day 7: could i hack it?

so, could i handle it? the short answer is no.

today we came home from church and i sat down to read the paper and stumbled onto my new favorite show...


I LOVE IT! people called "volunteers" sign up to hike 60 or so miles through alaksa in the winter. there is no prize, just a pat on the back and the satisfaction that you did it. they don't give you anything but a map. you carry everything on your back. you shoot what you eat. you don't bathe. it's crazy, but watching it makes you think that you could do it.

i couldn't though. i wouldn't eat porcupine, squirrel, or rats. i wouldn't hike miles in the knee deep snow with 80 pounds on my back. i would, however, complain the whole time... or die. whichever would work.

here is what the volunteers looked like...



the trick is... they are normal people. from all walks of life. 9 started but only 4 made it back to civilization. it's over now, but i can't wait until next season.

day 6: it's a long road home

we are officially back in lubbock. it was a great day...but a long day.

last night, we decided to drive to ruidoso to spend the night because it is a little closer to home. we thought about setting up camp again but decided that one night was enough. we needed a shower and a mattress. we got ready and went out to dinner at a place called chef lupe's. we eat there every time we are in ruidoso, but this was the last time. carly is convinced that the first bite she took was a piece of finger. it was super gross.

we got up this morning and shopped all through town. we didn't buy much...i got a beautiful turquoise ring. carly really wanted a dream catcher, but couldn't find the one she wanted. we did find the cutest store on our way out of town called the chartruse moose. it's more of a shoping center. there are shops, restaurants, and views. i loved it. once a month they have an antique fair where people come from all over to sell their stuff in the front yard. this is the guy from the shop next door.



after a little lunch we loaded up for lubbock. we had a 5 hour drive ahead of us which doesn't seem like much, but driving in new mexico is taxing. it's like a barren wasteland.

we drove through roswell on our way back. i wanted to see a real life alien. i didn't see any from outer space, but i didn't hit the museum. roswell is a town that loves being considered "other wordly" everywhere you look there is space stuff...





roswell is only half way from ruidoso to lubbock, so we quickly got gas and continued on. we breathed a sigh of relief when we crossed the texas state line. i hate to say it, but texas really is just better than other states. :)

all in all, it was a great couple of days. i can't wait for the next big trip.

day 5: i'm too old for this

carly and i started the day really excited about hanging out in the river. we packed up camp (in 15 whole minutes), got our suits on, and headed out. problem is, the water was -45 degrees. it was so cold that you could barley put your feet in...much less your body. so instead, we sat on the rocks and made a plan for the rest of the day.

we decided to make the drive over to white sands. the gps said that it was only 112 miles so we were excited to get there during the heat of the day and just have fun.

mr. garmin was wrong. he didn't account for the horrible new mexico road conditions, a speed limit of 60, or the mountains where death looms at every curve. 3.5 hours later the end was in sight...

we stopped at the big lookout for a couple of reasons. first, i needed to stretch out my fingers because they were white and frozen around the wheel and second, carly just needed out. we looked like true outdoorsmen with our chaco's and swimsuits on. we were ready for an adventure.

we were so excited to get to the park. i have been before and i remembered it being so fun. i didn't account for the fact that last time i went i was 12 and full of energy. boy how things have changed for me... not for carly though. she hopped out and ran up the dune with our wal-mart floats in hand.

i, on the other hand, just took a leisurely stroll because walking knee deep in sand uphill is HARD.

we took the rafts because we thought that they would be great to slide down the dunes on. they weren't. in fact they didn't move. at all. it really bummed us out. we hiked to the top so that we could slide down.

one thing that we didn't plan on was gale force winds. we were being constantly sand blasted from the top of the dunes. carly used her raft as a shelter...

while i made an attempt to lay out and catch some rays...

the wind had other ideas though. that wasn't the last time the wind would get me either.

one of the coolest things about white sands is that no matter where you are all you see is sand. sand dunes for miles. in fact, the sand is very deceptive to the eye. you think things are closer than they are and it's hard to judge how far up or down things are. i kept thinking about what would happen if you got lost or buried in the sand.

luckily that didn't happen. we had lots of fun rolling around in the sand. i'll be cleaning sand out of my ears until christmas.

here is a video of our day... (just so you know...i took off in a lot faster run than it looked like)

day 4: the fun begins

today was the big day. carly and i loaded rhonda up and hit the open road. this was our first time to go "for real" camping, and we brought all the comforts of home with us. we had the tent, blankets, towels, and even feather beds so we could rough it in style.

first stop: carlsbad caverns. i was super excited. i hadn't been to carlsbad in years. we went as a family when i was in junior high. i only remember a few things... the bottomless pit, the bats, and being a nervous wreck. i could barley sleep last night thinking about all the things that could go wrong.


my fears were not abated by this sign. if there is one thing i am not... it's agile. not to mention the fact that i'm not exactly in shape. luckily i strapped on my tennis shoes, so i was ready for anything.

the hike is just over a two miles, and is fantastic. i can't describe the awesomeness of the caverns. it is an other worldly experience. you have no idea what you're in for when you walk into the mouth of the cave.

all i could think about was what it would be like to have discovered the cavern. it would blow your mind... it is so vast and incredible that there would be no way to explain it.

there were "whale's teeth"...


et's finger... (don't worry. carly isn't actually touching the stalagmite. that would be against the rules. it's just an illusion.)



