Through a series of unusual circumstances, we invited four college students (plus our own two) to spend Spring Break in our partially furnished home in Taos, NM. Despite my concern, it all worked out well. We brought along every extra sheet and pillow we had at home and had plenty of sleeping space for all students. Three slept in the largest bedroom that will become my office, two on the sleeper sofa and Meg in her “own room.”

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Relaxing at the house

We left Manitowoc at 5 am on a Friday morning and headed to Des Moines to pick up Meghan and some of the Outdoor Club’s skis, boots and bags. They would not leave until the following morning and all five would be traveling in a Honda Hybrid! We then drove on to North Platte, NE to spend the night in a Motel 6 with our three cocker spaniels.

We headed out early the next morning and arrived at our house in Taos at 3 pm the next day. After quickly unloading, we ran to the grocery store to pick up supplies for the week, as well as a large selection of pizzas, chips and other snacks for the hungry college students who would be arriving that evening.

Then as is our custom, we headed to our favorite local restaurant for dinner, texting Ryan that the fridge and freezer were full and they should help themselves. As it turns out, it was St. Patrick’s Day, so our restaurant had a band playing Irish music and the place was noisy and crowded, but a lot of fun. We ordered a large platter of nachos and told the kids to stop in as they would have to drive right past the restaurant on their way to the house. By the time they arrived, however, we had already consumed the entire platter, so we ordered another for them, then left them the table in the standing-room-only crowd and wandered out to watch the music a bit. When they were finished, we all headed home to settle in. They had big plans to ski the next day and had been on the road 13 hours.

^[2]The following morning, Terry and I were up earlier than the kids and enjoyed a peaceful omelet in the quiet of the morning. I then headed out to our back porch, to do Pilates while enjoying our view of Taos Mountain. The kids began to stir shortly thereafter, and we encouraged them to help themselves to breakfast. We had cereal, toast, granola and ingredients for omelets. Thus began the omelet mornings.

Ever the gracious host, Ryan made himself an omelet, then offered to make one for each of his friends as they awakened, cooking them to order (who is this young man and what has he done with our son?). This process continued every morning of their stay except for the last day.

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Eating...

Initially planning to head out by 9, the crew got going about 10 am, which I thought was commendable given that they were college students on Spring Break and had been on the road the entire day before. While we had met them briefly the night before, it was that morning that we first began to know Danny, Jake, Krista and Ashley.

Every morning the omelet ritual continued, and I finally had coffee drinking companions (none of my children drink coffee) so I made a fresh pot first thing every morning. Over breakfast and coffee, we talked about majors and interests and life plans. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

They spent two days tackling the slopes of the Angel Fire Ski Resort in northern New Mexico, with some of the highest peaks and most challenging runs. I was a little worried about them, given that Danny was teaching Krista to ski on this trip. The third day, they headed to nearby Sipapu, a resort that is a bit older and the peaks a bit tamer. If I had been doing the planning, I would have had them start at Sipapu, then move on to Angel Fire, but, alas, I was not. They all survived and had a great time. And I understand Krista learned a lot and had fun too!

Next Post: Part 3: Ashley’s Birthday

Read more about New Mexico campgrounds ^[4] and things to do in New Mexico.

Last 5 posts by Diane Berry

• Ready, Get Set...Hike! ^[11] - May 12th, 2013
• From Williams Lake to Wheeler Peak? ^[12] - May 5th, 2013
• A Beautiful Spring Hike ^[13] - April 28th, 2013
• A Spring Camping Adventure ^[14] - April 21st, 2013
• Spring Excitement at the Taos Ski Valley, NM ^[15] - April 14th, 2013

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