This was a different sort of New Years. Like one I had not experienced before, I happened to love it. Saturday morning I had to work. We had a 55 foot auger (give or take a few feet) that was stuck and would not turn and so we had to hire a crane and crew to come in and remove the auger from the bin it went into. (It inclined down into the depths of the earth) We had done all we could with the men and equipment we had so it was time to call in the big boys. Turns out there was a turnbuckle that had jammed this auger up. One of our mill employees jumped for joy as we found it and said he had been chasing down that piece of metal for 2 years! What a great way to end 2011! We removed the metal and it is in my mill work hall of fame.
After work I rushed home and packed in a furry and headed to Michael’s house to pick him up and start the new year’s celebrating. We drive up north of Santa Fe to visit friends and it was a lovely drive! Such pretty views of the mountains and snow! We got to stop in Santa Fe for a quick jaunt around Trader Joe’s for cheese, sausage, hippie beer, wine and champagne. I was most excited that I found Hungarian bulls blood wine for $4.99! The store almost made me break out in hives though – there were so many darn people you could barely move. I bet there were more people in that store than the entire town I live in. Thank goodness it was a fast trip! We then headed on to visit with some of Michael’s friends that he went to college with. They have 3 little ones (kids) so we had a great evening in! They treated us to homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread and a chocolate cake made from scratch that was to die for! I need to ask for the recipe now that I think of it… It was an interesting experience ringing in new year’s multiple times. We got to celebrate at 10 PM with New York, 11 PM with central time folks and then finally at midnight with the mountain time zone.
On Sunday we took our time driving home. We stopped for lunch in Santa Fe and briefly walked around the plaza. It was also crowded and full of skinny jean, tall boot wearing folks. An interesting crowd that seems so unusual as we had spent the night on a ranch just 40 minutes away! It is crazy how fast the cultural climate can change in such a short distance. After that we drove towards Albuquerque and stopped at a casino – I could not resist any longer and it was my turn at the wheel so naturally we ended up in the casino. I played a few dollars of slots and ended even. I then headed to the roulette table with $5 (I’m a timid gambler to say the least). Much to my joy I left the table with $25! I cashed out and took my earnings in single dollar bills. Wow were they ever crisp! I was on a winners high! We continued our journey into Albuquerque and stopped to visit with Michael’s sister, brother-in-law and their 4 kids. We had not seen them since we got engaged and they were so excited for us! I am so blessed to be joining such a great family! Sadly we couldn’t stay for long but did get to see pictures and hear of their adventures on their recent “vacation of a lifetime.” It really did sound like a one in a million vacation!
We had a late departure and did not get back until late but it was worth it. The alarm was not welcomed as it rang at 4:25 AM to wake me from my slumber. The statement that “you gotta pay to play” is ringing loud in my head today. Regardless it was a great weekend and I would not trade it for anything. Hopefully everything will run smoothly at work today and I can get quick nap in after work before our feed yard holiday party tonight!
Happy New Year to all!!
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