Memorial Day Vacation ... Day 5

Our final day of vacation included a short 2 mile hike.  We had a great day for it -- cloudy and cool.  Once we got to the end of the trail, we pulled out lunch and found a place to sit.  Then, we made the return hike.

 Once we got back from our hike, we broke open some kites.  I'm not sure if Olivia had more fun . . . or Courtney!

 We concluded our day with a good rock hunting trip.  We found a lot of really cool rocks.  Katelee, on the other hand, found the bag of GORP and ate all the M&Ms out of it.

Memorial Day Vacation ... Day 4

On Day 4, our big adventure was the Puye Cliff Dwellings.  We did the top tour first, which let us ride to the top of the cliff and get a tour of the remains.  It was quite interesting.  Then, we rode back down to the Welcome Center, looked at the artifacts down there, and decided to do another tour -- this one on the side of the cliffs.  We had a big scare when Courtney tripped going up some stairs and Tennyson took a tumble out of her arms and onto the stairs.  She bonked her head pretty good, but she was checked out by some paramedics, and she was fine. 

 We tried to snag some lunch at a couple places, but they were closed.  So, we just parked near a bridge that ran over the Rio Grande, and we let the girls wade in the river.  It was quite chilly, so they didn't last long.  Then, it was off to dinner at the house.

Memorial Day Vacation ... Day 3

On Day 3, we decided to explore the Taos area in search of a hot springs.  Directions were snagged from several hiking and travel websites.  The route took us over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which was quite impressive. 

Evidently, directions are a bit over-rated.  We also had Courtney's i-phone, so what could go wrong?   Well, we ended up in the middle of a field!  No hot springs around.  So, we plugged in new directions, and headed off in another direction.  This one took us up some wonderful one-lane roads into a National Forest.  Unfortunately, we finally reached a spot so washed out, the truck couldn't go any further.  So, we turned around and headed for another spot.  The trek does have a happy ending though.  We finally found a spot with hot springs -- Black Rock Hot Springs.  So, we enjoyed them for a while before heading into Taos for dinner and dessert.  Bedtime came early this night!

Good Morning World 

Our final resting spot for the hot springs.  We had to hike down about half a mile before reaching two small pools.  Some people were already in the upper pool, so we settled on the lower one.  Katelee was not a fan of the mud bottom.  Once the others left, we moved to the upper pool, which was much warmer and nicer.  If ignorance is bliss, we could have probably gone the rest of the trip without seeing a big snake emerge from the lower pool as we were leaving.  Whew!

Memorial Day Vacation . . . Day 2

Day 2 began with . . . well, what's a better way to start the day than at a winery.  We headed to the local winery (1 of 3).  Courtney sampled several different bottles, and she seemed very happy the rest of the day.  And, the owner seemed happy when we bought a couple of bottles of his wine.  Then, we headed to lunch.  Lunch was enjoyed at a fun cafe' called Zuly's.  

The afternoon was reserved for naps for the youngest girls.  In the meantime, Olivia and dad conquered the mountain behind the house, climbing to 6400 feet.  Olivia was quite proud of herself.

After the girls woke up, we decided we would hike some more around the house.  We had spotted several "really" green trees in the arroyos, and we figured they may be next to a spring or water source.  So, we drove up the canyon a little ways before hopping out to explore.  Unfortunately, we did not find any water.  But, all scrambled up the mountain for some great views (including Tennyson).

If wine is the way to start the day (according to Courtney), then S'mores are the way to end the day (according to Mark).  So, we had some great bratwurst on the BBQ, followed by roasting of marshmallows.  Courtney enjoyed a MOUS (marshmallow of unusual size) along with the average sized ones.  And the girls seemed to do well just to get the chocolate in their mouths.

All in all, it was a good day (with 3 days to go)!!!

Memorial Day Vacation ... Day 1

We were able to escape the flat lands of Clovis over Memorial Day weekend and find the mountains of north central New Mexico.  We rented a great adobe house in Dixon, NM and stayed several days.  It was situated at the base of a mountain, which was well explored.  In fact, within 15 minutes of arriving, the girls headed up the 6,200 foot hill.  We settled into bed a little late that night, but that turned out to be common since it didn't get dark until after 8:00.  And, since the house had many windows, it was quite light at night and early in the morning.  More about Day 2 later.     

