Family visit

I hadn’t expected any visitors this month; it’s hot! Only Laura likes to come in June, because it’s the peak of pool season.

But Chirstina lost her job on Thursday the week before last. We were all so discouraged about that! I think I cried as much as she did! She was there for only two weeks.

Meanwhile, Callan had so much vacation time saved up that they could no longer accrue anymore. It was use it or lose it! So when the calamity of Chirstina’s lost job happened, Callan requested the upcoming week off. And here they are!

We took these photos at an excellent nearby restaurant that Chirstina discovered online, Tito and Pep. It’s my new favorite restaurant! Apparently it made the New York Times list of Top 50 nationwide restaurants of 2022. Wow. And in my neighborhood, too.

The restaurant is, small, unassuming inside, and priced affordably. I would have thought a top 50 nationwide restaurant would have waiters in tuxedos and entrees starting at $100 or $1,000, or who knows what the wealthy pay to go out to eat. But no, entrees only cost between $16-$30 each. So, not as cheap as our nearby favorite taco stand or our other nearby favorite Hawaiian BBQ joint with the garish plastic tablecloths, but still, for such good food it was surprisingly affordable.

The restaurant isn’t in a fancy area either. It’s just on Speedway, which is an arterial that does not live up to its name. It crawls slowly east-west across town, stoplight after stoplight, adorned with one strip mall after another. Tito and Pep is located next to a used car dealership, on the same block as a Jiffy Lube, across from a pawn shop, a bowling alley, and the store where I found my floor tile! It’s a great place to hide it because this restaurant is going to get discovered. Maybe the iffy location will keep it available to humble, last-minute locals a little longer, before it becomes completely impossible to get a reservation.

We thought the food was amazing.

Other than our great meal at Tito and Pep, we mostly stayed at home and relaxed, played in the pool, and played card games.

John’s been working hard this week. His office is cold (as most workspaces are), so he is always eager to go for a walk in the heat when he gets home. Often we have beautiful sunsets on our walks.

This one was from last Sunday evening.

And these next three were taken on Wednesday of last week. It’s been very hot during our evening walk, usually in the high 90’s. That was last week. This week has been in the 100’s and John and I have finally hit our upper limit. We’re suspending our evening walks until it gets back down into the 90’s. It will cool off soon. See those clouds in the evening sky? The monsoon rains – and mosquitos – are coming.

And that lost job? Old history. Chirstina picked herself right back up and started applying to new jobs. She already has an interview today, fingers crossed!

To send Kristina a comment, email turning51bykristina@gmail.com.

Kristina’s Website: Life Coaching for Adults with Autism