The MP and Pop Visit

A few weeks ago we had our first official guests (well, technically my Mom was already a guest back when we first got here because she came with us, but I don't count that because the house was still a hot mess)! My parents (aka the MP and Pop) came for a week in March. They had both already been to Albuquerque (my mother back in January when she helped us move; my dad a few years ago when he drove cross-country in a vintage truck with his friend), but this was the first time they'd stayed for any length of time and had the opportunity to sight-see.

On their first full day here we drove up to Santa Fe. We took the Turquoise Trail, which is the scenic route from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. I hadn't been to Santa Fe since moving here, I had only visited years ago when Matt was stationed here for training, so I was happy to go again. The Turquoise Trail definitely gives you a feel for being in the desert with mountains in the distance, so I'm glad we took that way. As for Santa Fe itself, I can't say there's much to tell you. I don't know if I'm just missing something or what, but it's really just a tiny town with a lot of silver and turquoise jewelry shops. I probably had more fun stopping in Madrid on our way home, which had neat little antique shops and whatnot, but at least I can say I've been to Santa Fe and given it a fair shot. On our way home, we also stopped at an overlook on the Turquoise Trail and snapped a few pictures, which was cool. It was a good day overall, I just can't really say I *get* what's so special about Santa Fe.  If somebody can let me in on the secret, I'm all ears.

Santa Fe Trail - Road to Opportunity statue

View from the Turquoise Trail

Family selfie!

On the second day, I took my parents up the Sandia Peak Tramway.  You might recall me and the boys riding the tramway back in January, so it was a repeat sight for me, but I knew my parents would enjoy the ride (well at least my Dad, I'm not so sure my Mom loved the height).

MP and Pop

View from the top

MP, me and Pop

Then the third day was finally the weekend (yay!), which meant Matt could hang out with us (he'd been working the rest of the time so we were happy to have him with us, so double yay!). We took my parents to the CV-22 hangar so they could get an up close and personal tour of the aircraft Matt flies. I'd like to say we were really exciting the rest of the afternoon, but I'm pretty sure we all napped (and/or watched basketball). I will say, that evening, Matt and I got to go on a real date thanks to my parents babysitting the little man. We went to the steakhouse at the Sandia Resort and Casino and then had fun doing a little gambling after dinner.

On Sunday, Matt, my Dad and I went to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. My Mom was happy to stay home with Ethan, which made the museum much easier to appreciate. Something about museums and toddlers just doesn't mix. Matt and I hadn't been to the museum yet (even though it's like 5 minutes from our house), so we were excited to go and ended up being super impressed! I thought it'd be a quick trip, but we actually spent almost 3 hours there and missed half the museum. They even have an outdoor portion with a bunch of old missiles and decommissioned aircraft. It was pretty cool!

Monday rolled around and Matt went back to work and Ethan went back to daycare, so it was back to three. We ended up driving north to Rio Rancho to the J&R Vintage Auto Museum for my Dad.  It was kind of cool to see all the old cars, but I'm pretty sure my Dad enjoyed it more than my Mom and me, lol.

And that pretty much sums it all up. Tuesday morning they woke up bright and early and were headed back to Maryland by 6am. It was awesome having them here and getting to show them a bit of my new world and definitely sad to say goodbye. I'm already looking forward to my trip back East this summer. :)