The church where we sang in Las Cruces meets in an old restaurant in a shopping center, so we weren’t able to set up our rig on their property. No problem! Up stepped Allan and Julie who plugged our rig into their house and welcomed us with open arms.

Ellie cried when we unplugged from their house and headed down the road, and here’s why.

First of all, Julie and Allan are wonderful people! They’re open, honest, caring, God-loving folks, the kind my uncle would call “good eggs.” This is the best picture we got of them, because, well, sometimes you forget to record and you just live. This shot was taken at a restaurant where they took us for New Mexican food.

Next, they had a big soft couch and a bucket of toys and juice in individual bottles that you didn’t have to share!

And then there was this doll. Oh heart!

Also, these two girls melted some Travel Bags hearts.

But the creme de la creme,  if you’re a five-year-old girl or an 11-year-old boy, was this guy, whom we shall call Rog, because we can’t remember his real name.

If you have snake queasies, do not look at the next few pictures, or you will get that involuntary convulsion thing, have to scratch your neck, need to take a scalding shower, have to consume inhuman amounts of chocolate, probably not sleep for three days, and need to turn all the lights on wherever you go for the rest of your life.

Told you.

Eliana, was totally into the snake that Elijah was holding. I mean, totally!

See?!

 And now she wants one. Totally and completely.

Sigh.

Maybe we can change her mind with a puppy.

Allan and Julie, we had a wonderful time! Thank you so much! I’m sorry we were still under the weather a bit. Hopefully next time we can invade your territory a bit more and keep you up chatting until midnight, while Ellie cuddles with Rog. If Ellie and Elijah show up at your door alone, it’s because they wouldn’t stop asking for a snake, so just keep them and give them juice in individual bottles. They’ll be happy.