Part Two: Journey South

After the emotional day on South Monroe, we headed down the road through beautiful Southern Utah (a trip you MUST take if you haven't before), and through the South-West corner of beautiful Colorado.  This is where we made a stop at Mesa Verde National Park.  I had been here once before as a young girl on a trip with my Nichols Grandparents.  Back then (approximately 20 years ago...ugh that makes me sound old), we were able to venture out on our own, down the steep cliff-hugging stairs to the Indian Dwellings under the cliffs.  Sure there were rangers along the way to help guide you where to go, and it cost extra to take a tour of the actual dwellings, but at least you were able to have some autonomy in the park. 

The kids and I at the visitor's center.

Fast forward 20 years, and you can't get near the dwellings without paying a fee just to walk down the stairs.  With a rambunctious two-year-old boy and a four-year old girl, we decided that hauling down a cliff-side wouldn't be very much fun, and quite possibly dangerous for all of us, so we opted to simply enjoy the view from afar. 

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At the dwellings, just after the "alien" comment. :)

While we were standing there spectating among the throngs of people waiting to descend to the valley below (many of them pointing to my feet and making snide comments about my choice of foot-wear - flip-flops - not realizing we weren't going to brave the trek with them), Audrey got a quizzical look on her face.  "Mommy!" she exclaimed, "Are those aliens down there?"  Giggles erupted around me, and I couldn't help but laugh at the innocence and pure fascination at the thought of watching the little alien people walking around far below us. 

When all was said and done, we were a little disappointed in our time spent at Mesa Verde, mostly because you couldn't see much without paying extra money to get near the sights.  Add that to the 25 mile drive just to get back to the cliff dwellings, and it was a pretty long drive with not much in return.  I think the most exciting thing that happened was getting to see a lizard scurrying around while we were eating our picnic lunch in the park. 

If you decide to go there (which I really do recommend), don't take little kids if you want to get close to the dwellings, take extra money so you can pay to get close to the things you want to see, and plan to spend a couple of days in the park, and not the two hours that we planned for our visit. 


After Mesa Verde we headed on down to New Mexico.  I love New Mexico  - it's beautiful and rich in Indian Culture and artifacts.  I really wanted to spend more time and go to some of the markets I had been to as a young girl when I went through there with my Hise Grandparents, but we were trying to keep a schedule and drove straight through (though we did stop for lunch in Albuquerque, which was far from exciting). 

Finally, after 3 1/2 days of driving we made it Texas, the land of my birth.  I was taken aback by how excited I was just to be in the state of Texas - it brought back a lot of memories of my young life long ago, and the many road trips that I took with my family over the years.  The last time I was in Texas was 12 years ago when, at the age of 18, I went down with Mom and Darryl and spent Christmas in Oklahoma/Texas with family.

While in the Arlington area we stayed with my cousin, Miranda, whom I hadn't seen in about 10 years.  It was a perfectly wonderful two nights - our kids (I guess they would be second cousins) played great together, and my kids really enjoyed the dog, Scooter (my kids called him "Duke"), and the big swimming pool in the back yard which, in Texas, is the perfect back-yard accessory! 

Scooter, AKA "Duke"

Second-cousins Madelyn, Vincent, Audrey and Kellen.

Silly faces!!

Staying with Miranda put us in the perfect position to make our way around the Arlington/Fort Worth area, where there were many people to see and many things to do.  At the top of our list was a visit to the resting places of my brother, Christian, who passed away at just six weeks old (years before I was born), and my Grandma Betty Hise, who passed away in 2006. 

I can't think of any good words to describe how much it meant to me to visit these graves.  I had never been to either, and I wasn't going to go to Texas again without making a special visit to see each one.  

After these most important stops, we also wanted to visit the Dallas Cowboys football stadium in Arlington, take the kids to the Fort Worth Zoo, and take in a baseball game at Rangers Stadium. 

Touring the Cowboys stadium was amazing! It wasn't yet built the last time I visited Texas (by the way, I used to sleep right approximately where the 10-yard line is...my dad's house used to stand where they built the stadium), so getting to see it was pretty cool.  We opted for the self-guided tour which offered us the chance to sit in the arena, walk on the turf, and tour the locker rooms of the Cowboys and Cheerleaders. 

Cowboys Stadium!

Excited to be there!

Matt was excited to see the giant tv screen.

He would like one of those in our house to watch sports on.

On the field!

"Kristina, put the camera down, you're kids are running away!"

On the star!

Love this!

Good lookin' man on the field.

Cowboy's locker room.

Cheerleader locker room.

The kids in the end-zone.

Having a chat in the end-zone.

Audrey fell over.      :)

The kids had a blast running all over the field.

They decided they needed to stop and take a nap on the 10-yard line.

The Fort Worth Zoo was also on our list to visit.....

Some monkeys I saw at the zoo...

They put on quite a show!

Waiting for the train at the zoo!

Little train we took the kids on at the zoo.

Kellen patiently waiting for his turn to ride.

I asked Audrey to make a cute face...

Finally on the train!  They thought it was better than the animals!

Some Mets fans at the zoo.

Audrey was excited.  :)

This cute little guy was posing for me.

Watching the elephants play in the water!

Outside the Fort Worth Zoo.

And finally, the Rangers game....

Rangers Stadium.

Go Rangers! (says the Mets fan...)

It was sunny....and really hot....and really humid....

Still at the smiling point.  I hadn't melted yet.

Finally, two more important visits I made while in the Arlington/Fort Worth area (side note...every time I type Fort Worth, I type "Forth Worth".  It's really annoying):  my Aunt Wendi and my Grandpa Don. 

Wendi and I were trying to recall when we saw each other last, and I think we decided it was that Christmas 12 years ago, the last trip I made to Texas, when I was 18.  It was sooooo good to see her!  I have so many fond memories of her when I was a little girl.  She used to cut my hair, and when she lived in Idaho I used to spend the night at her home in Star. 

It's been too long!

I'm so happy she got to meet my husband and kids.  

Last but not least, we stopped to see my Grandpa Don and his wife, Evalena, while in Fort Worth.  Again, I last saw him 12 years ago when my Grandma Betty was still alive.  As a young girl, Grandma and Grandpa used to pick me up from preschool once a week and we would almost always go rent a video, and I would spend the night at the house.  Many cookies were baked, many batches of sun tea were set in the sun to steep, and many hours were spent playing and laughing at their home in Grand Prairie.  I used to love to watch Grandpa Don in his garage, and Grandma Betty in her kitchen decorating shirts and creating Indian Dolls.

Grandma Betty has since passed on and Grandpa remarried a wonderful, good-hearted woman, Evalena ( I hope I am spelling that correctly).  It was wonderful to finally get to meet her visit with them both.  I also got a special surprise on that visit - getting to see my Uncle Donald Ray, Aunt Karen, and my cousin Jake!  It was a marvelous, marvelous visit, treasured beyond words, and I only wish I would have had longer to visit with them.  Evalena and Grandpa Don took us out to dinner at a spectacular home-cookin' restaurant, and we all got to visit and catch up on each other's lives.  Two hours is just not enough time to pack in 12 years' worth of catching up, but I am incredibly grateful for the small amount of time that we did have.  It meant the world to me.

Audrey and her Great-Grandpa Don - they adored each other.

The kids with their Great-Grandpa.

Priceless picture!!

We were all laughing about something.

Uncle Donald Ray, Aunt Karen, Cousin Jake in the back row. 

My sweet, sweet Grandpa Don.  Love it.

That's all I will write for this post.  Next up: the part everyone is waiting to read about, our visit at my Dad's house, the final leg of our journey, the meat and potatoes of our trip!