criplomats

Chuck, Ruth, Bill, Frank

Talk about a relaxing week! I’ve basically done nothing and it feels great! We’re really taking it easy. The days for me have been distinguished primary by what I’ve eaten – otherwise, they have pretty much blurred together. It’s been nice to have Aunt Bonnie come over for a few dinners and get to see her.

We did get out on Thursday night to visit with some of my old high school friends. We went to Chuck’s cool apartment downtown and visited with Frank, Bill and a couple of other people. It didn’t feel like 30 years had gone by since the last time I did that! They look great and pretty much are the same witty guys they’ve always been.

On Friday morning, we drove to Mountain Home to spend the weekend with John’s parents. Out for a good steak dinner Friday night, and Ginger’s yummy enchiladas on Saturday night. We hadn’t been up that way for about three years and it was great to be there again.

We came back to Hot Springs today, and I’m looking forward to another relaxing week!

At our farewell at the office

Wow. After almost two years, we have left our life in Ciudad Juarez. It’s still unbelievable.

The week leading up to the move was busy and, for the most part, fun. Last Sunday, our friend Neal had a small wine and cheese get-together in the afternoon for us and a few friends. It was relaxing and the cheese was yummy.

Monday morning was not so relaxing. We woke up to about two inches of water completely covering the downstairs! Water was still gushing from one of the toilets where the line had broken during the night. Everything dried out pretty well – we were happy that most of our stuff had already been moved out, so we just lost a book or two and a few other things. It was not how we wanted to start the week, though!

That night, we had dinner at Corralito’s with our friends Keith and Whitney, whom we have really enjoyed getting to know.

Our Principal Officer Ray and his wife Patty invited us over on Wednesday night for fondue. It was nice to have a chance to visit with them outside of the office before we left. I’ve worked with Patty on several events – she is a dynamo and so personable.

Thursday was our last day in the office. In the afternoon, the consular section all gathered together for a farewell party. Our Deputy Principal Officer gave us a nice farewell speech and everyone signed a card for us. I didn’t have a chance to eat cake (even my favorite coconut that was on the table) because we were hugging everyone (and yes, by that time I was crying like a baby). We’ve made so many good friends in Juarez, especially the local staff. Several of them were crying, too, so, of course, I didn’t stand a chance! It was really, really sweet.

After a last dinner at Corralito’s (where we said goodbye to the manager, Raul, who always took such good care of us), we went home to do our final packing for the car trip.

We finished packing up on Friday morning and drove for the last time (at least for a long time) across the Zaragoza port-of-entry. We drove pretty much non-stop to Weatherford, just outside of Ft. Worth, where we spent the night. Flavia did well on the trip – I gave her a sedative, so she slept most of the way.

We got into Hot Springs around 4 PM yesterday, and immediately went out for pizza and beer with David, Alison and their fun friend Diane at a little dive on the lake. David is heading back to Diego Garcia this morning, so I was especially happy to get to see him for a little bit.

So! Here we are at Mom’s house. She is fostering a cute little kitten, but Flavie isn’t too thrilled about that. We’ll see how that goes! It’s great to be back for a while!

A groggy Flavia in Texarkana

TFran on New Year’s Eve

We’re all packed out – the movers came on Monday and Tuesday and loaded up everything! It’s weird being in an empty house. We have the Consulate furniture, and they bring us a kit of basics (sheets, towels, dishes, etc.) but the house really echoes!

Last Sunday before the movers came, we went to Las Cruces, making one more run to the used book store. We tried to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant there, but unfortunately, it was closed.

Back to work on Wednesday and part of the day Thursday (the office closed early for New Year’s Eve). Wednesday, I went to see two U.S. citizen minors who were in the hospital after their family had a horrible car wreck – that was a tough visit.

Wednesday night, Pam and I had a nice dinner at Corralito’s and yakked for a few hours.

I was called downstairs at work one morning for a mysterious reason…about 20 people had gathered around. I was quite happy to be presented with an “Extra Mile” award for mentoring a distance learning class for nine of the local staff – the best thing was that I was nominated by them, which made it all the better and very touching. The class was a great experience for me.

Thursday in the late afternoon, John and I went to Lara and Ryan’s for a drink. We had a great time – her parents and grandmother were there, and Neal came, too. Her mom is originally from Chiapas and is so cute and funny. She and Lara’s step-father live in Kodiak, Alaska, where Dean is a fisherman, a la Dangerous Catch – he had some great stories. We really enjoyed ourselves.

Afterwards, we went to Michael and Teresa’s for a small get-together – the Nieves crew, Pam and Sam, and Jason. It was a perfect party for me – just the right size. We ended up outside by the fire pit until 2:30 AM. Click to see photos from New Year’s Eve.

John and I were amazingly up and dressed and at Caroline and Harold’s the next day around 11 AM for a yummy brunch. We hung out there most of the day as people came and went. Caroline is an excellent cook in addition to being fun – her sweet potato biscuits were out of this world!

The rest of the weekend we relaxed and got some things done – for relaxation, we watched “Angels & Demons” and started the latest Harry Potter movie.

Yesterday we took both cars  to El Paso for oil changes and to take more things to Goodwill. We had our farewell hamburgers at Geske’s.

The movers, after getting the reclining sofa down the stairs

Our favorite local staff had a great party for John and me on Tuesday night – it was so fun to spend an evening with them. They are mostly the folks who worked in the NIV section with us when we first arrived in Juarez in March 2008. They made espresso martinis (yum), cooked up a great dinner, and had a pinata – it was so much fun! Click to see more photos of the party.

On Christmas Eve, we had an open house here after the Consulate closed at noon. We did this last year, too, and really enjoyed it.  About 20-25 people dropped by throughout the afternoon.  It was pleasant to visit, listen to Christmas music and just relax. John made balloon animals for the kids, which were a big hit.

Monday night was our last book club. For November and December, we watch movies. This month was a good movie about illegal immigration called “Sin Nombre” (Without a Name). Teresa and Michael hosted at their house.

Last Sunday, John smoked several chickens that we delivered to friends, including Ryan and Lara – we got to see their new baby Sophie – what a cutie!

On Christmas and the day after, the real work began – we went into high gear to get ready for the movers on Monday. What a lot of work! The house is now upside down, shipments separated, etc. When we just couldn’t work anymore, we sat down on Christmas afternoon for our annual mimosas and watched “Fringe” as a reward for our hard work. Last night, we watched “Julia and Julie.”

John and Martha

With Mikey at the ACS Holiday Party

Pretty low-key week – it’s starting to hit us that we are actually leaving Ciudad Juarez soon! I have such mixed feelings about it – I’m excited to think about home leave and being in DC for most of the year, but on the other hand, I’m really sad to think about leaving so many good friends here.

We didn’t have a lot going on this week. We had our pack-out survey on Monday to assess what will need to be packed up. Monday night, I went to my friend Pam’s house for a drink in front of her Christmas tree.

Wednesday night we went out to a local bar with some friends – it was a lot of fun. John took me out to dinner on Thursday night – he felt sorry for me because I missed lunch because I had to go visit a pregnant woman in prison.

Friday was the ACS holiday party at our boss’s house – we had a fun gift exchange and good food and drink. I was happy that my Secret Santa made a donation to CARE for me!

Saturday John got back up on the horse  – um, bike – and enjoyed a cold but sunny ride in New Mexico. Meanwhile, I continued with sorting closets and drawers for pack-out. We watched a few episodes of “Fringe” (love it!) and cooked up some salmon for dinner.

I’ve been working to start a recycling program at the Consulate for the last few months. I’m happy to report we had our first pick-up this week!