LAX. It was pouring rain when we got in-- crazy! I have no memories of rain on Thanksgiving in California. This is a first, but it won't last.

Goodbye Austria

My alarm went off at 5:30am for a 9:30 flight out of Vienna to Amsterdam. We land in Minneapolis around 2pm but lose 6 or 7 hours so it’ll be a long day. Monika is hanging out w friends in Minneapolis waiting to catch a ride with us to Rochester and drive back to Madison w me. 

Last night in rained in Vienna but it did not mess up our plans to see a concert at the Mozart Concert Hall. It was prey spectacular and special way to end our vacation. I’m eager to sleep in my own bed and do yoga. I’m interested to find out how much weight I gained but the diywont start until tomorrow. 

Our last day!

Monika left this morning and then went out for a late city wandering time. We went er the famous Central Cafe for lunch but only ordered dessert!  Tonight we are going the famous opera house for a Mozart concert before leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. It’ll be a travel day all day tomorrow without much fun or rest. I’m glad to get Sunday to recover before having to go back to work on Monday. It’s been an amazing 2weeks with Jim celebrating ourselves and accomplishments. The next year will be challenging so I’m glad we got this time together. 

Wanderings

Monika wanted to make sure to go to at least one art museum— we did not make it to a second one. Our leisurely breakfast was very nice with lots of conversation, sipping coffee and eating different breads, fruit or meat (for Jim).  We went to the Belvedere where there is lots of Austrian artist including Klimt’s famous “the kiss” (shown on top). After several hours at the museum we ventured out to wine country and did some wine tasting. While Monika and Jim do most of the sipping, I ordered coffee but still tasted a bit of wine. We decided to stay and eat dinner at this country restaurant where the food was very good. We got back to hotel for some time to shower and cool off but tonight is Monika’s last night here so we’re going out for dessert with her later. 

Vienna, Austria

Having Monika join us means we can get photos of Jim and I together finally!  Vienna is amazing and none of us have here so it’s all new to the 3 of us. We had a great dinner at a pub last night for dinner and spent the late morning and afternoon wondering the city. Our hotel is really nice and in the middle of the city making the visit off to a wonderful start. 

Family time

Travel day to Austria

We checked out of our hotel early and went down to the train station area and grabbed breakfast at a coffee shop instead of doing the hotel breakfast which cost 14euros per person. For 9 total Euros we got coffee and a couple of fresh baked items. While Jim likes the all you can eat options, I prefer less for less. For less then what one of us would cost at the hotel we both can eat plenty at a grocery store or market which have been everywhere and convenient. Last night after over 10 miles of walking all over town we came back to our room for an array of meats and cheeses and chocolate. Jim had wine and I had a Diet Coke. We watched a movie on Netflix before hitting the hay. 

Monika is flying into Austria from France as well and we will get to have dinner all together which will be great fun. 

Time changes a lot

The fountain I had hoped to create a “then and now” picture with is no longer in Augsburg. There is so much construction around this city I assume it is doing well financially. There is very little that I have seen in the city that I have any memory of but I spent so little time in the city. Jessi was 2 weeks old when moved here so the first few months was spent at home recovering from the trip here and figuring out how to be a mother of two. Jim and I have thought about our life here in Germany as a distant dream— like it was a different life. I suppose it is. This trip was to be a celebration of 30 years of marriage but it has been a reflective time of our decisions and a time to hope for our future. The 20 to 30 years will bring more changes to our family because that’s what time does — it changes things. 

Traveling back

We checked out of our hotel— a very nice Best Western— this morning and walked to the train station to catch a 9:30 train to Augsburg. We had purchased snacks for the trip in leu of going out to breakfast. Jim has been impressed w my ability to eat on a budget. Once in Augsburg we checked into our hotel and made our way out to Inningen the neighborhood where we live 24 years ago. So much has changed and there seems to be construction everywhere! But our house looked the same- exactly the same. We visited Erika’s kindergarten tried to find the grocery store but it looked as if all the stores were new. We walked 12 miles today and rewarded ourselves w Mexican food for dinner—fajitas and nachos. 

