Our first Christmas

Awwww how presh.  Our first Christmas together as a married couple!  We had a great week in Glorieta, New Mexico with the Cashes.  We left Tuesday after work and drove to Amarillo where we stayed in a hotel with Nathan's family.  The 10 of us left Wednesday morning and drove the rest of the way to Glorieta and met up with the other 4 that came from San Antonio (yes that makes 14!).  After unloading all the cars, Nathan gave me a little tour of Glorieta.  He has been going there ever since he was born (and his family did even before that) so it was very special for me to experience this!

They always buy a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and all the girls decorate it with ornaments/lights that are stored in a box labeled "Glorieta" for all the other 51 weeks of the year.  I love it :)

It SNOWED!  Only just for a little bit, but this Texas girl was quite excited to see it!

The famous Bobcat Bite green chile cheeseburger-- Nathan says it's been named the "best in America"

Sue Ellen and I were GREAT shopping buddies in Santa Fe.  The Native American/Mexican/Buddhist influences were all very evident in the stores.  Eclectic?  That's my middle name.

All of the cousins (yes, Nathan looks quite special).  Every day Aunt Danita gave the kids a little "Christmas gift" and that night it was holiday hats!

Husband and wife about to go sledding.  Hopefully the wife comes back alive....

I didn't die!  Yahoo!  We both had a great time on the family's sled: the Snow Racer.

The WHOLE Cash clan.  Nathan, Jordan, Ryan, Mimi, Gangan, Bryan, Randall, Chelsea, Jared, Sue Ellen, me, Danita, Carol, and Paul

Great picture of the 5 of us!  I'm blessed to have such wonderful in-laws!

After skiing on Christmas day!  Now here I really did almost not come back alive!  Nathan tricked me into coming down a Blue... (maybe this should have been a topic in our premarital counseling: don't make your wife go skiing or think that you can magically teach her to love skiing as much as you do).  But really, it was nice to be together and conquer my fear of getting off the chair lift.

Nathan read the story of Christmas on Christmas night with everyone.  It was a great time for reflection and thanksgiving with my new family.

We finished up Christmas with a 42 tournament and Pictionary.  Sue Ellen and I are a mean Pictionary team if I do say so myself.  Nathan and Chelsea won the 42 tournament, too!

I sure did enjoy shopping in downtown Santa Fe!  I bought a gorgeous turquoise ring-- a great souvenir with Native American influence.

Our trip to Glorieta (including our 10 hour drive there and back) and our first Christmas as husband & wife was a memorable one!  I can't wait to go back for the next family trip.  I might not go skiing, but I sure will support Nathan from the ski lodge (with a hot chocolate in hand) :)