Day 25: Sept. 5th - Happy Anniversary to Us!

14: Years we've been married.

17: Years we've been a couple.

22: Years since we first met.

2: Children we've created.

3: Homes we've owned.

2: States we've lived in.

6: Pets owned together (1 cat named Milo , 1 dog named Buster, 3 goldfish named Pebbles, Goldie [silver-colored] & Joe [the gold-colored one], & 1 very short-lived hamster named Junior)

3: Times we had to move in with my grandparents (twice due to moving, once due to our house having caught on fire)

3: Multi-state driving vacations, including this one.

23: States travelled together.

4: Countries visited together (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, England & Austalia)

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After checking into the Hotel Albuquerque (cool corner suite, with windows that meet at the corner edges), the kids quickly connected with other kids here for the conference. Phil & I also immediately (at the check in desk!) started seeing friends from previous conferences.

The hotel has a very nice restaurant called Christos, which is where Phil & I decided to celebrate our anniversary. The kids were able to stay up in the room, so it was a grownups only affair. As it turned out, it was an Us-only affair - we were the only patrons in the restaurant the entire time we were there! It was a cozy long rectangular room richly appointed in Mexican artwork, exposed wood beams, & a huge stone fireplace, which was next to where we were seated. Music played softly in the background, complimenting the room.

We ordered champagne & toasted ourselves. During our delicious dinner, we got a little chuckle when the music became a suite of songs from "Carmen", the opera I was in with Westford Chorus this spring. Yummy desserts of "Death by Chocolate" and Creme Caramel finished off the meal. Leaving the restaurant, we strolled under the stars through the courtyard, which was now lit with soft landscape lanterns.

Later we rejoined the children & offered to take them down to the pool. The pool is huge - maybe 25' by 75'. It's surrounded by very comfortable padded chairs & chaisse lounges. There is also a comfortably large spa tub, which Phil & I immediately immersed ourselves into. The kids alternated between the two pools. It was cooling down, but still comfortable, even with the breeze. We chatted with some of the other families, & then it began to empty out. We were among the last to leave the pool area, very relaxed & happy.

All in all, a very nice way to celebrate our love.

Day 24: Happy Birthday, Albuquerque!

Albuquerque is celebrating its 300th birthday, and, truly, it doesn't look a day over 250.

After checking into the campground & eating some lunch, we pulled up stakes & drove into Albq. We wanted to find the hotel we'll be staying at for the conference & make sure we could park the RV there.

The Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is unbelievably pretty. Huge spaces, indoors & out, alcoves with padded seating, exposed wood and iron, pergolas, fountains. For pictures, check out http://www.buynewmexico.com/HERITAGEHOTELS/hotelabq/hotelabq_home.html.

After our successful visit at the hotel, we walked around Old Town for a while. This is the original "downtown" of Albq, before the railroad came through & created a new town center. The old adobe buildings are still there, as is a pretty green "square" complete with gazebo. All around are shops, cafes & restaurants. Some sections are two stories, with bridges & alcoves creating shady areas to sit, sip & people watch.

We found a place were Kimi & Shaun got temporary air-brushed tattoos! Kimi got a cute little flower design that imitates a charm on an invisible necklace. Shaun chose a cool red bodied, black winged dragon that now resides on his left calf. We made sure to take pictures, since they will wear off over the course of 5 days or so.

Back to the campground...the kids are so excited for the conference! Patience, patience...

Day 23: New Mexico or Bust!

Long travel day. Not a lot to report, this area between NE Arizona & NW New Mexico is a very quiet, sporadically populated area. We moved from high desert to forested areas.

We arrived in Gallup, NM, not far from the AZ border. We actually were on old Route 66! As we drove down the "strip" towards the campground, we could see the old-style buildings & signs. The kids got a big kick out of it. This summer, Pixar/Disney's movie "Cars" was placed in the southwest & uses Route 66 as an example of the importance of slowing down & taking the time to notice the quieter moments in life. We bought the soundtrack to the movie, & twice it plays a versions of the song "Route 66". Having this connection to the actual Route 66 made it all the more interesting to the kids.

We watched "Wallace & Grommit: Attack of the Were-Rabbit" after supper - a great example of something subtle & gentle still being highly entertaining for the whole family. Tomorrow: Albuquerque!

Day 22: Grand Canyon, North Rim

Phil has been to the Grand Canyon twice: the first time just before he & I got engaged, the second was in the spring of 1998, when I flew out with Kimi, 3, & Shaun, 15 months, to join him in Scotsdale, AZ, after he had attended a work/conference thing. We drove up from the Phoenix area, through Flagstaff. On the way back we drove through Sedona, which simply floored me with its rugged beauty.

This time, we arrived via the North Rim, an area that is visited by only 10% of the people who go to the Grand Canyon. There is a huge impressive lodge that overlooks the canyons. Inside, among other things, is a restaurant, where we ate lunch at a table right next to one of the almost-floor to 30' ceiling windows. We could see the San Francisco Peaks, south of Grand Canyon, play peek-a-boo with the flat-bottomed cloud formations. Stunning.

Later, we decided to walk the rim trails. Shaun & I accidentally ended up splitting off from Phil & Kimi, so we each had a slightly different experience climbing along the Angel Point Trail & the Viewpoints. Fortunately, we all found each other back at the Visitors Center, so no worries!

Shaun had a lot of fun at the Visitors Center. There were some interactive "solve the mystery" type displays that taught about the area wildlife. He also read several of the nature books & stories while we were there. During this trip, Shaun has become quite the naturalist. At his request, we bought him a book geared for the young naturalist he has become a veritable encyclopedia, quoting all of the interesting facts he read about to us. I'm constantly learning new things from him!

Driving on, we followed the Colorado River up to Page, AZ, where Lake Powell sends its waters down to the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a parking lot-like campground that, despite its unattractive appearance, provided us a gorgeous view of the sunset. Surprise, a diamond in the rough!

Day 21: A New Month & a Day of Rest

We were planning on going back into Zion National Park, touring on the shuttle bus, hiking a little. I started catching up on older blogs while sitting next to the pool. Phil & Kimi were taking care of 3 loads of laundry. Shaun was flitting between us. Then came lunch, followed by the discussion of when we thought it would be cool enough to head out for hiking. Followed by the realization that we were all quite happy just simply hanging out at the campground. No arguing or frustration, just the basic understanding that we were tired of being on the go. So, we stayed put. Kimi made friends with some kids, even ended up borrowing Shannon's roller blades. The girls later went to the campground's free movie night, showing....RV - the movie starring Robin Williams as a dad dragging his unwilling family around the country in a rented RV. Phil, Shaun & I opted to cook s'mores at the campfire.

Sometimes, you just have to let go of your "plans", sit back & relax. We're very glad we chose this day to do just this.