The Queen’s Chronicles – New Mexico
After Christmas we had the opportunity to head out of town for a little winter vacation. One of Keith’s cousins has a vacation home in Ruidoso, New Mexico and we headed off for a visit in the wee hours of New Years Eve.
We are definitely up for a road trip and this was a great distance for a short trip. In 10 hours we were arrived to our home for the next four nights.
We were greeted by this crew upon arrival and every day after. Of course my guys were thrilled!
We were starved and after dumping our luggage of course we found Mexican food!
Green chili chicken enchiladas and the best seasoned tortilla chips hit the spot!
My travel outfit was perfectly comfy and cozy. I have three of these Bobeau cardigans and they are just super easy to layer and are flattering with jeans, dresses or leggings. These live in Zella leggings have actually been my go to the past few weeks for more than just a workout.
This crew loves their cousins! They were so excited to see Dillon & Carly. Dillon is so great with little kids and Dean was definitely his buddy the whole time he was there.
We toasted with some sparkling grape juice!
And busted out all the props! Nothing like a rowdy four year old with a horn. Goodness I am definitely out of practice!
I actually brought the Pie in the Face game for their family and oh my goodness did we have some fun! This game definitely lives up to its hype.
Mornings were all about coffee on the patio and with the time change we had no problem waking up bright and early!
The view from the deck was so beautiful! We could hardly wait to head to the mountain for our first day of skiing.
We made it to the top and were so excited to see it was snowing!
And the snow continued off an on for hours! I booked a family lesson for 2 hours which was just perfect. While Keith & I have both skied before it had been 14 years so I needed the refresher. This was the first time for Dillon & Carly so I was definitely glad to have them build a little confidence with the lesson.
I was seriously so proud of both of them! They did great. Carly even lost her ski as we were getting on the lift once and she handled it so calmly! Little did we know the real stress would come when they made an announcement to let everyone driving a 2 wheel drive know it was time to leave immediately due to road conditions. Y’all…mass chaos insued!! It was crazy and we sat in our car for over an hour with nothing moving but the gas gauge. Lesson learned as I will never head to the top of the mountain again without a full tank of gas. After a little snow plowing and a good push from Dillon & I we finally made it onto the road and safely made it back to the house.
It was New Years Day so of course cabbage, cornbread and black eyed peas were a must! How happy I was to have this hot meal waiting on me. Beth used a recipe from her mom to put together this yummy mix of ground beef, cabbage, carrots and baby potatoes with a can of rotel tomatoes. It was delicious!
The next day we took a little break from skiing and headed to a local lake. The water was so green and the landscape was beautiful!
My boys were happy! They love fishing no matter where they are.
Carly and I decided to take the opportunity to do a little window shopping downtown. We couldn’t leave this apple! It was as amazing as it looks and the girls were adorable.
Safe to say this girl was happy about the snow!
I was definitely excited to wear some of my warmer clothes too!
We headed to the Winter Park tubing everyone told us was a must. Well, it was fun but I would honestly say this was a little sketch. I don’t think for the price we would do this again.
Back to the mountain for another great day of skiing although totally opposite from the first day!
This girl had the hang of skiing for sure. I definitely think she is going to want to return!
Keith finally talked Carly into moving on to the next level run so we were able to ride the lift all together. First exit and Dillon took me out!
It was such a fun day and I think we all said “just one more time” over and over before we all became hungry enough to want to leave.
Once again the yard was full of deer! And this guy was standing about 3 feet from me and could have cared less.
We headed out bright and early and of course had to take a quick picture with the alien in Roswell.
We stopped about two hours from home and when I saw these scratch offs I knew they were perfect and we each needed one. Keith, Carly and I all won on ours so I was feeling lucky!
A beautiful trip with much needed down time for Keith and the rest of us too really. This house should be ready to rent in the next month or so and it is a great size for larger families with 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths and two great living spaces. Like I said the view is amazing and the drive from Texas is so easy!
We are back home and so trying to get back into the swing of things but as always I really think I needed just a couple of more days! Hope you are all enjoying a great start to 2017!
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Let’s Get Social
What a fun little getaway!!! I told mark last week that each year we need to take a trip someplace with snow since we live in summer year round and I want to wear winter clothes at least once a year. Ha ! And your hat…so stinking cute. Have a great week
This looks like the perfect getaway for your family. What a great adventure to start the New Year with too! I really want to take my girls to see the mountains in the next year or two. I was 20 before I ever saw them. I dont want them to wait that long!
Looks beautiful- I would never have thought New Mexico had snow and mountains- very cool.
Beth, would you believe I was almost 30 before I ever left the state of Texas!! I've tried so hard to make sure my kids have a few experiences in life and see what else is out there. It really does expand your horizons to see how the rest of the world lives. 🙂
Deena, New Mexico really is one of those states that goes from flat to mountains to dessert. Riley & I drove across last May and I was shocked at how much it changed across the state.
Cutest lil snow bunnies ever! What a great get away and that food…yum! Caramel apple heaven right there!
What a fun trip with your family! I have only been skiing once and my husband tried to teach me…never. again. Hahaha! I grew up snowboarding and now it just scares me, I am no longer as brave as I used to be. I am so glad that you all had such a great time, what a fun way to spend the New Year. Have a great day!
Oh my heavens this looks like it was an absolute blast!!
Looks like it was an awesome little vacay!! So much fun with family!
This looks so fun! That house looks so comfy and what beautiful surroundings. We have never been skiing, and we really need to give it a try sometime. I bet this trip was perfect for recharging your batteries. I didn't realize the drive over there was so quick either!
What a great vacation! I grew up going skiing in Ruidoso, so many great memories! Your house was amazing.
What an amazing place! That house you stayed in is gorgeous!
what a fun family getaway!!! The weather looks like what we experience… well, maybe colder and with more snow lol
so glad you all had a blast
What a great place for a family getaway! Your Mexican food looks top notch!
What a fun trip! I've never been to New Mexico – it look so beautiful! We loved skiing with the boys when they were younger – then they got too good, and I hurt my knee. Now I watch from the lodge!
Sounds like a wonderful trip!
I haven't been for so long Lana and believe me I didn't push or venture out very far! It was so fun and thankfully no injuries!
It was so much fun Stephanie! Just the right size and skill level for us.
NOTHING like you guys have Shaunacey!! It was cold but still like 29-40 depending on where we were. So much fun though!
We were super excited to try it out for them before they start renting! Definitely want to go back in the summer.
It really was the perfect place for first time skiers. I'm not very daring anyway so even though I had skied before I was totally cool staying on the greens!
Your kids would love it! I really loved Ruidoso because it was daunting at all. We've been to Red River too and it's also a great place for first timers and not too much further. I can't wait to go back in the summer.
Girl…last time we went I did not get lessons and instead counted on my husband and oh..my….gosh…so frustrating!! It was perfect having a short lesson.
Girl…that apple!! You would have loved it!!
Your crew would love it Kimm!
We had so much fun! Can't wait to go back in the summer time.
Wow, that sounds like such a wonderful getaway. It seems like everyone enjoyed themselves too.
We had such a great time!
What a terrific trip! I just told my husband the other day that next year we need to book a trip to someplace cold so we can see snow! This hot winter we are having is the pits and I am craving cold weather!