Visiting family on vacation is always so much fun! We just got back from an extended weekend in New Mexico. Land of Enchantment. And just for clarification, "Enchantment" is clearly synonymous with "dusty" "drought" "dry"....well, you get the idea. The poor state hasn't seen a drop of rain in over a year. Fires all over the place. I was shocked that I hadn't heard about the drought and/or the fires on the news - and then I remembered that I don't watch the news anymore......
Thankfully, most of the places that we went in New Mexico were just as beautiful and special as I remembered. My family would summer in Ruidoso every year, so I've spent many a school-free day swimming, hiking, horseback riding, picnicing, and frolicking in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico. I was beyond excited to take Ruby back to where I had made so many fun memories. 
We started the trip on Thursday evening after I got off of work, and we drove to Artesia where my Aunt and Uncle live. Driving at night with a toddler was genius. The little angel slept the whole way. Score one for me. And then the next morning at 5:47am, Ruby woke up well-rested and excited to take on the day! "Let's go exploring! I want a banana! I want to watch Dora! No, Little Einsteins! I don't want the banana any more! Raisins! I want Raisins! Why are you sleepy, mommy?!?!?!" Score one for Ruby.
After a pot and a half of coffee, we drove to Alamogordo, where my Granny lives. Granny's house is one of my favorite places. First of all, Granny is probably the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most loving women in the entire world. She gives the best hugs, and is always SO EXCITED to see you (even when you're shaking from the caffiene high you've been on all morning and your bladder is about to explode because you didn't stop after the 1.5 pots of coffee).
SUPER GRANNY!
We swam at her community pool for a while in the afternoon. I'm not sure how it's possible, but that pool has been shrinking over the years. It was HUGE when I was 5. Pretty big when I was 10. Good sized when I was 15. And a whole heck of a lot smaller now that I've had the 3rd anniversary of my 28th birthday. But it was just as fun as I remember. And I'm pretty sure that it was huge to Ruby.
After a long nap with Ruby (thank you, sweet baby Jesus), we loaded up the family, grabbed a picnic, and headed out to White Sands National Park. If you've never heard of White Sands before, you need to google it now. I'll wait....
This place is so fantastic! I remember always having picnics out in the dunes, burying each other in the sand, looking at the stars and the full moon. It truly is breathtaking.
The next day, we drove up to the mountains of Ruidoso. We visited some old friends and more family, did a bit of shopping, and ate lunch at one of our old favorite restaurants.
Later in the evening, we went to a wedding reception for a dear friend. The reception was held at her parent's mountain ranch and was just beautiful. During the summers when I was little, I spent so much time there that I practically felt like that was my second home. She and her little brother would take me out to play in the creek and pick fresh mint (where I would be terrified of the possibility of seeing a snake), teach me how to jump horses (where I fell off and sprained my wrist), roast marshmellows on a campfire at night (where I was thisclose to being abducted by the ghosts on the ranch). Those two were a lot tougher than I was. But we had a great time and made some great memories. Now we're all grown up. I was happy that Ruby got to play in the same creek that I did (until I remembered the snakes), and she picked some fresh mint for me. I think she liked it just as much as I did.
The next morning we had a breakfast picnic out at White Sands, per Ruby's request. It is amazing how HOT it gets during the day, but how cold it gets at night. The air was already starting to heat up, but the sand was still nice and cool. Ruby had such a great time playing.
That afternoon started our long trek back to Home Sweet Home. Overnight spent at Aunt & Uncle's, then on the road again in the morning. It was a terribly long drive, but the vacation and time spent with family was worth every second. I wish we could get up there more often....
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