I had no trouble finding the airport Thursday when we arrived around 4:00 having left the Springs around 10:00 that morning. I love driving 75 mph! We checked into the hotel and I tried to get CoCo comfortable with being there. She has only stayed one other time in a motel room and it made her really anxious, even though I never left her alone in it.
There was a Burger King just down the street from the hotel so I took her in the car and went through the drive through, returned to the hotel and ate dinner in the room. She settled down a little bit when she saw the french fries! ha! The next morning I left her in the room briefly while I grabbed a plate of breakfast food from their free "buffet" which didn't amount to much, but then I don't usually eat breakfast so it didn't really matter. And, once again, CoCo was happy to have some friend potatoes!
I had googled the airport layout the night before and so I had a general idea of where I needed to go in the airport. I had no idea where to park, however, and ended up parking in a lot where I could easily walk to the entrance. I put CoCo in her airline approved carrier and off we went into the airport.
They are undergoing renovations so things looked different inside than my google map had shown so I ended up asking someone where the Customs Office was. We walked in to find three other people sitting there, in a rather small waiting area. I was about 45 minutes early. I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to find the right building and the right room. Everyone else there was waiting for the same thing - an interview to get their Global Entry Pass.
CoCo was not happy being in her carrier, but sticking my hand inside and petting her regularly seemed to calm her down. Not sure how I can do that on a nine hour flight to Europe! Drugs - that's what I'm thinking - for both of us perhaps! Anyway, when it was my turn we met with a very nice Customs Agent who explained the entire process, took my passport and driver's license and put all the info into his computer. Then he took my photo and fingerprints which he also had to process into his computer. At which point he said I had been officially approved for TSA precheck on domestic flights and Global Entry passport checks (basically, no check!) on international flights. Whoo hoo! No more standing in long security lines.
Meanwhile back in the Springs it was snowing. I left NM in bright sunshine and didn't hit any weather problems until Raton Pass where it was a light freezing drizzle. Fortunately, that didn't last very long, but I never did see the sun again. I appreciated getting a text from Andy telling me that the roads were all clear, and indeed, I had no problems getting home around 7:00. A quick trip, but very productive.
And things are getting done on the house. I have a flooring guy coming in the morning to measure for the new floors in the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the little bathroom. I will be renting a storage unit starting next month so that I can get my belongings out of the house so my dear friend, Beth, can give me pointers on how to stage it for selling. I have started the wood floor renewal process in the living and dining rooms (having already done this in the small bedroom that's on the main floor.)
Then all that's left is to hire a carpet cleaner and do some "curb appeal". I will hire an appraiser and a home photographer (suggested by the book I'm reading) and start interviewing realtors so I can get the house on the market in April.
Cindy is coming for a week in April and that will be a most welcome distraction from all this work. I am excited to show her the improvements. Everything should be done by then - April 9 - so that she and I can just "play" and do all the things we love doing in Colorado Springs. She is anxious to see the cubs at the zoo. They have changed so much since she saw them in October!
And now it's Spring - officially! My favorite time of year. I know it's extremely schizophrenic and you never know what to expect. In fact, we often have our biggest snow storms in the Spring. But I love the green shoots that are appearing, the crocuses are blooming, there's a tinge of green on the lilac bushes and the trees. The grass is turning from brown to green and the sun is staying longer in the sky. The fat squirrels are frantically trying to find the food that they buried last fall, the robins are enjoying the birdbath, the finches are singing me awake every morning.
It's funny that when we got back home from our trip to NM I said to CoCo, "it's good to be home, isn't it?" And then realized that there will come a time when I won't have a home to come home to - at least not my own home - at least not for awhile. But, I am excited about the time when I can enjoy someone else's home. Life is good, life is always changing and I am very good at adapting and looking forward to my next great adventure.
And since I have no photos for this posting I'll just post a few old ones so I can keep that new adventure always fresh in my mind and heart.
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| My valley in SW France |
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| The beautifully majestic Pyrenees |
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. Merci!!!
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