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Happy White Thanksgiving Everyone! We had a w...
November 28, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
Happy White Thanksgiving Everyone! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with me, Isabell, my mom, dad, Carolyn, grandma, my aunt Teresa, and uncle John, cousin Cory, his girlfriend, and their little daughter. Like a dream come true, we had snow on Thanksgiving, and watched as it piled onto our cars and the road. As we left, the roads were a little slippery, so we drove cautiously home and made it safely. Isabell is sleeping over at the hotel with dad and Carolyn. She will have lots of fun. Tomorrow we are going back to town to celebrate my birthday.
Yesterday, I went out to the house in Chamisal with an architect and went over plans and ideas for the house. It seems like a daunting task to build the house, but she has great ideas, and will help us a lot.
Mom made it around 5:00, and didn't get lost too bad. Just a wrong turn in Truchas, but made it safely. I had tacos, and a warm fire waiting for her when she arrived. We had a great time catching up, and enjoyed a relaxing morning before heading up to Questa.
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This week was the first full week we've had i...
November 23, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
This week was the first full week we've had in a while, and it felt very long. Luckily it was uneventful, and the kids did a pretty good job of listening and playing. This week we are having a stone soup lunch on Tuesday with families bringing vegetables, herbs, and spices. It should be a fun day. Thank God that there are only two working days this week, and I'm looking forward to some down time with my mom and my dad in town.
We've had a beautiful and unusual warm weather the last few weeks with highs in the mid 60's. It's been welcome, but I'm in the mood for cooler weather and I believe it is approaching us soon. The forcast says snow is on its way on Friday, and early next week. The ski areas are hoping it will come soon so they can open full time. Today is overcast with cold breezy conditions sweeping down from the mountains. A good day to relax and sit around a blazing, crackling fire.
Christmas has come early here, with decorations appearing overnight in Taos. Friday night, Niamh slept over, and we drove to Taos the next morning to find Farolitos (lunch bags with sand and a candle) gracing rooftops of hotels and banks. It's so weird to see all of these decorations up already when Thanksgiving hasn't approached yet. I'm not sure if I agree with this or it's slowly welling up inside of me and I'm looking forward to the festive season.
On the same day, I drove Niamh and Isabell to Niamh's house where they had a sleep over. It was so nice to get out and walk around Taos without being loaded down. I went to the library, walked around the plaza, and went to see Quantum of Solace (sadly, it wasn't the best James Bond film, hopefully they've learned from their mistakes, and will do better next time). I went grocery shopping, finally went home, and watched another movie. Today, I went to church, and now I'm home writing, and reading a book.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
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Some times I wake up or I'm driving and find ...
November 17, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
Some times I wake up or I'm driving and find myself thinking that I'm actually here...here in New Mexico. This is a dream that I thought wouldn't happen for a long time. Now that it has happened, I still can't believe how fast it all came to be. It all happened in a blink of an eye.
Though I loved Oregon and still do, my heart and soul pulled me to the huge and blue skies of New Mexico. The final straw was the awful rainy winter and spring that we experienced in Oregon. I just couldn't do that anymore, I needed release, and I needed a sign to move here. Thank goodness for Craigslist! A listing of a beautiful house in Vadito drew my attention and once I talked to Seraph the plan became reality, and I flew to NM to see the house, see family, and interview for a job. From there it was an avalache of activity; talking to Eric and Shaun, looking for jobs, and getting our house ready to put on the market. Before I knew it I was off with my mom without any job security. I had a few job leads, but no offers. In Utah, I received a call from one preschool in Los Alamos offering me a job, and waited for a second interview in Santa Fe.
Once there, we found our cute rental home, went to Santa Fe for my second interview, left for Los Alamos with out an answer from the school. I was enamored with the job, and the Los Alamos job didn't have the same spark. I told the woman in charge I was waiting for a job offer and that I would call her tomorrow. Biting fingernails, I waited, and finally Stephanie called and said that I had the job. With a breath of relief I was on my way to full filling my lifes dream.
