Thanksgiving at the Border

Did I mention that we had to wait in stop and go traffic for four hours at the border yesterday afternoon? I say stop and go, but it was mostly stop, really. Can you imagine that, with my speed racer husband who cannot sit still (especially in the driver's seat) and my two bored little chickies?

Thankfully, we'd packed lunch in a cooler in the back, and ate that while we waited. There was also a restroom at the border, which was invaluable since the roadside is lined with dirt and shacks and people walking between all the cars selling trinkets, tortillas, and window washes. However, to get to the bathroom, we had to hike a mile from the car and back. Half way there with the girls, we crossed paths with a lady who mentioned the lack of toilet paper at the facility. So, we trudged back to the car, rummaged through the back until we uncovered a roll of toilet paper, and headed out again. Thankfully, it was only the Men's bathroom that was out of soap. We were covered. I left the roll of paper on the sink for the lines of women streaming in after us.

The girls were miserable, and made Franz and I as miserable as they could, too. Madeline, in particular, turned into such a pest; bugging Katie incessantly. After an hour of cajoling, requesting, demanding, etc. on our part, we finally made her get out and walk next to the car in the dirt as we idled along. Seriously, we did. I handed her lunch to her out the window as she walked along. She was mortified. I wish we'd tried it an hour earlier. It really worked. One minute was all it took. Now, once we crossed the border and were on our high-speed way, she resumed her loud "Whoa is me" attitude and we couldn't exactly have her hang on from the sideview mirror as we buzzed along, so it was a fairly temporary solution.

Last night, instead of getting in at 3:30 in the afternoon and devoting the remainder of the day to Christmas decorations with the girls, we arrived in town at 7:00ish. It's unfortunate the return trip was so excruciating because, other than that, we had a wonderfully relaxed and stress-free Thanksgiving holiday in Mexico. We even saw a little rain and some clouds, which is really unusual for Rocky Point, and since we're from Phoenix, we think weather is pretty cool; Phoenix is where they send the flunky weathermen (300+ days of sunshine, little rain, usually warm to hot temps).