48: About Face

The little red devil on my shoulder is getting the better of me right now. I’m staring out our RV window, looking at the dreadfully cold snow caps on the hills just off the roadside. Our decision made, ink-to-paper, course plotted. Our epic East Coast Field Trip will have to wait. We’re heading home to Oregon.

We had a jam-packed week in Buckeye, AZ, just outside of Phoenix before starting our trek back. Upon arrival, we weren’t too excited when seeing the tiny slot they called an RV parking vacancy that we had to wedge ourselves into. We were inches between rigs in some spots. However, as the week went on, and got to know our ridiculously kind neighbors, we grew comfortable in our little sliver of land we called home. Granted, we really didn’t spend a whole lot of time at the RV park.

Before arriving in Arizona, Stephanie, my BFF from middle school, my sister-from-another-mister, my cheerleader compadre, the little to my big, the short to my tall, offered to join her and her daughters for a spring training baseball game the day we’d be arriving. It meant leaving stupid early in the morning, but we made it happen and it gave us a full baseball game of chatting and catching up. Ryan, Barrett, and Cord aren’t much for baseball, so they were bored out of their minds – but with some over-sized ice cream sundaes and lemonades thrown at them, they were pretty happy. Plus, there was sunshine!! We sat in full sun and actually COMPLAINED about getting sweaty. It was wonderful. While at the baseball game, we were able to set up a solid plan for the following day which was already on the docket, and I was stoked for.

Jason has an incredible eye for photography, and although Steph and I’s family have never lived in the same town since high school, Jason has still maintained the title of Stephanie’s family photographer. Years ago he took their family pictures, the eldest son’s senior photos a couple years ago, and on this trip, he took Ryndi’s (she’s named after me! Isn’t that the coolest?!) senior photos. “Little Ryndi” is the most beautiful Ryndi that ever was, and it was so fun to take her pictures and see her shine in front of the camera – maybe all those high school girl selfies do have value! Not to mention, Jason found a STUNNING backdrop to put her in front of – complete with palm trees, glistening water, and a desert’s sunset sky.

While in the area, Steph introduced us to an awesome new restaurant venue called “Chicken N Pickle”. It’s a family restaurant and sports bar, but what’s unique about it is the indoor and outdoor pickleball courts! There’s also jumbo-sized boardgames like Connect 4 and Battleship along with other yard games like Bocce and shuffleboard. We were able to reserve a court and introduce my BFF’s family to the world of pickleball. The whole family are athletes, so it was fun to give them a taste of the game that has enveloped our lives while we’re on the road. Jason, Ryan, and Bear also had the chance to break in their brand-new paddles. Because you’re only as good as your paddle. At least I’m pretty sure that’s what they’re saying in the Pickleball circles.

One of the reasons for staying in Buckeye was the proximity to an airport. Jason had to fly out and head back to Hermiston, OR for a few days to be present for the house inspection we have an accepted offer on back home. Before he was born, Ryan’s dad passed away unexpectedly and shattered two families as we knew them: mine and the Bowe’s.

Fortunately for me, the Bowe family is the kindest, most accepting people a gal could want in her life. So even after almost 17 years since Ryan Sr. died, The Bowe Family continue to encourage, invite, and include my family in theirs. Some of that Bowe family is in Arizona, and they have quickly become our home away from home. We have visited them multiple times during our travels, and even before we took to the road, we would plan vacations to spend time with them. Jason, being the selfless husband he is, wanted to be sure to see the Bowe’s before he had to fly out. And in true Nana Bowe fashion, she was ready for us with our favorite treats, fun activities (tie-dye!), and the biggest Nana hugs you can imagine. Our time with Grandpa Larry and Nana is always our favorite, and I cherish them more than I could ever express.

I dropped Jason off at the airport and he was in Oregon for about four days before I picked him back up. While Jason was gone, the boys and I mostly stayed close to the RV park. We went to Peter Piper’s Pizza that was actually very similar to Chuck E. Cheeze Pizza – all the way down to the same mouse mascot. The boys were really wanting to watch the new Kung Fu Panda 4 movie, so I hooked them up with tickets to a theater with “luxury loungers”.

After Jason was back, we only had one full day before hitting the road again. Much to our surprise, and I guess to their surprise too, my sister’s family came to our neck of the woods in Arizona!

Kristi signs up for these crazy trips where you just pay the company however much money you deem appropriate, check a few boxes on your likes and dislikes, and then the company plans an entire vacation for you. They open an envelope the day before to find out where they’re flying to. It’s insane, but totally awesome. This trip had them going to Scottsdale, AZ - a mere hour down the road from us!  So our week that we thought was already going to be tremendous because we’ve seen lifelong friends and some of our favorite family members just got even better! We met up with Kristi’s family for one of their planned activities called “Wonderspaces”. It’s an art museum in the most basic sense, but it’s life-sized, hands-on, and interactive. Pretty impressive artwork, fun to walk through, and cool to be a part of.

After Wonderspaces, we went to a hip new business that is becoming all the rage across the country called The PuttShack. It’s minigolf. But also, it’s computerized. The golf ball is a tiny computer that monitors your strokes and depending on how you navigate the course, counts and detracts your points. Highly recommend! I wish I could have done the course twice though – I would have done so much better after knowing what to do on each hole.

Our last full day flew by, filled with family and friends, but then it was time to hit the road. And that road was the one taking us home to Oregon. We received the report for the house inspection, and with Jason having been present for the inspection as well, we felt confidant in going forward with the purchase of the home. Not to say we don’t have our work cut out for us.

For instance, the water remained off during the inspection because when the city employee turned it on, pipes started spurting water. Not great. Overall though, I think we can tackle it and come out on top after it’s all said and done. Besides, I live for a “before-and-after” moment, and there will be plenty of those with this house!

What has me siding with that little red devil on my shoulder right now is that snow I’m seeing out the window. And that blast of we’re-not-in-Arizona-sun-anymore air that hits me in the face when we stop for gas. It’s cold, and it’s getting colder as we go. We’re heading in the opposite direction of what I like to see on the thermometer.

I guess for as much as I loathe the cold and wish for sunshine all day, every day, I am also looking forward to the job ahead. No one dives into a project like I do. Fully over my head with to-do lists, paint chips, idea boards, financial schematics, and (obviously) new “work” clothes to get the job done appropriately. I’m excited. It’s going to be a ton of work, but we’ve been here before. Also, we’re heading home at the beginning of Spring, so the thermometer will only be going up from here!

So here’s to high-quality time with friends and family, to standing firm in our decisions, and to the sunshine following me home.