Weekend in New Mexico - Part 1

Going home...although it's not really home anymore. Isn't it strange that the place where you spent the first 18 years of your life doesn't feel like home anymore??

Josh and I had been wanting/needing to take a trip to Farmington for some time now. He has only been down once - for a family reunion nearly 3 years ago. It's sad that my grandfather's funeral is what got us down there finally, but I'm glad that we finally did have a chance to go.

We headed out on Friday morning, bright and early. I actually woke up early and was almost ready by the time Abbi woke up. We threw the last minute things in the car, took Max to the in-laws, and were on our way.

I was a bit worried about how Abbi would travel in the car. When we went to Oregon last summer, she was really good. But she was about 6 months old and slept a lot. Now she doesn't like being in the car all that much. But she surprised me and was quite a good little girl. She fell asleep not too long into the trip, and woke up shortly before Green River. She fussed a little then, but giving her lots of attention kept her pacified until we stopped in Green River. A few minutes out of the car and some dried banana chips did wonders! She was wonderful the rest of the way down!

We arrived in Farmington at about 2:40, but check-in at our hotel wasn't until 3:00. And believe it or not, the lady at the front desk said that there were NO clean rooms yet. Even though we were only 20 minutes before check in. Whatever. I went back to the car and got Josh and Abbi, and we all went in to wait in the lobby. Josh sweet talked her into letting us check in about 5 minutes early.

We went to our room and rested for a few minutes before we had to head to the mall because Josh had forgotten his tie. Then back to the hotel to change clothes to go to the viewing. After the viewing, we went back to change again, then headed to Si Senor for dinner where we met Kacy and her kids and Janell and her family. We waited for quite some time for a table. Then we waiting about 45 minutes for our food. At that point, it was way past Abbi's bedtime, and we were both exhausted, so we took our food to go. I wish they wouldn't have been so slow, because my food was a bit soggy back at the hotel. :( But Abbi fell asleep very quickly, and actually slept all night in her pack and play!!

The next morning, we woke up and had a not-so-good breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to the funeral. It was a very good funeral. Some wonderful stories and memories were shared between the family before the actual funeral. It was so wonderful to look around the room that was packed full with family. What a legacy he has left behind! The funeral itself was very nice. My grandfather's kids each had a part - two of the daughters gave prayers, one daughter gave the eulogy, and his sons each spoke for a few minutes. I haven't been to many funerals in my life, but the words and music were all very touching.

After the funeral, we headed to the cemetery for the graveside service. Then the family all headed back to the church for lunch.

It had been an exhausting day, both physically and emotionally. I think we all just wanted to go back and take a nap, but Josh headed off with my dad and brother to golf, and Abbi and I headed over to a park that was near our hotel. Kacy and her kids were already there, and Janell, Kevin, Rylan and Asher showed up a little bit later. They have a fountain that you can play in, but I didn't want Abbi getting all wet because I hadn't brought a lot of extra clothes. Sure enough, I tell her to not go over by it, but she runs off, straight for the water. The minute she steps on the wet concrete, she slips right onto her back. After a few minutes of crying, she was fine, although soaking wet on her back. The damage was already done, so into the sand she went to really make a mess! She really had fun playing with her cousins and getting nice and dirty!


























Once Abbi kept trying to eat rocks and dirt, I decided it was time to head back, especially since she needed another bath before dinner. I gave her a bath and scrounged up some clothes, and we took a short nap together before dinner.

We met my family and my Grandma and Grandpa Mitchell at Furr's Cafeteria for dinner. I hadn't been there probably since high school! After dinner, most of us headed over to grandma and grandpa's house, where we sat around and talked and the kids had a ball playing. Finally, around 10pm, we headed back to the hotel exhausted. It was a long day, but it was so great to spend it with family!