wearing shorts and sandals in the snow....

 chirping morning birds, stunning blue skies 

It's going to be another beautiful day....

(so I think)

 Cheii and Nana will be joining us at Bam's Confirmation ceremony tomorrow.

So today we're headed to Gallup to pick them up.

What started off as a beautiful day for a drive turned into a very snowy cold drive, 20 minutes outside our arrival into Gallup, NM.

Click the video that Cookie made from the backseat 

☟

When we got to the Ranch, Nana was ready, Cheii was feeling under the weather.

Cheii decided to stay home to recover.

 Plus he didn't want to get the children ill by coming to our house.

It seemed as if, just as quickly as we arrived, we were back on the road towards ABQ.

Amazing climate differences in 138 miles--2 hr. drive.
Likely due to the altitude level of course.

Vanderwagen, NM is 6,514 ft. above sea level
Albuquerque, NM is 5, 000 ft. above sea level

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We made perfect timing back to Albuquerque.
Enough time for
a late lunch--
  a little relaxation--
 before heading to the church for rehearsals this evening.

snow where to hide....

Woke up to SNOW this morning....

Yes, this is how much snow we got.........no joke!

Doesn't look like much snow in our part of the city....

But....

 The NE Heights seemed to have got a wee more snow than us.
(lucky them)

Awww..... Spring flowers covered in snow

There was enough snow in some parts of the city to cause a power outage.
Like at Fifi's school.....

About 10:30 AM her school called me to let me know school had been cancelled due to
power outage!

Some parents were none too happy to have their day interrupted to pick up their kid.

I, myself, was more than HAPPY to have Fifi back.
(Power outage or not)

I never really noticed before but the school doesn't have very many windows.
The school was VERY dark and BLACK
almost eerie~~~

Despite the ciao...
 The students were very happily excited to have this unexpected day off.

Downtown very early in the morn....

Then by 2 PM the snow was a memory.
The Sun was shining as if snow had never fallen.

A trail of melted snow lines the sidewalks

I wish I would've made a snowman..... or even a snowball.

running from the bone chilling weather

ON YOUR MARK.... 

GET SET....

BANG!!!

We're supporting our Princess Fifi as she competes in her very first track meet.

It's a very, very, chilly day.
New Mexico weather is so strange!
Most of the time the weather is warm and beautiful. But sometimes we get these crazy cold snaps.
Despite the cold temperatures, the participants must run their events.
Brrrr.....

Look at that bit of snow on the southern end of the Sandia Mountains....
and that WIND!

The track runners look cold but a few lucky ones like our Fifi dressed in SMART layers.
Fortunately for Fifi she wore her cold weather running gear by Under Armour.
We love this company! (Look here)
Great stuff!!

Fifi in her track outfit with her black layered Under Armour.

Bam is leading Fifi off the field and out of the stadium after a very cold but very successful run!
Great Job Fifi!
Yay!!

Drafty Duke City

It's a bright, sunny, lovely, cloudless....COLD and CHILLY day in the Duke city.

I'm certain the chill in the air is coming off the Sandia Mountains.
As I make my way through the city; enroute to meet up with Bam.
Where do you think we lunched?
hint: $5......$5 footlong........

short sleeves yesterday..........winter parka today

Brrrr.......it is still WINTER after all

Chilly winds blowing all over ABQ today.

Just when we almost got used to the warmer weather.....

       Old man winter must be saying: put away those spring clothes-I'm not finished yet!

Cookie jokes, "Mummy, do you think if you milked a cow today, she'd give ice cream?"

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Look at the surprise we woke up to this morning.

!!SNOW!!

We enjoyed all 15 minutes of it before it melted away.......

Do you want to see a traditional NM snowman???

TUMBLEWEED SNOWMAN of ABQ 

(off of Westbound I-40)

Together......

Today is the first weekend day to the start of winter vacation from school.

We'll be on holiday until the 4th of the New Year.

Hurray for the Holiday..........

snowed in?

The big storm that went over our area has left SNOW at our house!

I know, I know, it barely covers the pine needles.

Can you believe that SCHOOL IS CANCELLED today.

?????

Most areas of the city got a significant amount of snow.

We just live in the area of town that got the least amount of SNOW.

 --Only in New Mexico--

*sigh*

A snow day means we have the day off.

Maybe we should get some.......................... ICE CREAM!!

break out the snow boots kids.......... there's SNOW!!

the calm before the storm

 --backseat view en route--

We hear the BIG cold front is headed our way.

 Currently there is only very light flurries falling.
Although that doesn't mean something heavier couldn't come down later tonight.

We decided to continue with our Sunday plans anyways.

We venturing out to the South Valley, after we went to the children's museum downtown. 

We enjoy stopping at the Pros Ranch market when we're in the area.
This grocery store is very different from the regular grocery stores we go to.

Its a speciality grocery store with departments like a tortilleria (tortilla factory) right inside where they make fresh tortillas and tamales.

(We picked up a dozen tortillas and half a dozen tamales to enjoy at home)

They also have a cocina, (kitchen) serving ready to eat Mexican / Latin food and a panaderia (bakery), deli and juice bar with fresh aqua frescas.

(We treated ourselves to a soft taco plate and a round of sandia aqua fresca)

The atmosphere is very festive.  Its like a mini tour to Old Mexico.

 Explora children's museum and the market on a cold day...........this is our calm before the storm.