Our Mountain Celebration

Last month, my man and I celebrated twenty years of marriage.

I posted a tribute to him on that day, sharing our match-made-in-Heaven love story.

And that post, hands down, got almost three times more traffic than my most popular post to date!

Those stats reminded me of something important.

Most readers enjoy it when writers draw back the curtain of their personal lives and let them in.

I believe it’s just human nature to lean in and listen to other people’s stories.

There is something built inside each heart that continually seeks out connections with others.

Kind of like our wireless devices.

They are always searching for Wi-Fi networks.

In today’s post, I’m going to take off my teaching hat and pretend you are sitting across the table from me, enjoying a cup of coffee (or an ice-cold glass of tea) and tell you about our anniversary celebration in the mountains.

Steven’s sister, Angie, and her husband, John, have shared their gorgeous mountain home in Angel Fire with us pretty much every time we’ve asked to come for a visit.

We usually cook a few meals ahead of time to take with us.

This time, Steven smoked baby back ribs and sweet corn (he is a grilling and smoking king!) and I made a vinegar-based coleslaw and breakfast casserole.

After Steven got off work on Friday, July 21, we loaded everything up in our silver Dodge Dakota, and waved a happy goodbye to the scorching Texas Panhandle heat and looked forward to the refreshing, cool mountain air.

The trip through Texas and the first part of New Mexico wasn’t anything to write home about. Unless you like to look at wide open spaces.

We stopped in Clayton, New Mexico and had a really healthy supper at the Dairy Queen.

I enjoyed a Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzard (my all-time favorite!) and Steven had a Salted Blondie Blizzard.

After  going through Cimarron, New Mexico, the landscape became more scenic.

I didn’t want to miss drinking in the beautiful mountain and river views, so I put my cell phone away during this more enjoyable part of the trip.

We also rolled down the windows to feel the change in the air temperature.

Then, we tuned in to KRTN Enchanted Air Radio and began listening to songs from the ’70s an ’80s. While our pickup climbed the Sangre de Cristo (Spanish for “Blood of Christ”) Mountains, we took a trip down memory lane, played Name That Tune, and reminisced.

After we got to John and Angie’s that evening, we enjoyed fresh, buttered banana bread and hot chocolate.

Saturday, we hung around Angel Fire, bought some T-shirts at local shops, and watched the Andy Griffith Show on Netflix that evening.

Sunday, all four of us—John, Angie, Steven, and I—went whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande River in Taos, New Mexico.

We had a sweet guide, Crosbie, who did her job well.

Monday, Steven and I left early to go to Antonito, Colorado to ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad to Chama, New Mexico.

I highly recommend this coal-fired steam engine train ride.

(If you go, wear jeans or dark clothes. It’s impossible to keep from getting lightly peppered with tiny black pieces of coal.)

We stopped at Osier Station for a 1-hour lunch.

We had a choice of an All You Can Eat turkey and dressing dinner or a meatloaf dinner with salad and dessert.

I’m not sure if it was the mountain air or what, but that lunch was scrumptious!

I especially remember the mouth-watering, buttery mashed potatoes and the deliciously moist chocolate cake.

Tuesday morning, all four of us hiked the (almost) three-mile Lady Slipper trail in Angel Fire.

Later that afternoon, Steven and I drove to Red River and enjoyed a Green Chile Cheeseburger and Tator Tots at the Dairy Bar on Main Street.

Completely stuffed, we walked down Main Street and ended up at Kenneth Wyatt’s Red River Gallery.

We both relish Wyatt’s artwork.

One painting that especially caught my attention this visit was “God’s Candles,” a stunning depiction of golden aspens in the fall.

Wyatt’s name fits perfectly.

Staring at it made me long for my favorite season of the year to hurry up and get here.

The next morning, we got up and drove back home to the suffocating heat of the Texas Panhandle.

Thank God for mountain vacations and thank you for letting me share ours with you!

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No matter where you are at this moment, if you want to soak in the refreshing waters of the undiluted, unpolluted grace of God , I invite you to check out all of my books and my video series based on my first devotional.