Thanksgiving Travels- Part I

Yea, yea, yea. It's nearly Christmas. As my little sister says, "whatev". Yes, I still haven't unpacked my bag. So keep your shirt on. My shirt is still in my bag, so I'm good. But I did unpack my camera and it's cord...thus, pictures!

Thanksgiving:
With finals fast approaching, Eric and I naively thought he'd have an easier time if Jane and I were out of the way. So off Jane and I went for sixteen days, two airplane flights and 33 hours in a car...

Here are the highlights:
Visiting my 1LT sister at Ft. Irwin. Did I mention I got to do the pinning? (see picture below) Did I mention I am terribly proud of her? Word and pictures cannot describe. My sister rocks. She's an incredibly strong, smart, spunky, hilarious, sweet, give you her left arm and right kidney kind of gal. I'm loving watching her kick butt in the Army and in life.


Example: my sister has a jeep. It's name is Harold. My sister and Harold have all kinds of adventures together. Is she scared of the Mojave Desert? No! Does she need a road or a path to drive on? No! She blazes her own trails (bad jeep pun, I know).
Does she flinch in driving through small lakes? No! Yes, I flinched. Several times. But I trusted my sister. Jane enjoyed the desert air and the brilliant sunset. I miss desert sunsets.
Did I mention she takes awesome pictures? Huzzah for my sister!


Touring the Goldstone Complex i.e. really big Space Antenna Radar Receiving Thingies (ZAP--/Mommy Brain Strikes Again\--ZAP):

This was way cool. I learned all about the deep space projects NASA has got going and the twelve year old in me wanted to be an astronaut again. While my inner-geek missed my geeky husband even more, I felt Sci-Fi Fever rear it's strange head again.

Visiting the Wetlands in Vegas:
Yes, they do kind of stink. But in Vegas, they are a place that feels outside sardine-suburbia. That and Eric and I used to go on early morning or late night walks in them back when we were dating (because it was too hot during the day). And it was nice to walk in warm weather with Jane and her cousin Aubrey.


Stay tuned for Part II which takes place many hours north in Idaho.