Schlosspark Nymphenburg

A couple of days ago we spent the morning on a tour of the Residence of the Bavarian royals, today we wondered out to their summer residence which was a bit of a trek outside the city. We opted not to spend the money on a tour inside since we had seen all their wears already in the city and suspected more of the same opulence that most likely would not be air conditioned (the other residence was not). Instead we walked the grounds and enjoyed the gardens, stopping for coffee and apple strudel.

We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon doing laundry and wondering around the city near our hotel. We went to a grocery store to get food for dinner and eat back at our hotel which was very picnic like!  Tomorrow we are off to Augsburg!

Shopping Day!

We headed into the old city of Munich again but this time being able to experience it with everything open instead of closed. I loved the market place where I finally got to pick up a pretzel, Jim got a chicken leg. We wondered around the same places we had yesterday only got to go in and out of stores, including a book store we stayed in for a while to enjoy the a\c. We headed out to the river (Flaucher) after a pit stop at the hotel to freshen up. We enjoyed a great walk and then sat outside in the hotel lounge with a glass of wine catching up on media (Jim had a bit of work to do) and sorted some photos for Instagram.

It's a holiday!

We passed out pretty early last night, having been awake for over 24 hours. I woke around midnight and got on my phone to catch up on email and social media for about an hour before trying to get more sleep and then bam! it was 7am and I had been in bed for over 12 hours! We made our way down to the hotel breakfest, which for 19E was pricey but we knew it would be our main meal for the day. Jim is still doing all meat, so he had a great array of things to chose from. I decided to just enjoy a variety of things but not overeat, trying German style potatoes that were delish, eggs, grapefruit, yorgurt with museli mixed in and of course a cinnimon crispy danish of sorts. I don't want to be on a diet while here, but I certainly don't want to gain wieght either. We walked out to a large church at the end of our street (St. Paul's on Theresienwiese), walked around a bit and then purchased 3 day train tickets for the inner city and made our to the city center. I have vague memories of being here and there but a lot of time has passed (23+ years) as well as lots construction sites around that made it hard to remember. Jim has been here several times since our living here with students, so he was a great guide. We spent most of the morning touring the Residence (Germany's palace of former Bavarian kings and rulers) and enjoyed a light lunch (I had a german cabbage salad while just drank coffee) in the old city across from St. Michaels. We wondered around Marienplaty and strolled in the Botanical Garden. We wondered why most all shops were closed on a Wednesday and found out today was a church holiday of some sort. It made for a quieter day, I think without the option for shopping. We still have a couple more days here, so no problem.

To Munich

We hardly got any sleep but it was a great trip, without any problems to Munich thru Amsterdam. We weren’t able to check into our room at the hotel so we left our luggage there and made our way to Dachau where the memorial for the concentration camps are. We had a late lunch at the cafeteria there, enjoying a quiet afternoon looking at somber history. It is not close to the city, so we were able to use our train tickets from the airport (also not close to the city) to get out there. While being economical, I was glad to get this out of the way. Jim had never been and I felt bad that we had never made the trek when we lived here before (which was on the 25th anniversary of the American's liberating the prisoners). While depressing in nature, I feel it is an important monument to see.

Travel day

We spent the morning with coffee and a liesure paced morning to catch a shuttle to MSP at 1:15pm (the photo is in Rochester, MN waiting for our shuttle). Our flight for Amsterdam left at 4:50pm with an arrival tomorrow in the morning. We grab a short connection to Munich after that. So far we are enjoying a wonderful vacation!! 

It is the first time we are taking a trip to celebrate our anniversary ever. It is about time. I occassionallz think about what we will do for the 50th anniversary, which quite frankly doesn't seem like it will be far away!

Road Trip 2018

Here's what I wrote on my Facebook wall this afternoon with a google album link of 13 photos-->
I’m back from a 2 week road trip today and here are my highlights & noticings:

• I drove over 5,500 miles and spent over $800 in gas. I spent $98.58 on a tank of gas in Van Horn, TX, while not the most expensive place on my trip it was where I let it get the emptiest.

