Cortez with friends!

Pulling out of Albuquerque Monday, October 16, was hard. For months we'd been looking forward to the balloon fiesta and now it was over. We spent time talking about our favorite activities and balloons then turned the conversation to future items on our bucket list. By the way, the balloon fiesta just might make it on our annual bucket list :) .

New Mexico scenery can totally change every mile or less. I love it!

     We planned to spend the night at a friend's in Cortez but our first stop was a laundromat. I had looked on Google maps and found one with a huge parking lot behind it so we headed there. Eldon unhooked the camper and we hauled massive piles of laundry and loaded an 80 lb and two 40 lb washers. Bedding, towels, and nearly all our clothes! Two weeks of no hook-ups is doable! 

     Eldon washed the truck while the children and I walked to Dairy Queen for lunch then back to switch clothes. While the clothes dried, we did our grocery shopping and filled up with fuel and by then our clothes were ready to be folded.

It was so nice to have everything clean again!

A big reason we wanted to get groceries in Cortez is because we were after a few specific products that are grown in that area.

Anasazi beans are by far my favorite but the pinto beans are delicious as well!

My sister declares this flour makes better bread then any other flour!

We parked at Jennifer and Destry's, friends we had met at church last summer when we worked in Cortez. 

He farms on a big scale and Ethan just loved the tractors.

These silly goats loved animal crackers!

Trampolines are wonderful for expelling energy!

Ethan had a blast with their boys and all the toys!

Aspen trees are so pretty!

Annie and Emily played dress-up and tea party all evening :)

I never saw so many John Deere clothes and toys as in this house, lol.

     Jennifer served us chili and cornbread along with coffee and bars for dinner and it was amazing! Most of all we loved sitting around the table with Jennifer and Destry and several of their older children and discussing a huge range of subjects. The conversation went from hilarious to serious and everything in between. We're so thankful for friends like this who make our journey on earth easier!