July 14
Whenever I go to a semi large city, I google “Rocket yoga” knowing that if a studio has rocket yoga it will be the type of yoga I like: fast paced, hard, fun. So I found a studio in El Paso and got up early to make their morning class. The owner, who I had already stalked on the website, was checking people in and made no effort to figure out who I was or see if I might be interested in joining her studio which I thought was odd. The rules sign in the bathroom said “Don’t try to impress anyone.” and “Drama is not tolerated here.” and “Only do what the instructor cues.” These are both signs of a place that is prone to drama and has a complex about not letting people do what feels good to their own bodies. I walked into the beautiful studio with a large Om symbol in the front surrounded by candlelight. I set up my mat and felt the blast of the heater on me and felt very grateful for the infrared panels in my home studio and the welcoming atmosphere of the dojo. I loved the way the class started with a dynamic breathing exercise but then it just continued through the entire 108 degree class. It was ALL lunges and dynamic breathing with a few vinyasas here and there. The instructor boasted about the rising heat every ten minutes or so to let us know that we got all the way to 110. Not one standing pose or sitting poses, 100% lunges. I sure felt grateful for that savasana at the end- I was bored out of my mind and pretty sure I was having a little heat stroke. I thanked the instructor for class at the end and she commented about how she knows it’s hard to keep up since its so hot. I learned very much from this studio and class about what I don’t want to do if I ever opened a studio. I want people to feel good about their bodies, their abilities, I want them to feel welcome, showers, a heated space, filtered water, cold towels for your head, massages during savasana, eclectic and interesting classes, and I want them to get a good workout. I know, it’s a lot to ask.
After yoga, I bought three bottles of juice and drink from the health food store and a pack of natural gum that would later punish me. I walked around the Target where I used to shop for Christmas gifts with the money I earned mowing lawns as a middle schooler. I spent a gift card at Dick’s that was expiring- I had a dream that my yoga teacher told me that my bathing suit was inappropriate and I needed to buy a new one. He was kind of right so I did.
I got back to the house and picked up my kids, Adam, and Sadie to go on a tour of Coffee’s childhood home. I drive past my grandad’s trailer in the valley that had long been sold, my childhood church and house, and my school that is being demolished along with all of the other schools in El Paso as they improve and condense them. We drove to Chico’s tacos, an iconic El Paso taco spot with cheap flautas drowned in watery spicy tomato sauce and government cheese that is sold in a soup-nazi cash-only fashion with a resident police officer overlooking the giant sitting are where you are lucky to find an empty table. The kids weren’t super impressed- Adam and I couldn’t get enough. It is rare to find non-El Pasoans who love Chico’s but I nabbed one. I took them to Madeline Park where my dad used to take Jake and I on the Sundays he was allowed to have us. Luca has been working on an arrowhead that he fashioned out of a rock he found at glacier. He has been looking for the perfect shaft and finally found it at Madeline park. We played a game the boys taught us called “Gravel” on the big play area before getting back on the road to Fabens.
There is another iconic El Paso steakhouse called Cattleman’s that is about an hour outside El Paso on a ranch where you can tour the zoo full of everything from ostriches to rattlesnakes. They have hayrides through the countless movie sets that have been filmed there, a giant wooden fort play area where we had to play zombie tag, and a few mazes. The food is excellent and a meal at Cattleman’s complete with touring the grounds usually lasts around 3-4 hours. Jenny Pollet, another of our best friends from elementary school and beyond, met us out there. We laughed about our very unique upbringing in this city and remembered stories for a full hour before I realized Luca was listening intently. “Mommy, do you think a Junior Senior drink-off is a good thing to do?” he asked me very judgily later that evening. Sweet funny boy.
We drive by Jessica Kludt’s house to say hello and let the kids terrorize her poor cat, she was another one of our high school best friends. We were incredibly lucky to have the tightest group of crazy party girls who also happened to be smart enough not to get in any SERIOUS trouble and still graduate from high school and go on to good colleges. We supported one another through terrible home situations and all of the other normal teenage girl problems. We lived at one another’s houses and being with them always feels like no time has passed. We drove over Scenic Drive to watch the sun set over El Paso as the kids played on the same rocks we sat on for my 18th birthday celebration. It felt so good to be home.
