Long driving day, but will be home tomorrow. Fort Stockton is lame. Just so you know..

In Tuscon, AZ -
Today was the shortest of our driving days, so I got to go shopping at H&M here  :)
Went for a late night swim, felt great after being hot all day in this desert air.
Tomorrow is our longest driving day, and we're adding a Tombstone detour into the mix, so it's gonna be a really long day. But tomorrow I get to sleep in West Texas!
goodnight all

Long story short, instead of keeping us extra days, they swapped out our other cars and gave us the brand new cars that just rolled in, because they had current stickers. So it all worked out for our good this morning. My car had only 24 miles on it.  :)
First day = long drive. It was absolutely beautiful for more than half the drive today. I posted some photos below from today. It was an absolute riot how everyone reacted to us. I can't tell you how many times people took my picture today. At gas stations, restaurants, and on the highway as we drove by, they'd have their cameras up and pointed my way. I simply smiled and waved. It was fun. So many people want to talk to you about it, but we're really not allowed to answer their questions. The most common phrase of the day by far was, "So that's how they do that, I always wondered.." The second most popular, is "how did you get that job?" I am wasted, and I'm only in Southern California, so I must sleep. goodnight all

I so wish I could click my heels and be home right now. This has been the weirdest day.
In the fall we had 5 days of training to take off with a couple of cameras, this time we have about a half a day of training, and take off with a new car and tens of thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. You tell me, what is wrong with this picture?  THEN, while at dinner we find out that we can't leave as planned in the morning, cause they just found out all of our inspection stickers are expired and the new ones don't arrive until Wednesday! Um, planning anyone? So we are possibly stranded here for several more days. I'm stuck here with men who like to drink. ALOT. And they are obnoxious when they drink. AND I'm the only girl. Tonight was not fun. I feel sad for people like this. But what makes me sadder is being here stuck with them.  I want to go home.

Below is my car. About as subtle as a mac truck

I. am. tired.  13 hour travel day. Shouldn't have been. Got to the airport at 7am, didn't get into my room till 8pm, your time.
I did have a nice surprise this morning. I was sitting in the airport and up walks a coworker from the last Google assignment. And then another one walked up! I was so excited, they were both coming with me for the same job. So I won't really be solo all week. Just caravanning.  :)   Anyways, first flight to Phoenix was uneventful, but then our one hour layover turned into a 2 hour weather delay, then nearly 3. Then in flight a man near me starts coughing up a lung and can't breath. So the flight attendants spent the whole flight giving him oxygen from a tank and asking if his left arm hurt, and watching him like a hawk. He looked rough. When we landed we all had to wait for the EMS crew to come get him off the plane. Then our shuttle driver had to wait on just one more person.. even so much as to circle back after we had left the airport, to go back and pick up someone else. THEN.. get to the hotel and our rooms aren't ready, so we go out to eat at a nice little Italian joint we all remembered from the fall. Get back, and mine is STILL not ready. The front desk guy closed the front desk and went to locate the maid on property to get her to clean a room for me.       But now I am here and am going to bed.   Thankful for safe travels, and grateful for old friends to go the journey with me.
Love you all

Finally got my itinerary today. Looks like I'm leaving at the crack of dawn Sunday. I'll be training all day Monday and then traveling tuesday through friday. If you want to see the route they booked me on, you can see it here..
maps
I could make it in half the time, but I presume they just don't want me driving for more than 8 hours a day for legal reasons. I'll make the best of it. I'll spend my late afternoon hours in the hotel gyms, then watch a few movies, it'll be fine. I may have companions following behind in a long caravan; apparently there are 3 or 4 others joining me in capturing Austin. Like last time though, I will probably never see them once we leave California.
It will be a grand adventure in solo traveling, I am sure of it. I will keep you all updated daily while on the road. Cause I know you'll be wondering how I am. (yeah right) I can pretend you will be wondering. It will be more fun that way.

Went to the gym today for the first time since the fall. Yeah, I know, shame on me. But I went today. And I plan to keep going, so I'm telling you all for accountability reasons. I also spent 2 hours in my yard pulling weeds today. That counts as exercise too.

While sitting outside in the sun, reading my Bible, this afternoon, I was overcome with a sense of dread. The weather was beautiful, the birds were chirping. There was no reason for it. Josh started his new job Monday. He already has several far away trips lined up for the spring and summer. I fly out Sunday morning for my temp job. Then I may get to go to Tahiti end of May for my other job. Our new lives are really that, new. I wouldn't think that would be a problem. I like new.
Maybe it's that I can't resume donor testing until we settle into our new insurance plan in April.
Maybe it's just that our calm winter existence is coming to an end.
I've never really been a fearful person until lately. But I really don't have any idea what this next season will hold, and as much as it surprises me to say it, I'm scared.
Sent from my iPhone