and cool tunnels....


p.s. - yes, i know it's obvious that i'm a teacher. i'm okay saying it... i wear teacher clothes. i'm not afraid, and i love a cardigan.


overall, it was super fun. but by the end all you want to do is get above ground, have a snack, and sit down for a while.



every night in the summer millions of bats come out of the cave to get some dinner. we decided not to stay and watch the bats come out. we thought that the best use of our time would be to go set up camp for the night. we drove to brantley lake and picked out a spot for our tent. it's great. it has working bathrooms, grills, and even a view of the lake.


it turns out that setting up early was the right decision. two hours later we had the tent all set up. our tent is significantly bigger than any other tent here which is nice because have a walkway between the featherbeds. in fact, the tent is so big it hangs over on all sides of the tent slab. i know that the seasoned campers around us were probably judging us, but i don't even care. we are really proud.


i hope the night goes as smoothly as the day has gone so far...let's hope the tent stays up.

day 3

it's officially day 3 and i didn't do anything fun. i woke up late, took a nap, and got my oil changed.

getting my oil changed is one of my least favorite things to do. it makes me nervous. i have been going to the same place to change my oil since i turned 16 and still it makes me sweat every time. there are so many things that can go wrong... what if you drive into that giant hole? or why can i never follow the directions they give the first time? or are you supposed to sit there stoically or smile at everyone that walks by like a creep? do you pretend you are on the phone or act really into a magazine that just happened to be in your front seat? i just never know.

carly and i are going on a trip with no real destination tomorrow. we don't know the details yet... all we know is that rhonda is packed up with our tent and gear we are headed west. Our plan is to leave around 7 in the morning which translates to 12 or later. i'm getting so excited. i can't wait.


new mexico here we come!

day 2: happy half birthday to you

today kristen turned 27 and 1/2. we celebrated by eating the most delicious cupcakes known to man. lubbock has a new cupcake place that looks pretty unassuming from the outside, and truth be told, from the inside too. it's one of those places that you walk in and think... hey, for $2.75 a cupcake i could TOTALLY do this. and then you take a bite and wonder how they could possibly make them any better. the trick with these kind of places is they get you with all the cupcake flavor variety. on this particular tuesday, they had the diner (yellow cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles), red velvet, pina colada, triple chocolate, chocolate mint delight, and birthday cake.

yes, we did get 2 boxes full...

but these top ones were only bite sized. so technically they don't count. we could say they were for the kids...


but then she had to go and do this.
it was her half birthday after all.
and that red velvet made your toes curl.

sassy liked it too. only a few morsels didn't make it into her mouth. if she was older, she would lick the crumbs off her knees. it was that good. but the birthday cake was better. man alive. it was the best cupcake i have ever had.

after all the cupcakery we decided to hit the pool. who doesn't love to eat a lot and then flaunt it swimwear???

unfortunately, once we got into the water the storm clouds moved in. we barely had time to make it to the car before the rain and hail unleashed.

maybe it was a sign...

summer: day 1

school is officially out for summer. i hate to say it, but the 2 month break is my favorite part of teaching. i wish summer could last all year.

day 1 started out bittersweet. today marks one year since we lost our precious poppa moe. it's crazy because it feels like just yesterday in one moment and in the next it feels like forever. i do know that i am so blessed to be one of his grandchildren. i have so many great memories of christmases, summers at the lake, and time just spent together. he has left quite a legacy and quite big shoes to fill.


so in honor of poppa we spent time together as a family. we did what we do best...eat mexican food while we talked and laughed with each other.




we all love and miss our poppa moe!

the big eed (easter egg drop)

school was out on friday. to celebrate we decided to celebrate with a local church that hosted an easter egg drop extravaganza. the promised food, bounce houses, eggs, and fun. when we arrived there were already 40,000 eggs laid out on lowery field.

and just about as many people. big crowds tend to make me nervous. so do free events. they tend to bring out my students. i love my kids from school, but i don't love to run into them.

be that as it may, kristen had been firing herself up for days. she was super excited.

this kid was not! i'm assuming that someone just broke the news that the easter bunny is only real in your heart. i felt the same way when i found out. i remember...it was just last year.

but then out of nowhere it got interesting... a helicopter came and dropped 10,000 more eggs.

dumping the eggs would have been the best job. talk about a self esteem boost. that guy had thousands of adoring fans. however, i am still wondering how the eggs didn't bust on the way down.
after all the eggs were ready to go they let the kids loose to hunt. this was our cue to head back up the field.

avery didn't get any eggs out of the mayhem, but luckily allison brought cascarones.

smashing eggs on each other was more fun than getting a jelly bean or two


after the easter egg hunt we ate hot dogs. there is nothing better than a picnic with hot dogs.

the great thing about traveling with the circus is that you draw in all kinds of new people. these girls loved kristen. this was right before they exchanged numbers and promised to be best friends forever.

ben and sawyer watched the whole thing unfold. ben was obviously offended that these new friends were not sharing their funyuns.

sawyer was just sitting back and assessing the situation. overall, it was a great day.


the thing i love most about easter (aside from my salvation) is the joy i get to spread. nothing makes people feel better about their day than a simple "hoppy easter". sure people look at you like you like they feel a tad bit sorry for you, but after a little practice it comes as second nature. so with no further ado...

Hoppy Easter Everyone!