July 15
Judah woke up 1,000,000 times during the night so I slept much later than usual and skipped the yoga class I was going to attend with Martha. When I woke up, the kids had been fed and doing crafts all morning. I went to JJ’s to pick up a family pack of gorditas with Luca. I pointed out all the places along the way. I thanked him for listening to me ramble. He said that he loves hearing about my home and all of the good and hard memories I have here. I melted with love. I showed him the area of homes that used to literally just be boxes dug into the ground that housed newly immigrated families. My family was extremely poor and completely dysfunctional but we still volunteered with our church every Thanksgiving to create boxes of food and deliver them to this area to people who needed it even more. That is the magic of El Paso and the reason that El Pasoans freak out with joy when they find another one of us outside the city. We were raised differently. We take care of one another. El Pasoans are caring for the refugees at the border, or they were until Trump forced them to stay in Mexico. Denis and Martha went to a camp to volunteer every week and make these people feel welcome. I’m proud of my city and the way our families, schools, and communities taught us to care for EVERYONE.
When we got home, we loaded up the van and headed to Wet and Wild Waterworld I-10 Anthony exit ZEROOOOOOO! This is a waterpark like none other. They allow you to take whatever you want, including alcohol, into the park in ice chests. There are BBQ grills at all of the thousands tables that are scattered all over the park under the canopy of trees. They know we won’t spend money on food in the park- you’ll have everyone in the parking lot at lunch with their coolers and cervezas if you don’t just allow it. Everyone is so responsible about it and the whole vibe is so relaxed and happy in the park. It was also very very dangerous when I was a kid. The whole place is built out of this red lava-looking rock stuff that is completely unforgiving if you fall into it. The ground is burning hot so you are encouraged to run everywhere that isn’t shady. I watched kids tumble down the “Screamer” when I was little. This was a six story drop off of one of the mountains. If you sat up in fear or lack of knowledge or whatever, you would tumble down the slide and hit your limbs on the volcano rocks that surrounded it. Needless to say, all of the scarier, well MOST of the scarier things were torn down and replaced sometime in the last 20 years. The 12 foot deep terrifying pool that gave me my fear of pools is still there complete with the ride that is literally just a waterfall into the pool. Elia loved the other “ride” in the big pool that is a platform that everyone takes turns jumping off of and swimming to the side. She was the tiniest little person in line over and over people would clap for her as she came up and swam to the side every time. Erin, Pollet, and I were sitting on the side watching from a distance so it looked like she was alone. Without fail, some bigger kid or adult would stop and make sure she made it to the side before they continued on their way. This is El Paso. The school district serves free lunch in the park all summer- again so El Paso- so caring. You can really see your tax dollars at work here in everything- there is no huge divide between the rich and poor- most people live modestly and happily.
We rode the replacement screamer that was now equipped with safety features and a shorter fall. Erin’s nephews went with us and roamed the park with by older boys and Sadie. Elia and Gage were so brave and rode everything, the daddies stayed home with the baby Bubbas. Pollet did not get in at all but enjoyed hanging out with whoever didn’t want to ride. We left and got ready for dinner at Avila’s, my favorite place in El Paso. Stacy and Brad, Jenny Frerichs (now Jenny Quinn for Phoenix)’s parents met us there with Pollet, Kludt, Erin and Greg and the three oldest of our kids. We had such a nice time catching up- they were some of the many parents who raised us. Brad was the one who told me to go to Texas for school instead of Texas Tech where I had also gotten in. Stacy helped me with the Rotary Youth Leadership Award and ensuing camp that really changed the way I felt about myself. She also helped me with rush when I became a Delta Gamma at Texas for three short months. Love. We took pictures by the fountain including one where Kludt is pushing Dominic down on the ground to save her phone that had fallen in the fountain- hahaha.
I took the kids to AJ’s Diner, a soda shop/burger place where I worked in high school. We had a milk shake and I marveled at how it was exactly the same. We went home and packed. Erin and Greg filled up our YETI cooler with frozen roasted green chiles. We all said goodnight and goodbye before we went to bed since we were leaving so early in the morning. It is always so hard to leave them.
July 16, 2019
I had planned to be on the road at 0600 and we actually did it! We grabbed Whataburger taquitos on the way our of town. Lots of driving. We stopped in Las Vegas, NM and ate at Range Café. We ran around the park and did some handstands and are now just a few hours from Colorado!
Bourne Family Travels 