When we last spoke, our family was preparing to say our goodbyes to New Mexico. So what have we been up to since then? I’ll attempt to make this short and sweet, kind of the Reader’s Digest version of our last few weeks. So here we go! The trip back East took us out of our way to Arcadia, OK to visit the “World’s Largest Bottle of Soda”  just off historic Route 66. Adding a few hours to our drive to see this landmark, we then decided we might as well head to Louisville and hit up the Louisville Slugger[Read More]

We left the serenity of the Taos Ski Valley wondering what we’d find at our next stop, Red Rever, NM. As a crow flies, our destination was only about 18 miles away. However, there is a gigantic mountain between the two which requires an extra 30 miles of driving. Red River is an Old West town in northern New Mexico. For those of you familiar with Ocean Ciy, MD or Gatlinburg, TN, these are the closest comparisons I can think of. After the secluded destinations we visited so far on our journey, we weren’t quite prepared for his type of[Read More]

We rolled into Taos, NM, packed some groceries around the kids in our already strategically packed Subaru, met a lady named Ilse in a parking lot to exchange money for keys, and made our way to the ski valley. The ski valley is not a valley, it is a mountain. The town of Taos sits at just under 7,000 feet of elevation. As you snake up through the valley to Taos Ski Valley, you find yourself at just over 9,000 feet of elevation in fairly quick order. Our home for the next three nights was the Edelweiss Cabin, a cozy[Read More]

Took a little detour in the updates last week as I shared random memories from our trip. You see, those little tidbits and moments are the things I want to remember most when all of this becomes a distant memory. Since I’m using this blog as a journal of sorts, it was important for me to share. Now, allow me to tell you about New Mexico! This was my first visit to New Mexico. Brian went skiing in Taos in the spring of 2014 and immediately fell in love with it. Since then, he’s talked about moving there and I[Read More]

At the start of our journey back East today, I began reminiscing about the past three weeks and the amazing time our little family has had together. In no particular order, please enjoy a random collection of lessons learned, pictures that won’t quite fit elsewhere, and other thoughts from along the way. There are more hummingbirds in the Southwest than I have ever seen in my life! Brian may or may not have had a slight panic attack while driving over the Red Mountain Pass. Colin gets bored waiting for pizza and must entertain himself … He is also known[Read More]

A stormy afternoon and access to wifi allow me to provide an update today. When we last spoke, Brian, the boys and I were tucked into the secluded mountains of Colorado. Since then, we’ve traveled south over the McClure, Red Mountain, and Molas Passes. Spectacular views met narrow winding roads the likes of which we had never experienced. We found ourselves just north of Durango, CO near the Durango Mountain Resort. We took the opportunity to visit Silverton, CO and the Old Hundred Gold Mine. Deke LOVED it and has decided he wants to work there as a tour guide 😉[Read More]

One of my all-time favorite Dr. Seuss books… “Maybe you should fly a jet! Maybe you should be a vet!” teaches the age old lesson of, what do I want to do when I grow up? “…Maybe you should be a jester…. Or a vester. How about a hammock tester?” Why am I talking about a children’s book? Well, this book has been on my mind a lot in the past several weeks. Have you ever gone on vacation and said, “Oh! I’d loooove to live here! But what would I do?” This very question is our reality right now. I truly[Read More]

Let’s see… Last post, we were just east of St. Louis on day one of our big huge adventure. Allow me to get you caught up. Thursday morning, we went into St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. I wasn’t a fan of the tram ride, which was basically like stepping into a space pod, but it was worth it at the top. Before we could turn around twice, we were back in the car heading west once again. Eastern to central Kansas was the most scenic and beautiful state thus far. I know — I’m as surprised to be[Read More]

5:00 a.m. came a little too quickly for my liking this morning. We quickly showered, packed up the Subaru with bikes, snacks and kids and said our sad goodbyes to the Anderson side of the family. Ok, I was the sad one, the rest of the gang was raring to go. We hit the road at 6:13 a.m. Deke’s plan was to dance across each state line. His mind changed quickly when we got to West Virginia and tractor trailers whizzed past at a ridiculous rate. So we did the best we could. Oh, and we totally missed the “Welcome[Read More]