Lisa and I left for California yesterday (Friday 12/7) morning and made it to Oklahoma City (700) miles). Today we hope to get to New Mexico. The trip across Missouri was dreary with rain and fog throughout the day and the Missouri landscape is mainly farms and more farms.  We got excited to see anything – “Look Lisa! A dead deer! Wow!”

By the time we made it to Joplin Mo. it was getting dark and we did not see any indication of the devastating tornado that wiped out the town a year or so ago.  By the time we hit the Oklahoma line it was completely dark and we have no opinion of the state because we never saw anything.  Speed limits are 75 mph and we covered a lot of ground quickly.  Finally arriving in Oklahoma City (Lakers played the Thunder here last night, btw) we checked into the Wyndham Garden hotel that Lisa proudly “Pricelined” for $50. We met a lady at the front desk who asked where we were headed and said she lived in Loma Linda, Ca. for a time and loved it.  She even knew the area where we will be living and raved about the hospital where Lisa will work.  Small world.

Settling into a hotel late at night when you are tired and hungry is one of the greatest tests of a marriage.  Lisa grabbed her little overnight bag and casually made her way to the room while I practically unloaded the car to find a change of clothes, my C-Pap machine, the computer, a coat, medicine that somehow got buried beneath something really heavy that caused me to cuss really loud and then I placed the bag holding my supper between my teeth, and with the only two fingers I had left not doing anything managed to use them to shut the car door and carefully hold my extra-large “Whataburger” diet coke to wash down the “Whataburger” hamburger and fries that were now clinched in my teeth.  As I shuffled toward the room (second floor, of course) I remembered my phone charger was still in the car. I had to have that so I backed down the steps – unloaded – stuffed the phone charger in my pocket and slowly gathered everything back up.  It was then that I heard the sweet, soft, soothing voice of my wife yelling to me from the balcony – “Are you coming?”  Whatever happened to ‘O Romeo’?

Anyway – Lisa’s Romeo, the human U-Haul, finally made it to the room and yes we are still married..

We hope to stop at the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas on the way out and be in Loma Linda by Tuesday when we can get into our apartment. Lisa begins her work on Wednesday and I have an interview at Disneyland next Friday (not kidding – I may clean toilets or be the one of the fat seven dwarves – how about “Stumpy”).

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Steve and Lisa