Rough Road Trip

It has been a tough few days on the road for the Taylor clan.  We headed out on Thursday for a funeral in Missouri.  Courtney, the girls, Grandma, and CJ all packed into the truck for the trip.  Unfortunately, one hour into the trip, Olivia's stomach decided it did not like what was inside of it.  Thus, she puked.  One kid down.  Then, later, CJ evidently decided that looked like fun and copied her.  Two kids down.  We knew Katelee was safe though, because she got the ball rolling two nights earlier.  Grandma made it all the way to Missouri before she followed suit.  Three down! 

We relaxed on Friday and let everyone recover.  Then, on Saturday, we hit the road for KC with Grandma Donner.  We stayed at a hotel with a water park in it, so the girls wore themselves out before bedtime.  Unfortunately, bedtime did not come until way past their bedtimes, and sleep was a little hard to come by (partly because of the police escorting a room out at one in the morning). 

The funeral for Mark's step-sister was held on Sunday, which was well attended by all of her friends and family.  The service nicely honored Rebecca while encouraging others who may be considering suicide to seek help from those around them.  Then, it was back on the road for the Taylor clan.

Unfortunately, we did not make it back home as planned.  Tuckered out and needing rest, we stopped in Kansas.  This served us well since powerful storms hit southern Missouri, which is our usual route.  We did get rested though and headed out on Monday for the last leg of the trip.  Of course, stopping frequently for food and potty breaks slowed us down a bit, but we made it home.  And, we made it home with only one more puke session.  Katelee got sick and lost her breakfast.  Virus or bad OJ?  Not sure, but it all came out.  Fortunately, we had just stopped at Wal-Mart and stepped out of the truck when she let it fly. 

And now, with both girls in bed, we will rest back in our wonderful bed too.  It's good to be home.  Thank you Lord for a safe trip.

School Program

Olivia's end of year school program was today, and Olivia did great!  They sang lots of songs, read some poems, and gave their parents some hand-made gifts.  It was great, and her teachers have done such a great job with her this year. 

Playground Fun

2011 May 231 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Blue Skies

2011 May 198 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Blue Eyes

2011 May 052 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Natural Born Hiker

2011 May 085 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Pretty Princess

2011 May 038 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Grandma is in town

Grandma and CJ arrived in town this weekend, and the kids have had a blast playing.  Today was no exception.  We had a great morning at church, a Mexican meal to call lunch, a quick nap, and then we headed to the park.  We played on the playground for a while before hitting the trails.  The kids rolled in the sand along the way, which offered sites of rabbits, dead frogs, an orange-ish bird, a yellow-bellied bird (can you tell we don't know our birds), and some ants.  The park and PB&J for dinner . . . what an evening!  Enjoy a few of the 253 pictures we snapped!!!

2011 Apr 059 edit 2, originally uploaded by counsel14.

2011 Apr 036 edit 2, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Much Hairdo About Nothing -- Happy Mother's Day

Well, Mother's Day has rolled around again this year.  And, in keeping with the tradition set last year of having a girl's day out (last year was pedicures/manicures), the girls headed to the spa and salon.  While Courtney enjoyed a therapeutic rubdown (massage), Olivia and Katelee began their transformational haircuts.  We had a fabulous stylist -- actually the owner of the salon (Hilltop Salon & Spa) -- who was great with the girls. 

After the massage, it was Courtney's turn in the chair.  Meanwhile, Mark took the girls to DQ for a wonderful treat of blizzards.  We came back to find the process only beginning for Courtney.  It all was well worth it though.  We returned home and the girls played with the neighbors in the sprinklers while dinner cooked on the grill (hot dogs). 

Of course, what better way to end the night than a glass of Sangria?

Camping . . . kid style

The girls went camping last night . . . sort of.  They decided to sleep outside last night on the trampoline.  Since the day temperature was close to 90 degrees, it certainly wasn't a problem going to sleep.  The wind was blowing nicely, which probably felt good as the girls bounced around their beds until nearly 9:00 p.m.  Then, they snuggled into their sleeping bags, closed their eyes, and went to sleep.  They were greeted this morning to 50 degree temperatures kissing their noses.  But, they quickly thawed out in front of the TV watching cartoons and eating breakfast. 

Good morning sunshine!

Inner Peace

Some doctor on tv this morning said the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started.

So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished, so I have managed to finish off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, a pockage of Prungles, tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valiuminun scriptins, the res of the chesescke an a box a chocletz.

Yu haf no idr how bludy fablus I feel rite now.
Plaese sned dhis orn to dem yu fee ar in ned ov iennr pisss.
An telum,u blody luvum.!! Xxx