Bye bye Albuquerque!

Today is our last day in Albuquerque and Mike and I are SO ready to be done. Being in a hotel room and living in such tight quarters has gotten so old that I think we may leave tire marks on the pavement on our way out of here! I've called the ambulance TWICE while living here. It's actually funny though because my phone pulls up a menu when I dial 911 which is basically asking me, "Are you sure you want to call this number?" Once was for the accident and another time was for finding a man that was laying face down in parking lot bleeding out of his head! 

But in all honesty, this experience hasn't been as horrible as I may have complained to all of you! There were great things about living here and Mike and I have made so many wonderful memories. We're a stones throw away (I've always wanted to say that!) from some of the best ski resorts and the beautiful mountain views and sunsets have been breathtaking to watch. My health is better living here because the air is so clean and my lung capacity is much stronger! Seriously, our first week here, Mike and I went for a run and I had to stop after ten minutes because I was so winded. I thought I was just out of shape but found out later that it was the altitude that made it so difficult. Now I can run outside with no problem so I may be able to run farther and longer once we're back on the east coast. 

Here's a video of the mountains

Because of our experiences here, moving to Japan will feel like such a luxury. We'll finally have our OWN house (and I don't care how old it is!) As long as it has a kitchen, I will be SO happy! I feel like such a bad wife because I don't cook and you guys know that I love to cook. It will also feel like Christmas because we have so many wedding gifts that are unused (and some even unopened) as well as new furniture still in its packaging. And lets pray that a job will fall into my lap soon after moving there. I've put in all my stuff to teach on base and now I'm just playing the waiting game until someone wants to interview me. Ever since I've graduated from college, I've longed to have my own classroom. My first year of teaching was at a private daycare center and I was the kindergarten teacher. I didn't have any of the benefits that regular teachers have at a public school. I've grown a lot from my experiences there as well as my part-time job at Hollingworth but I feel as though I haven't really applied my training in a real-life setting and I hope Japan offers me that opportunity. 

For the next few days, Mike and I will be on the road (mostly on I-40) driving to Fayetteville, NC to spend time with his family. I will post video and pictures of our road trip later.