• While it would have been cheaper to fly, I was able to take Balt along to visit Jessi and bring back all of Monika’s belongings from her 4 years of college living in California, so I saved a bunch on shipping.

• Visiting my adult daughter at her apartment which was only a block away from the beach and 10 miles from Padre Island National Park was definitely a highlight of my trip. The tour she give me of the Lexington (old battleship) and getting to see lots of old aircraft while she told me about learning to fly new jets was pretty amazing.

• My camping trip with my brother was another great highlight. I realized I had never gone anywhere with my brother alone, just the two of us for any extended period of time let alone 3 days. While he and I are VERY different —I’m 4 years older, a girl and an optimist. We have a lot more in common than I expected: both Gen-X’ers to a “T”, although he is a bit more pessimistic politically.

• The power of positive thinking is a whole lot more powerful than I expected as my mom is now living 4 years with stage 4 mediatized lung (brain) cancer. Spending time with her is wonderful because I am witness to so much will power and grace but also difficult as I see cancer and illness impair her. She is fighting a good fight and is being rewarded.

• Connecting with family (and friends!) is always special because we are all so far apart. Seeing my cousin Sylvia and her family in her home was a blast, as well as getting to spend time with my brother at his home with his family. I wish we could all see each other more often.

• I listened to 5 books, several podcasts and lots of music. Favorite book- Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind (I’m ready to). Favorite Podcast- Jon Favreau’s The Wilderness (every American should listen). Favorite Music—it’s so hard to pick one song or even album but Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation helped get me through some tough Texas congestion and Genesis’s Mama made bumper to bumper traffic on the 80 in Nebraska a lot more fun.

• Hearing Stairway to Heaven on the radio feels exactly the same on the road in the middle of America as a 52 year old in an old Ford as it did as a 17 year in a Fiat Convertible… Why is that song always on the radio while driving long distances?

• A wise man once told a good friend that you don’t go on vacation to lose weight. Well, I gained 10 pounds on this road trip—not good! I went to Starbucks 10x, In N Out 4x, Subway 2x, Mexican 1x, Chick Fil A 1x & McD’s 1x. Yes, I’m on a diet now!

• My first road trip was 35 years ago! I’m more experienced, driving a bigger vehicle & body. While I certainly haven’t gone on a road trip every year since I was 17, I’ve been on plenty and ready for another one... but not this year.

In the comments: I thought about my dad every time I was surrounded by truck drivers! I even got a friendly honk from oen after letting him cut in front of me to pass a slow poke.  

Just drove all day!

Santa Clarita to Grand Junction

 
I left by 9 AM for Wisconsin, knowing the soonest I get there would be tomorrow. I knew that heat was going to be an issue, but we survived without issue.   For some reason my feet swelled up like sausages and were in some pain, so I tried to keep them up whenever I had cruise control on. We made decent time, stopping in St. George or In and Out. I decided to spend the night at a Red roof Inn in Grand Junction. 

Just Sitting

My brother picked me up at 6am on Sunday to take me camping. We had to go up to Carmel to pick up his trailer and then back down to Gaviota to camp with lunch in Salinas in between. Neither of us had been to Gaviota before so we weren't sure what we were up for-- crowds, loud generators running, lots of wind, not a lot of sleep and no dogs allowed on the beach (even though I took him on the beach at dawn when no one was around). Basically we were both disappointed with the situation. We went up to Solvang for coffee Monday morning since it was only 10 miles away and made for a very nice morning walk. We decided to pack up and make our way down the coast looking for a more attractive situation. Everything was full until we got to McGrath State Beach, which was surprisingly nearly empty. While did not have a view of the ocean, we hadn't had a view of it at Gaviota either. Dogs were not allowed on the beach here either but I was able to walk past the state beach easily on a nice path that dogs were allowed on and then enter the shoreline with Balt without guilt--not that anyone would have cared as no one else was on the beach! We had a grand morning but came home that my brother could get some work done and get back to his family since he had ditched them to take me out (although they were very welcome to join us, they had too many appointments to make the trip out). So we left the 75 degree weather for 107 back at my mom's but at least we had found success and had a great night of sleep. I hope we can make it an annual event.

Change of scenery

Gone Camping