I can't believe it is Monday, and the boys and Bryon are gone! We had a fabulous spring break! Our family had a busier than normal winter, and a lot coming up this spring, so my chief objective on our trip was to relax, and have lots of quality family time. Bryon's friend/mentor/colleague has a cabin near Angel Fire, and he has given us an open invitation to use it when we wanted to. We felt that this was the perfect time to take him up on his offer! I feel like our relaxation mission was accomplished, and our family has some great memories from our trip! Here are a few highlights:
*After baseball practice and two soccer games on Saturday, we headed west and had the privilege of eating in Abilene with our dear friends, the Wertheims. We ate a Perini Ranch, which is a working ranch/great steak place. It is always so great to see the Wertheims, who have been dear friends of our family for over 20 years.
*We made it to Angel Fire mid afternoon on Sunday. Our friends' cabin in set in a valley a few miles outside of Angel Fire. It is known for good bird watching, and some wild animals (we saw elk every day). The temperature was cool, and the kids enjoyed seeing their first snow this year.
*For Christmas, my parents got me the dvd of Centennial, my favorite mini series of all time. It is 26 hours long, so I thought it would be perfect for the trip! We watched two episodes a day, and are about 3/4 of the way through it. It was great introducing the kids to this special movie.
*Driving/shopping/eating in Taos. On Monday, we drove over the mountain and spent some time in Taos. My eyes were open for Julia Roberts' house, but I couldn't find it! We ate at a great place called Orlando's, and enjoyed people watching. Taos has some interesting residents!
*Tuesday we took the boys tubing. The boys had a blast! Toward the end of the session, the workers told me I could do a run or two (I tried to get a ticket, but it was sold out). I had a great time! I couldn't believe how fast we were traveling. I was scared to death, but there was no fear on the boys' faces! I raced both boys down, and beat the pants off of both of them. Matthew said I was lucky to be 100 pounds. I am a lucky 100 pound person, don't you think? ;)
*Wednesday, Bryon took Matthew skiing for the first time. We decided to take the whole family skiing next year, but Bryon wanted to give Matthew a taste of one of his favorite activities this trip. Meanwhile, I stayed home and had a Yachtzee marathon with Mary Beth and Thomas. Bryon reports that after he gave Matthew a few pointers, he was skiing down blue trails without poles, and not falling down! Matthew has a new found passion for skiing, so I am sure we will all be hitting the slopes again soon!
*We had a huge treat Wednesday afternoon. The people who had the cabin next to us are big bird watchers. They invited us over to observe one of three known bald eagles nests in New Mexico. Through a telescope, we were able to watch the Daddy eagle feed the Mama eagle, who was sitting on her eggs. All five of us were in awe of this scene. The pictures I took don't do it justice!
*Thursday morning, we woke up and saw that a big snow storm was moving in later that day. We decided to pack our things and head out 1/2 a day earlier than planned. We did manage to stay long enough to watch no. 9 seed Baylor knock off no. 1 seed Kansas in the Big 12 tournament. That was a great way to top off our great vacation!
*We drove onto Abilene and spent the night. I spent 10 out of my 18 years of childhood in this city, and I loved driving around and showing the kids where their mother went to school, church, and where I lived. After an hour or so, we made the trek southeast, and back to Waco.
*I can't tell you how great the kids were on the trip. They were so happy to be together, and were great car riders, a great asset in our family!
*Our vacation plans had been made to allow for us to be home in time for baseball practice and soccer games on Saturday. Wouldn't you know that everything was cancelled because of the rain! It was such a treat to be home on Saturday with no sporting events. We worked hard to get our mudroom and laundry room completely cleaned and organized.
*This trip was another reminder of how much I love my family, and how blessed I am to call them mine!
Reve d'Or just starting to bloom.
Trumpet vine
I love when Mary Beth dresses herself. You never know what combination she will come up with! She is very proud that she doesn't need any assistance with swinging now.
Ready for school!
Finch feeding frenzy!
My two favorite sports stars taking a break from playing!