I still can't get rid of the Pacfic Northwest. There's a direct pipeline from NM to PNW. I've met so many people who have lived in Porland, or Seattle. I meet at least one or two people a day who have connections with the PNW. When I lived in Portland, I had several friends who are from NM. One of my parents is from N. Portland, and has family that lives only a few blocks from our house. The afterschool teacher is from Seattle. I'm constantly in awe at how many brief encounters and coincidences that I've seen from the pipline.
Back to normal time. Thursday and Friday were conference days and we didn't have school. It was interesting meeting with the parents, learning about their children, and their behaviors at home. Now I know these kids secrets!
Saturday, we went to Questa to pick up my laundary from my grandma, and presented her with a rosary from Chimayo. She was so kind to do all of that laundary for me. Afterwards, we went back to Taos to go to the library, and to get our haircuts. After this, we went to Ojo Caliente where they have hot springs. This place is the only place in the world where there are four different springs; soda, arsenic, iron, and lithium. All of them reportedly have their own healing powers. It's an hour a way, so we drove over in the afternoon, and enjoyed the healing powers of these ancient springs. It feels and looks like Tuscon with it's red rocks, and pear cactus growing. We had a lot of fun, and Isabell was really the only kid there. I was worried that the adults would be offended having her there, however they loved seeing her youthful energy. After two hours, we left and had dinner at a mexican restaurant in the town. I met a woman who lived "off the grid" nearby. She lived part time here and in Los Angelos. Her name was Arianna Solare, and she is a singer who has recorded a couple of CDs. I had this feeling that I should of known her, but I had no clue who she was. She sings folk vintage music, and she gave me her website information. When I got home I looked her up and heard some of her music, and I was impressed by her. Maybe the napkin she wrote on, will be worth a fortune in the future.
At church today, I had my first taste of Thanksgiving. We had a Thanksgiving feast potluck and many people showed up for it. I stuffed myself with great food, and Isabell played with a lot of friends. I found the solution to many of the empty churches. Have potlucks every Sunday, and all of the people shall follow. Sounds like a nice solution to me! This Afternoon was lazy and little boring. We tried to rack our brains for something to do, but we couldn't come up with any grand ideas. Isabell played outside, and watched a movie, while I surfed the internet and made lasagna. I did go for a walk down the road and talked to Seraph. I miss her so much, and I can't wait for her to be down here with us.
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I woke up this morning to my radio alarm goin...
November 10, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
I woke up this morning to my radio alarm going on saying that school was still on time. I jumped out of bed and what to my bewildering eyes do I see, snow. I expected in to be windy and rainy, but there was at least two inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. My gift to Seraph is snow.
I took a disappointed Isabell to school and headed to Taos to figure out all of the fun details for my car. I took it to the repair shop and waited for the results. A very nice older woman came in and her car was also hit, but the person "painted" her car with his. She was the friendliest person I've met in a while, and she said that she grew up in the Penasco area and her father owned a grocery store in Chamisal. When I told her that I was a preschool teacher, she laughed out loud for joy. It ended up that she was the director for headstart for 15 years at the Taos Pueblo Headstart. I told her that I might pursue a Masters in Early Childhood Education, and she told me a friend of hers got her masters on-line in a year. I gave her my name and number and she said that she would get in contact with me. I love these coincidences, especially in small towns and I also love knowing everyone. Here I worked at a really nice school in Portland, but I felt like I never saw any one around. Here I bump into people all of the time that I've met once.
The cost wasn't to bad considering the damage and said that they could fix it for me. The insurance agreed to pay it and that was a little relief. I took my time puttering around Taos; had lunch, went to the plaza, and to the library. I had an orthopedic appointment at 2:00 and what an experience. I've seen their sign before, and decided to stop by since mine are falling apart slowly. They fit me in, and asked all of these strange questions about pain. I told them all I needed to get were new prosthetics. First they took x-rays, and then finally gave me a perscription to a place in Santa Fe. All of that and I still have to go to Santa Fe! Anyway after that I went to the car rental place, and got a car and headed home to a winter wonderland!
