2017 Summer Bucket List

national donut day

As I get older I’m losing my sweet tooth. I’m more of a savory girl these days. I have two weaknesses in the sweets department still: donuts and birthday cake. 
We were back at the Kitchen today for a mini-camp honoring National Donut Day. We had the special treat of having my niece, Reagan join us today too! The girls are always very excited to see their cousin. The never want their time together to end and they always beg for more time and sleepovers. 
B helped the girls make donut holes

We took a break from eating donuts to paint donuts. They turned out so great and I even took the opportunity to paint with them. 
Look at all those fabulous donuts!

B made a homemade glaze and chocolate icing for the donuts. My girls were kind enough to share with me and believe me I ate my fair share. They were delicious!

Sweet cousins
Gwyneth even sported some donut earrings!

road trip | santa fe

We’ve had a fabulous journey through New Mexico and have seen a whole of this on our road trip: 

Our last stop was in Santa Fe. Again, we planned to drive until we were tired and we booked our hotel on my phone about a half an hour out from our arrival. We found a great last minute deal at the Eldorado which is located right in the heart of Santa Fe.

We grabbed a quick snack before exploring. La Fogota grill received great views and we had to laugh because that’s the name of the restaurant we visit often right by our house.

We set off to explore Santa Fe. The weather was kind to us. Not too hot and all the sites were just a few blocks walk from our hotel.

We got to take in just a few booths at this art festival. Unfortunately we arrived just as they were closing up. Gwyneth, our little art lover, really enjoyed the feel of the city and said she could see herself living there.

Eldorado hotel
The view from our hotel

We had  a delicious dinner at this tiny New Mexican restaurant and then ended the evening with a twilight swim.

The next morning we were up early to drive home. It was about 6 hours and we did hit a little Memorial Day traffic. We were in the car A LOT this long weekend. We truly had a great time and I think we’ll be planning more adventures like these soon!

road trip | white sands

Just an hour drive from Las Cruces, White Sands is a special treat that I have very fond memories of from college. The girls didn’t really know what to expect but were thrilled when we arrived. White sand as far as the eye can see. They both agreed it looked like piles of snow, but oh boy is it hot there. 
We spent the morning jumping around in that sand. We climbed, we rolled, they wrote their names. I’m so glad we added this adventure to our road trip. 

B showing them how it’s done…

B spotted this little guy who almost perfectly blended in with the sand. 
Love that these silly ladies still pick out matching clothes for themselves. 

A nice family let the girls borrow their sleds. We were reluctant about getting sleds because we didn’t think they would love it so we are very grateful this family let them have a try. They thought it was fun, but were happy to give the sleds back after one ride down the hill. They seemed to prefer just rolling down those big ol’ sandy hills!

We hopped back in the car, a little sandy and maybe a little itchy, and headed toward Santa Fe. It was about a 4 hour drive, but we took a less traveled route and enjoyed the quiet and open space. The girls have been amazing through this entire adventure. They are wonderful travel companions.

road trip | old mesilla

We beat the heat by heading out early to explore Old Mesilla.  I loved this part of town when I was in school. I couldn’t wait to show it off to the girls. It’s quintessential New Mexico. 

The town is known for jailing and trying Billy the Kid for his crimes. The jail and courthouse is now a souvenir shop, but it is on the National Register.

We had lunch at our absolute favorite restaurant in town La Posta. It was every bit as good as I remembered it. Don’t you love it when places live up to your memories? 

It was a hot, hot afternoon but we were determined to explore the Organ Mountains. 
B used to hike these mountains often and take pictures. 

“A” mountain = “Aggie Mountain” = “Annabelle Mountain” according to our girls. 
And then it was back to the pool to cool off. 
These girls crack me up with their jumps

We dressed up and headed to Cattle Baron for dinner. This was the nicest restaurant in town at the time and we would only go when our parents came to visit. Have I mentioned we were very poor college kids? We had to go back for nostalgia. I really didn’t remember it much, but I did remember the feeling of being treated to something special back then. It felt pretty special to be able to take our girls with us now.

