Weekend at Fort Bliss.

Last Friday I flew to El Paso for the holiday weekend because AJ couldn't take leave to come to Illinois. It was my first time flying alone, and my first time in Texas. After a delayed takeoff due to the snowy Chicago weather, I finally landed in El Paso around 3:45pm. AJ was waiting there at baggage claim, holding a sign with our last name and a little bouquet of roses. He had come straight from work and changed out of his uniform in order to not attract attention. I told him he was silly because everyone would think it was cute. So cute that he was afraid someone would take a picture and post it online somewhere.

AJ still had work left to do for the day, so we headed back to post. I loved sitting in his office and meeting the people he works with, including the battalion commander for the rear detachment and the other sergeants. However, it turned out to be a very long work day, finally ending at 10:30pm. Not exactly the best introduction to our new home after traveling all day. 

On Saturday we definitely took our time in the morning. After an early lunch at Arby's AJ showed me around post, where we stopped at the PX to find a hat for my dad as a late Christmas present. Fort Bliss is a lot more industrial looking than Fort Lee--I'm not sure if it's the geography or the way they are built or both. The PX is great, however. Everything is very new and there are a lot more restaurants and stores to choose from. 

Next we headed to the other side of the mountains, stopping at a state park to hike around a little bit. AJ showed me around a little bit more before we stopped by the apartment where he stays right now. We had dinner at a local sushi restaurant before driving back across the mountains, gazing out the car window at the U.S.-Mexico border along the way. It was pretty cool driving past the ramp that takes you into Juarez, although AJ's not allowed to go there.

We ended our night by watching Les Miserables in the theater on post, where apparently you have to stand for the national anthem before the previews start. We loved the movie. 

On Sunday we went to the church AJ attends. The more traditional service definitely took some getting used to--I didn't know what was going on for a lot of it, but overall I enjoyed the liturgy. We met another Army couple there, and they invited us out to a local fast food taco restaurant. The chain actually started in Juarez and migrated over to the U.S. The salsa bar was definitely the highlight for me. :)




After lunch we took the scenic route over the mountains, although we didn't linger at the overlooks along the way because it was a bit cooler today. We stopped to switch phone plans and buy AJ a new pair of shoes, taking our time so that we would drive over the mountains after dark to see the cities at night. After a rough start, I would say El Paso is redeeming itself. It's definitely nothing like home, but we agree that if we're forced to move we might as well be somewhere different. Either way, the Army won't keep us here long!