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I had a great time in Eugene this weekend
November 10, 2008 by Seraph in Cortez
I had a great time in Eugene this weekend. Yayoe & I kicked up our heels at the opera, and with her Ukulele group! It was fun to once again eat the 3+ cereal concoctions of my childhood. On Sunday we had a great lunch at Mom's house. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone.
Based on all sorts of circumstances - especially Robbie's accident, I decided to speed up the moving process. I put in my 2 weeks notice at work this morning, and am working with our realtor to sell our house asap. It's simply time to start moving forward, even if the finances are more difficult.
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*Before I start on how much I love New Mexico...
November 08, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
*Before I start on how much I love New Mexico, I had an accident this morning in Taos. I was stopped at a red light heading to Questa, when I got rear ended by a huge truck. I had Isabell and her friend Niamh with me, luckily there were no injuries. The driver was a young girl, and she told me to follow her to the Katchina Lodge where she worked. The left drivers side back was smashed to bits, and my hatch door does not close all of the way. I find out that the girl is underage, and has no insurance. Her father was trying to be reasonable, and said that his daughter would pay for the damages. It looks like it's going to cost a lot of money. I had to deal with the insurance company, and file a claim. Not fun, luckily Niamh's mom picked Isabell up too and now they are having a sleep over. I love NM, however, nothing is opened on a Saturday. I was looking for an auto shop, but they aren't open on the weekends. Just now I feel like I'm a thousand miles from civilization. I'll have to take Monday off, and deal with the adjuster, and get a rental car.
Back to my love affair with New Mexico. On Wednesday we woke to a fresh dusting of snow. I was so excited that I turned on the radio to see if school was canceled or not. (SORRY...ARGGGH!!I CAN'T FIND THE CORK SCREW FOR A NICE GLASS OF WINE! Phew...I found it!) Anyway, no such luck. Isabell was disappointed, and tried to convince me that I wasn't listening properly. I dropped off Isabell, and was cautious driving fearing the higher I went I would find lots of snow. But my fears were not, as I was surprised to find no snow in Truchas, which is the highest town in New Mexico at over 8000 ft. I arrived in Santa Fe without seeing any snow at all. I had a little bit of snow on my car and brought it in for the kids to see. Around 10:30 we were ready to go outside, when out of the blue, the wind kicked up and it started to snow. I was the last one out and by the time I got down to the playground, it was a winter squal. The kids were crying and scared, so we rushed back upstairs. Once inside the kids were excited, and watched the storm from the windows. I thought I would have to drive home in this, however within fifteen minutes, the storm past as fast as it arrived. It was cold and windy, but the famous New Mexican sun arrived. We went back outside, where the snow was the driest and lightest I had ever seen.
On Thursday late afternoon as I was driving home, the Truchas Peaks were lit by a beautiful mauve (aspen glow)color. It was so breathtaking, that I wanted to be in a rustic lodge with picture windows, with a roaring fire, a glass of ruby red wine, soft jazz, and with the love of my life, and enjoying the dying dusk, as the mountains disappeared into the night sky. By the time I got home, I wanted to post, but my internet was down.
Friday, I stayed late to write up assessments for our kids, and I got a late start back up the mountains. I brought my camara to recreate that scene on Thursday, however the light didn't cooperate with me, so I rushed home to pick up Isabell. When I got there, I was bombarded by Isabell and Niamh wanting a sleep over. I reluctantly agreed, rented Hairspray for the girls, and I rented The Inconvenient Truth. I've been hesitent to watch this movie, but I decided to brave it out and watch this documentary. I was saddened to see the truth, however by the time it was over, I really want to build an enviromentally green house. The move ended with hope, and only hope Obama will help reduce carbon emmissions.
