Adventures with Elizabeth

Jill's Journal: Oh sure, she looks innocent enough, but if there were ever a person with a knack for finding trouble adventure whenever I’m with her, it’s Elizabeth. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been together over the last nearly 20 years – the Bahamas, Tijuana, Nashville, Phoenix, you name it – if we’re together, hilarity just somehow happens. I’m not sure which one of us is Lucy and which one is Ethel, but we’d surely make those fictional ladies proud by our ridiculous antics. Our time together in Las Vegas on this trip just overlapped by one day, but Elizabeth and I made the most of it with a very rare-for-me girls’ night out. And my goodness, I could not imagine a more loyal and dedicated friend. Everyone should be so lucky as to have an Elizabeth. We’re at such different places in our lives, her single and carefree and me married with soon-to-be-four children, but somehow our friendship still just works. And I’m pretty sure it always will. I have no doubt we’re friends for life.

It’s been over 15 years since Elizabeth and I actually lived in the same city. However, in an extremely bizarre twist, we’ll soon be in the same state again. Plans call for her to leave Las Vegas and move to New Jersey in the spring. New Jersey! Of all places! Her move has nothing to do with ours, but out of this whole enormous nation, we’ll be within an hour of each other on the opposite side of the country from where our friendship started nearly two decades ago. How strange (and fortuitous) is that?

Visitors Two Days Running

Jill's Journal: Who knew Calico/Barstow, i.e. the middle of seemingly nowhere, would turn out to be such a central location that would bring us visitors on two days in a row?

First, yesterday brought my friend-for-life Elizabeth and her free-spirited Mom, June, who were passing through town on their way from Las Vegas to California’s Central Coast. Two out of the three of us don’t drink coffee, but we met at Starbucks for three blissful hours of girl talk. More on Elizabeth next week when we’re on her home turf. She called this our “appetizer visit.” :)

And today, who came to deliver all sorts of mail and spend the day with us? None other than Grandpa and Beppy! The girls were so excited. Erika talked Beppy’s ear off, Victoria immediately attached herself to her best buddy “Gwampa,” and Madelyn bounced back and forth between the two of them.

We always, always have fun together…

…and get really silly. Beppy was trying awfully hard not to crack a smile here.

We loved the general store, one of Calico’s five original buildings.

And then it was off to nearby Yermo and a late lunch at Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner, a roadside fixture on the path from L.A. to Vegas since 1954.

Beppy and the girls got friendly with Elvis. It’s hard to say which one of these four love the King more.

We haven’t visited Santa yet this year, but the girls got a kick out of this Santa “on vacation in Hawaii!” What a fun, fun day.