Visiting the Leonard family was one of the top reasons we embarked on this road trip. We have greatly missed them here in Monterrey and really wanted to see their new home in Las Cruces, as well as experience some of their favorite things in the area. Our time with them on this trip was priceless and we're so thankful that we got to reconnect with them for a long weekend.
So, on day 8, we drove 440 miles from Durango, CO to Las Cruces, NM. New Mexico was a new state for all of us, so that was exciting. Thankfully, this 7 hour drive day was our longest of the trip.
Okay, so maybe we took this picture as we were leaving NM, but that's okay...
The boys have a little work to do on their timing.
We got into town around 5:30 and checked into our airbnb, which ended up being literally 3 minutes from the Leonard's house. It was a super comfortable home and the location could not be beat!
It was so fun to see Dustin and Katie's home and the boys loved meeting and playing with their dog Buck. We went out to dinner together where we all tried New Mexico style enchiladas and then came back to their house to catch up a bit.
It was great to have all the kids together again!
The next day we started out the morning at the Las Cruces Farmer's Market. It is one of the biggest in the United States!
Welcome to Las Cruces
Awkward family photo in which Ben and I strive to pose in a way that our legs look skinny
I was pretty excited about peacock painting on the door; and on the right, they are serious about their chilies in New Mexico!
Josh decided he wanted a balloon dog as his market treat. I had the privilege of carrying it around the rest of the morning.
Sam participated for a few minutes in a parrot show...it was pretty awesome!
Our last stop at the market was at their friend's store, Organ Mountain. It a super cool shop and we loaded up on apparel.
We had an extra passenger for most of our driving. These two are just best of buds.
We headed back to Dustin and Katie's for a bite of eat and to rest up, as our afternoon/evening activity was White Sands!
Ben helping Josh and Jer to shoot airsoft guns. The twins had a blast playing airsoft with Kyler and are already talking about saving up for guns when we return to Scappoose.
Ben and I even grabbed a siesta in the shade in their peaceful backyard. That was one of the great things about seeing the Leonards at this stage in our trip: the kids were always playing with friends, so Ben and I got some legitimate rest (mental and physical).
White Sands is about a 45 minutes drive from Dustin and Katie's house. Once we entered the park, we drove for maybe another 15 minutes to find our perfect dune. It was one of the craziest, most amazing places that any of us have seen. Sand dunes are cool in and of themselves, but to have the dunes be a brilliant white, with the contrast of the blue sky--it was truly spectacular.
The kids immediately began sledding. (Notice how Josh is holding his left arm)
Jeremiah was such a great friend in helping Josh with his sleds.
Seth and Kyler
Soon, sledding stopped and Josh and Jer were off doing their own thing.
These are some of my favorite photos of the trip.
Especially this one
Then the big kids (and Ben) all started jumping off the dunes.
Which was a blast.
And also contributed to some pretty awesome pictures.
The goal, of course, was to see who could jump the furthest.
Another perspective of a sand jumping contest.
Katie and I went for a walk...we were spying on various groups having professional photos done (a quinceanera and a bride and groom that were literally out there for hours)
This picture makes me happy. It reminds me how much we laugh together. Katie is such a great friend for me.
Artistic photo by Dustin and a reminder of how ridiculously windy it was the whole time.
Hanging out with my love
Looking back the pictures, it's interesting to see how different the sand looked at various times of the evening, or depending on the direction I was pointing. When the sun started to set, the sand changed color with the sunset.
Sand Angels
We were excited for the sunset
Family picture
These two (Seth and Sam)
SUPER awkward family photo in which I had the idea for the twins to go nose-to-nose so that we could see how similar their profiles are, and instead it looks like Sam is going in for the kiss...
Watching the sunset with our friends; life is good!
After the sun went down, the sand changed to an entirely different color
And continued to change as it got darker
Lining up for one final jump
What an epic day!