I finally figuered out how to regulate the heat in the woodstove, so I was toasting warm last night. I have my red wine, crackling fire, views of the mountains, but sadly no love of my life to settle down with. (Worlds smallest violin is playing right now.)
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I woke up to the news that Obama won, and it ...
November 05, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
I woke up to the news that Obama won, and it snowed last night! If we lived in Portland, we would have a two our delay or a cancelation, however here in the mountains it would have to take an avalanche to cancel school. Isabell was disappointed, but this is only the beginning.
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October flew by like the leaves on the trees
November 05, 2008 by Robbie in Cortez
October flew by like the leaves on the trees. We had a misadventure on Halloween, and I had one very disappointed little girl. We were suppose to go trick or treating with Isabell's friend Niemh, but Isabell didn't want to go to Dixon for Halloween. She wanted to stay nearby, but I didn't know the areas in Penasco and Vadito very well.
On Friday, I was exhausted from our own Halloween Party at school, and wanted to stay nearby. I picked Isabell from Trapeze, and went to a Halloween party at the local community center. They had a haunted house, in which Isabell was scared, and wanted to go out. Luckily it was short, and she was fine. It was fun for her to run around with friends, and I talked to several other parents. We were told that Taos plaza was very good for trick or treating, and Isabell wanted to to go desperately. It was only 6:30pm and we thought we would have plenty of time. We arrived in Taos at 6:55, and the plaza was deserted. Isabell began to cry, and I felt terrible about this. I rushed back to Vadito hoping there would be time to trick or treat, but all houses looked dark. I suggested that we'd go and see The Nightmare Before Christmas, Isabell brightened up, and we had a good time.
I was very anxious for the arrival of Seraph and my mom, and I knew they'd be here around 1:30am. I lit a candle in a plastic pumpkin, to show them the way around midnight and went to bed. At 2:45 the phone called, and was panicked to see how late it was, and envisioned a terrible accident. However, they were lost in Penasco, and couldn't find Vadito. They had been close, but thought they had gone to far and went back to Penasco. I guided them in from Penasco, and I was very happy to see them. Exhausted, they fell asleep right of way.
Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Taos for breakfast at Michaels, and headed back to the Penasco area to go and see the house in Chamisal. A contractor came out to see the house and to see if it was worth renovating it. At first glance he was little discouraging, but once inside he thought there were great possiblities and that gave us hope. Seraph was impressed by the house and the beauty of the area. We went home, and Seraph worked out possible designs, and exhaustion descended on us. We all took small naps, awoke, and made a delicious dinner.
Sunday, we all went to church where everyone was very happy to meet Seraph and my mom. They were probably happy to know that Seraph really did exist. Afterwards, we went up to Truchas to go to an art gallery. I bought Seraph a beautiful bracelet for an early birthday present. Afterwards, we drove to Dixon for their annual art and craft show. The streets were packed and we saw some exquisite art, however Isabell, who doesn't care for this was bored, and wanted to go. We took a quick trip to several galleries and went to Taos to do some grocery shopping. Once at home, we ate a small dinner and headed to bed.
Monday, we drove up to Questa for a quick visit with grandma, and headed back to Taos to see Elisabeth for Taos Lending Team, to calculate numbers for the purchase of the house. It's always above my head when it comes to these things, and I can only pray that it all works out. After our meeting, we had lunch on the plaza and hurried home to pick up Isabell from school.
Tuesday, We dropped Isabell at school, and then we all drove to Santa Fe, where I introduced Seraph and my mom to the staff at my school. They stayed for a while and headed to the plaza and the state capital to see the art inside.
They came back around 12:30 and we said a final goodbye. It was sad to say goodbye, and I can only hope that these final two months will fly bye so we can be together as a family again.
With the time change, night has approached as I drive home, and the evening sun has dipped into the horizon, leaving a fire in the sky. Low dark clouds are nearing, with a promise of snow in the air. We are expecting cold and blustery conditions tonight and we might wake to snow. We will have to wait and see.
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