Well, I am just getting around to posting about our amazing trip to Santa Fe. After basically 3 weeks of holidays, vacations and non-stop "going, going, going", it has taken us a few days to "get back to normal". We left last Wednesday for our Santa Fe trip to attend the commitment ceremony of dear friend Jenny Carnes and Elizabeth Bowhay.
We met Mom and Dad in Lubbock and spent NYE at the Embassy Suites there, as a stop over to make the trip there a little easier on the boys. As Kenny and I went to bed at 10:30, we commented on how things have changed in the last 4 years (in bed at 10:30 on NYE!!!). We got up the next morning and headed on to SF. We arrived to absolutely amazing weather - sunny and cool. We didn't even wear our ski jackets that we had brought with us...we didn't wear any jackets all weekend actually, until Sunday when it did get REALLY cold. It was that nice outside. The Bed & Breakfast that Jenny and Elizabeth had rented out for the weekend was called the "El Paradero". It was great! Sue, the owner, and her staff could not have been nicer and more accommodating. When Carson introduced himself to her he said "Hi, my name is Carson and this is my house". She laughed and they were immediately great friends for the rest of the weekend. All the way to SF on Thurs morning Carson had wondered out loud about what "his" house in SF would be like.
Thursday evening, J and E had a "meet and greet" at the B&B with lots of goodies and wine. I think when I look back on our Santa Fe trip the things I will remember most, besides a fantastic time with family and friends that are like family, is the FOOD and the WINE, because there was LOTS of it! After a fun opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones, Mom offered to stay and put the boys to bed, so Kenny and I could go out to dinner with everyone - such a treat! Thanks again Yaya! :)
Friday, we woke up to a great breakfast and spent the day hanging out with all the kids - 5 big kids, a 2 yr old and Collier. The big kids had a great time together playing in the snow, playing games and with Carson's tinker toys (which I am sure Ms Sue will find scattered throughout the house for months to come). We went out to lunch, took naps and relaxed by the fire - heaven! Friday evening Carson and I went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum with a bunch of the ladies. It was Carson's first art museum experience and he did great. He hung out with Aunt Molly and discussed all the pictures. Although fine art is not really my thing, it was fun to go. She was kind of a weird lady and it definitely shows in her art.
Friday night was the Fellowship dinner at the B&B. J and E did a great job of transforming the breakfast area of the house into a dining area for a delicious sit down dinner. Good friends of Jenny's, Mickey and Steven, did the cooking and it was wonderful - makes my mouth water thinking about it. Pork,lamb and black bean stuffed chili rellenos with some sort of delicious cream sauce, baked winter veggies and a carrot and corn flan - delish!!! Dessert was melted chocolate with little goodies on the side - yum! Oh, and more wine - A LOT of wine! :)
Saturday morning Carson and I went with the Gerdes fam to paint pottery. There is pottery everywhere you go in SF, so we thought it appropriate to take the kids to make their own! Carson made a cup (for his hot chocolate - his favorite thing right now) and I made a Christmas ornament. I think his cup will turn out much cuter than my ornament. They will fire them and mail them to us - can't wait to get them! After lunch, we went to the Loretta chapel - famous for its circular staircase that has no nails or glue and supposedly was made using only 3 tools and a tub of hot water. Their is lots of speculation about the "miracle" of the staircase (which Dad could not wait to get on the Internet and research it, which he did - surprise, surprise!). It was cool, nonetheless.
Saturday night was the ceremony and dinner at Rio Chama steakhouse, just off the plaza. The ceremony was beautiful. J and E both looked gorgeous. We are SO glad we were there to celebrate with them. Jenny is like a sister to us and we could not be happier for her and Elizabeth, because they are so happy together. The party was great fun - another wonderful dinner, good wine, music and dancing and celebrating. One thing that really struck me was the incredible group of people that were there - everyone was so much fun and enjoyable - a true testament to Jenny and Elizabeth.
After breakfast on Sunday we said our goodbyes and loaded the kids up for the 11 hour trip home. We were sad to leave. The boys did great on the trip home. Thank God for the DVD player. Collier did get tired of the car seat,so I had to sit in the back with him most of the way and "entertain" him. Kenny laughed about the fact that I have never volunteered to drive so much on a car trip. It is hard being a 6 month old's sole source of entertainment for 11 hours! All in all, it was an easy trip home, the weather cooperated and we only stopped 4 times - not bad!
So, back to reality! Collier is sitting up pretty well on his own, so I will post pics of that soon. There are 200+ pictures from SF in the slideshow to the right - be sure to check them out! Just click on the picture to blow it up bigger and you can scroll through them.
Happy New Year to everyone!!!
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