The next day was Easter Sunday, and it was special to join the Leonards at their church service. Their church also had an Easter egg hunt, which the kids were thrilled about and go SO MUCH candy. Let's pretend that we got the candid family Easter photo, but the reality was that we had very casual dress attire (you can only pack so many different types of clothes for a 18 day road trip) and Ben actually forgot a dress shirt and had to borrow one from Dustin, and we did not get a family picture. The end. I prefer the sand ones.
We had an amazing Easter meal at Dustin's mom and stepfather's house. The house is in a beautiful location and has fields and vineyards all around it. They were very gracious hosts and the kids enjoyed the freedom of being out in the country.
A very nice balcony view (these are the Organ Mountains...the ones featured in the apparel company)
Easter egg hunt in the vineyard in which the kids got even more candy. I didn't buy them things for Easter baskets this year and somehow they ended up with more candy than ever before.
A highlight of the day was getting to ride bikes over to the "farm," where the kids saw sheep and chickens.
The next day was Easter Sunday, and it was special to join the Leonards at their church service. Their church also had an Easter egg hunt, which the kids were thrilled about and go SO MUCH candy. Let's pretend that we got the candid family Easter photo, but the reality was that we had very casual dress attire (you can only pack so many different types of clothes for a 18 day road trip) and Ben actually forgot a dress shirt and had to borrow one from Dustin, and we did not get a family picture. The end. I prefer the sand ones.
We had an amazing Easter meal at Dustin's mom and stepfather's house. The house is in a beautiful location and has fields and vineyards all around it. They were very gracious hosts and the kids enjoyed the freedom of being out in the country.
A very nice balcony view (these are the Organ Mountains...the ones featured in the apparel company)
Easter egg hunt in the vineyard in which the kids got even more candy. I didn't buy them things for Easter baskets this year and somehow they ended up with more candy than ever before.
A highlight of the day was getting to ride bikes over to the "farm," where the kids saw sheep and chickens.
Even Ben got to ride a bike.
The highlight for all the boys were these gigantic sheep dogs. We discovered a tick in Josh's head the next day and we're assuming it was from their fur. Thankfully, the tick fell out of Josh's hair on it's own, as Ben and I had ignored Josh the night before when he said he had a "bump on his head." Lesson learned: always investigate further.
We saw a gorgeous sunset from their rooftop terrace. Las Cruces has some great sunsets!
I think that the sunsets were something the Leonards were excited to share with us and this particular evenings vista was amazing.
Our final day in Las Cruces was one of rest. Dustin had to work and Ben ended up walking to a coffee shop to work for a few hours in the morning as well. I took the kids to Katie's and went to a delightful walk, alone. I enjoyed taking in all the New Mexico desert plants: much different than what I'm accustomed to!
Our final day in Las Cruces was one of rest. Dustin had to work and Ben ended up walking to a coffee shop to work for a few hours in the morning as well. I took the kids to Katie's and went to a delightful walk, alone. I enjoyed taking in all the New Mexico desert plants: much different than what I'm accustomed to!
This plant was my favorite!
Can you spy the two lizards in the picture on the right?
Ben and I went on a lunch date while Katie watched all the kids. It was so nice for us to get a little alone time to recharge for our final week of the road trip.
In the late afternoon, Katie and I went to one of the local gospel missions to see if we could help with the translation for immigrants seeking asylum. Las Cruces has been getting busloads of immigrants and many of the missions are beyond capacity. We ended up not being able to help in the way we expected, but instead learned some about the processes that migrants are going through when they come to our country. We also helped sort through donated clothing. I wish we could have done more. It was truly heartbreaking to hear about and see so many families desperate for help and a home.
I'm so thankful Katie and I got to do this together!
And just like that, our time with our dear friends was over. It was sad and hard to say goodbye again. I wish that we lived closer and that we knew when we'd see each other again. But, gosh, I'm just so thankful that we are friends.
And just like that, our time with our dear friends was over. It was sad and hard to say goodbye again. I wish that we lived closer and that we knew when we'd see each other again. But, gosh, I'm just so thankful that we are friends.
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