..when "strong" is the only choice I have..: Our Maiden Voyage

We got off late (of course!) and stayed in
Cortez, CO our first night.

Everybody but Maddie has this week off for spring break, so we got out of dodge! We wanted to take the trailer out once before we do our big cross country road trip this summer. We've learned a few things that I'm glad we know now and not later!

We've heard great things about Santa Fe, NM so we headed there first (because, why not?!). I didn't realize that Santa Fe is over 7000 ft so we had some pretty cold nights! Having heated mattresses helped with that and we all slept reasonably well.

A couple of nights in, as I waited for my feet to warm up, I realized I hadn't thought one time about having cancer. We were just a typical family on a road trip together. We were problem solving and helping each other. We played card games and talked. It's been so fun! I love road trips! And I loved noticing that I can distract myself with fun stuff and forgot about cancer sometimes.

I love the very old twisty junipers
you find in places like this!

Mesa Verde is such a cool place! I'm glad we went out
of the way and got to see these amazing structures.

We shopped in Sante Fe and ate at Maria's (a Mexican place) because it came highly recommended by a couple of friends. Mat and the kids went to a place called Meow Wolf - I'm not sure how to explain what it is! They loved it! I really wanted to go to Canyon Road which is lined with art galleries up and down both sides of the street. I love to walk Park City Main Street and look in the galleries. I realized after I got there that I was in over my head, it was pretty obvious that "I" was not their target customer! It would have been funner to go with someone who can fake it better than me. 😂

I loved the turquoise jewelry I saw everywhere, I had NO idea how expensive it is! I saw a necklace in a Santa Fe shop that was perfect, except for it's price. Everywhere I looked, it was just more than I could justify spending! There was a trading post on the state line we stopped at, and I found turquoise beads on wire strands that I could better afford (barely). So I'm going to try to recreate the necklace I saw in the shop. Because that's what I do!

Now we're in Phoenix visiting Mat's sister and family. It's quite a bit warmer here, it's forecast 93 degrees tomorrow. 😎 We went to the Phoenix (in Glendale) temple today, to walk the grounds and take some pictures. We also went to DI because there is one a couple miles from here! Everyone but me found one or two treasures. There's one in Mesa too, so we'll probably visit that one when we go to the zoo and botanical garden. It's what Ulmers do.