We got back to the hotel and the girls received a special treat from the chef at our hotel. He gave them chocolate covered strawberries and they gobbled them up! A perfectly sweet ending to a lovely day.

road trip | las cruces

The second leg of our trip was only 3 hours which was a piece cake compared to the 6 1/2 hours the day before. 
We stopped about a half hour outside of Las Cruces for lunch. We had heard of this quirky little restaurant in Hatch, NM and had to see if for ourselves. It was definitely worth the stop. Hatch is known for it’s green chili so it’s no surprise the chili cheese fries were amazing. The girls loved their milk shakes and B gobbled up a chili cheese burger. The quirky decor was an added bonus. 
Enjoying their milkshakes:
Next stop was Las Cruces; home to New Mexico State Univeristy our alma mater. It has been years since we’ve been back to visit. Too many years to even count. So much has changed, but it still felt the same to me. 
It did feel bigger than I remembered and the girls both said it was bigger than they had expected. It is nice to see it growing and improving. 
Our first stop was the student union. We had to show the girls the student restaurant where we complained endlessly about our meal plan all those years ago. The food was not gourmet, but we sure do have fun memories of eating there with friends. 
The library
Our old dorms. Wow! What a dump. Seriously. 
There were not great when we lived there, but they have since built new residence halls and turned these into offices. 
B’s old room
The stoop. The gathering place. There was always someone hanging out here looking for trouble fun. I was never bored in college and have the best memories of my time in the dorms. I met great friends, played hard, and even attended a few classes on occasion. 
My freshman dorm. Seriously, what a dump!
The girls were melting during our tour.  They asked to take a little break in the shade to cool off. 
Campus
We stopped at the book store to buy some NMSU gear. Annabelle quickly picked out a water bottle
and Gwyneth found a stuffed bear that she quickly fell in love with.
One last cruise around campus
We showed the girls our first apartment which is also quite run down and they were not at all impressed. I loved that place though! We told them lots of stories of walking to classes, pulling all nighters and some pretty mischievous parties. 
B’s 2nd apartment, Alamo. I think this may still be one of his favorite apartments. It was quirky and fun, but a pain since it was a bit far from campus. 
After our campus tour we checked in to our hotel and the girls were in their swim suits in no time. Our old roomate from college, Anthony was in Las Cruces also and came over to the hotel to meet us. I’m beating myself up because I didn’t get a picture with him. It has been many years since we’ve seen him, but we fell right back in to our routine and it felt like no time had passed at all. He was heading back to New York the following week so I’m so, so grateful our time in NM overlapped. 
Pool time

road trip | albquerque

We started our summer off with a road trip. We decided to head south and show the girls where we went to school. We made a grand trip out of it and although we were in the car for quite some time, we had a wonderful time!
I really didn’t think I was a big fan of road trips, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was quite relaxing and we didn’t stick to a schedule. We just went were we wanted and did what we wanted. As a planner that really goes against my nature, but honestly I had the best time.
The first leg of our trip took us through Southern Colorado and these girls were great sports. 
Gwyneth read books the entire way while Annabelle slept. She made through two chapter books on the first day!
Annabelle had no trouble sleeping in the car. Getting comfy…
We stopped in Las Vegas, New Mexico for some junk food
When we were about an hour out of Albuquerque we decided we were done driving for the day and booked our hotel on my phone on hotels.com. I was so nervous about not having lodging booked all along our way, but it made it really easy to stop when we needed and we got exceptional last minute hotel deals. A little anxiety was well worth the fun.
B and I visited Albuquerque when we were in school, but we never explored historic old town. We stayed at the Hotel Albuquerque which had all the New Mexico character and charm that I love and have missed. 
We kicked off the weekend properly with New Mexican food, explored the town square, and the girls swam their little hearts out in the hotel pool. 
There were tv crews and equipment all around the square as they were taping an episode of Graves. We’ve never seen the show, but researched it and it looks right up our alley. 
The most familiar sites of New Mexico. 
After dinner we were pretty worn out, but the girls never miss an opportunity to swim. The hotel had a beautiful pool with an even better view. 
My little fish
B hung out with the girls while they swam and I explored the hotel. It had so much character and I fell in love with the chapel. Maybe we should renew our vows so we can go back?
View from the chapel:
The energy these two possess is unreal. 
They just swam and swam.
We all got a good night sleep and declared the first day of our adventure a success.