The Wedding Was AWESOME

John and Julie's wedding was truly one of the most beautiful nuptial ceremonies I've ever attended. It was outdoors and the weather was picture perfect. Taos Mountain was the backdrop for the wedding, and everything was just perfect. Sally did great (of course) and looked positively gorgeous. Sydney got lots of attention too, and even a special gift from the newlyweds.

The B&B was incredible -- lots of trees and space for the kids to run around and explore (safely) and Sally and Sydney really hit it off with the Archer boys, so they all had a blast together. We plan to spend some time together once our travels are complete for the year.

One minor incident...the kids found some peppers (not sure what kind, but red and definitely spicy) and were "planting" them, but then rubbed their eyes, noses, mouths, etc...so there were some tears, a lot of water and hefty doses of Benadryl going around after that (Syd was spared the trauma as she was napping at the time of mischief-making).

After it was all said and done, Sally wisely remarked, "Oh, I wish I had never touched those peppers!" The boys nodded in agreement.

Otherwise, it was a perfectly spectacular day. Morning wedding followed by brunch and a looooooong and joyous reception. Then in the afternoon, some of us went to the gorge to watch the sunset (fabulous!!) then a quiet dinner before bed.

The B&B is called Hacienda del Sol -- located in Taos, NM and I highly, highly recommend it for singles, couples, families and anyone looking for a well-appointed B&B in a picturesque setting (did I mention they had spa tubs and steam showers in the suites? Loved it!)

We drove to Trinidad, CO on Sunday and spent the night there (main criteria for our hotel search was an indoor pool, which we found). The kids absolutely love when they get to watch a little TV in bed in a hotel, so we indulged in that as well. Then we leisurely drove back to Castle Rock and returned the rental car on Monday.

Unfortunately, the unpacking fairies did NOT pay us a visit while we were away. *sigh* OK, I gotta go unpack some more stuff...c-ya later.

On Wednesday (in one week) the Atkinsons arrive for a visit -- they are staying with us for about a week. My plan is to get some more unpacking done before they get here because I'm sure I won't get anything done during the visit!

Our Two-Week Trip is Nearly Done

Well, we're about a week and a half into our 2-week long trip. The New Orleans visit was nice, we took the kids to the zoo with the Atkinsons (who were also visiting New Orleans -- from Australia) and their kids, and all our kids got along well so that is likely a good indicator of what is to come on the Disney trip.

Sally & Sydney had a great time with "cousin" Isabelle and Ton-Ton and Aunt Kel, as well as getting to spend time with Nana, Poppy and Aunt Susu.

It was hard to be away from them while we were in Puerto Rico, though -- Sydney cried a lot and apparently missed me terribly. :-(

The conference was awesome though -- these speakers had truly amazing stories and I am inspired beyond words by what each had to share. Tomorrow we return to New Orleans, pick up the kids, and then head to Albuquerque the next morning for John & Julie's wedding.

Looking forward to some down time at the B&B, which sounds lovely. I have not been to Taos (neither have the kids) and everyone says it's gorgeous. And of course, Sally is looking forward to being the star (flower girl) at the wedding.

That's all for now!