We are all recovering from a nasty cold bug t...

January 26, 2009 by Robbie in Cortez

We are all recovering from a nasty cold bug that has hit us hard. Working with children with this cold is unbearable. Most of the time I feel like I'm not there and I'm viewing a film of children that I know. It was an especially hard week with two children who are very hard to handle.

We had a nice quite birthday party for Isabell on Thursday night. With Isabell requesting tacos, and cupcakes. It was nice just sitting around the table while we watched our eight year old daughter opening presents.

On Saturday we rented out the Penasco Theater, ordered pizza and had a few of her friends come to the party. I feel bad that I don't know many of her friends or parents at her school. When we lived in Portland, I worked part time, and I was able to help out at her school a lot, so I knew many parents and kids. If I knew her friend's parents, it would be easier to invite her friends. It was a small group of friends, however Isabell had a great time as she played, jumped roped and watched Arthur Spiderwick.

After the party her friend Niamh came over for a sleepover, and they had a great time watching movies and playing pet shops.

Sunday we went for a drive over to Chamisal to look and take photos of the house. We discussed future renovations of the house, and finally left after Isabell got bored. We took a drive down to a village called El Valle, a place I've wanting to for a long time. Two authors live there and wrote a book called A River of Traps. We found there house and drove along the beautiful snow covered fields.

The weekend is over, and we are now getting ready for bed.



Most everyone here in our corner of the state...

January 21, 2009 by Seraph in Cortez

Most everyone here in our corner of the state is still flying high after yesterday’s inauguration. Even those on the other side are keeping quiet, or pleasantly happy not be the butt of every joke for a while.
I watched the swearing in and speeches while doing laundry in Taos. A few other folks and I were all standing, with our chins propped on rows of industrial washers, sighing and wiping away stray tears.
Isa's school watched it, but Robbie's school couldn't get reception. Isa's comments were mostly about Obama's kids, whom she seems very interested in.
After the ceremonies were over, I was listening to radio commentary, and thought it interesting that the democratic guy did not think Obama's speech was very inspiring, while the republican guy thought it was one of the best political speeches he'd ever heard. It's always strange when I find myself siding with the republicans!
Other family news this week - we're gearing up for Isa's birthday tomorrow. I pointed out to her that she was born 2 days after G.W.Bush took office, and could (hopefully) be 16 before we see another president! We're going to have a small family dinner tomorrow, and then a party with friends on Saturday. We will be renting out the small theater in Penasco, and there will be pizza, cake, movie, and general chaos served up!
We're all fighting colds right now. I just need up to recover before the party. Anyway, I'm off to the kitchen to bake bread and make cinnamon rolls. I think I'll start doing my part for the country by making extra for my neighbors!



The Drive As I head to Sa...

January 18, 2009 by Robbie in Cortez

The Drive
As I head to Santa Fe in the morning, the sky is slowly turning a soft saphire color as the Sangre de Cristo Mountains hide the expecting sun. Primevil pine forests hide the sky from me as I drive through the sleepy towns of Penasco, Chamisal, Las Trampas, and Ojo Sarco. Only in this town do I have any sense of time. Cars line up on a side road with parents and children waiting for the bus. The more cars, the later the time. Finally the sky opens up as I enter Truchas. Looking up I see the familiar Truchas Peaks towering over me, as I see dark mauve colored clouds floating in front of them. As I start my descent down from Truchas the views open up and opposite of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains the Jemez Mountains come into view. The suns rays are starting to stretch over the west, and the ever changing light reaches the peaks of the Jemez Mountains. As you drive down, you can watch the cascade of light flow down the side of the mountain, and by the time I reach Nambe the face of the mountains are all in glow. By the time I reach Santa Fe, the round orb of the sun is at the pennicle of the mountains, and the great blue sky has welcomed another beautiful morning in the Land of Enchantment.



Sam you are such a stud!! You actually look ...

January 14, 2009 by Seraph in Cortez

Sam you are such a stud!! You actually look a lot like Josh now.



Our winter holidays are over and a New Year i...

January 07, 2009 by Robbie in Cortez

Our winter holidays are over and a New Year is on it's way. Though there were chaotic moments during Christmas, it was a nice relaxing one with many late morning sleep ins. It was a rather nice surprise to see so much snow in Portland before Christmas, and it was sad to see it go when we returned to Portland after Christmas. We had a great New Year's Eve with our good friends Blake, Emily, Mo, and Parker.

We flew out on Friday the second and had a good flight into Albuquerque. The unfortunate thing was I lost my favorite green wool hat. I've tried several times to contact US Airways, but have been lead on a wild goose chase. We spent the night there, and ate at the Waffle house for dinner.
The next morning we woke up, took the bus into downtown Albuquerque to catch the Railrunner back upto Santa Fe. We didn't realize that it was the last free Saturday ride between the two towns. It was jam packed full of free riders enjoying a joy ride. We didn't get even close to boarding the train, and we decided to take the train South bound in order to head North bound. We eventually found seats, and when we returned to Albuquerque, more people entered with standing room only. It was a packed ride all the way there. When we arrived at the train depot it was packed with returnees. When we got off, people commented that we had our luggage and thought we were staying overnight and that it was a good idea. Funny thought, but WE use the train for transportation!

When we finally arrived home, Anne had started a fire for us, and the house was warm and cozy. We woke up to a snow storm, and we braved our way to Taos to do some shopping and pick up a flat screen TV that my dad and Carolyn had sent us for Christmas. That night more snow fell, and I woke to hear that all Taos Schools were canceled. I hopped out of bed, turned on the computer and found out that there was school in Santa Fe. I slowly got dressed and headed to work. There was snow in Santa Fe, but not enough to cause any hazardous conditions.

Today is Three King's Day and it is celebrated by many hispanic families. We made Three King's bread, a sweet and savory desert bread, however we didn't realize the preperation time, and we'll have to celebrate tomorrow morning.



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