i had never put much thought into albuquerque as a destination of interest..but that was before my sister's family moved here last summer because this is where my brother-in-law got his residency. since then i have learned two things about this town: there are at least a million empty ditches (a.k.a. a skateboarder's heaven) and it is the hub of thrift stores. we went thrifting this morning and found all sorts of treasures at antique stores, a salvation army and an indoor flea market. there's just an entire street full of different thrift stores that i could have spent days exploring!

as for the empty ditches all over, this mostly excited nicolaus and collin. i came along on their man time to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine (two things utah has been lacking lately), take some photos and was appointed designated driver. the boys rode so far down on one of the ditches that they had to drop a pin so i could drive to where they were to retrieve them.
we've had such a lovely trip that i'm really not looking forward to saying goodbye to those sweet, sweet nieces of mine. we're getting on the road early tomorrow morning and heading back to jobs, classrooms, the bitter cold and way too many take-out meals. i'm thinking maybe instead the hubs and i will just unpack our bags permanently and start a new career of nannyhood...