Christmas in New Mexico

This year I spent Christmas in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kelly and her family are from New Mexico, so we celebrated the holiday with them. The trip started with me a scenic drive from Phoenix to Albuquerque. Outside of Flagstaff we say six elk on the side of the road. It was my very first time seeing elk and I had no clue how large of an animal they are. I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough to take a picture. But I hope you enjoy some of these photos from the drive.
Michael Jordan Cologne anyone?





After we arrived at Kelly’s sister (she’s the one who introduced us to each other), I was off to the New Mexico Bowl with Kelly’s father, brother-in-law and nephew. The game was my very first Division 1 college football game and my very fist bowl game. The temperatures were in 30’s and very windy. New Mexico was leading 20-0 over Nevada at halftime. With the game secured, free gifts in hand and a very frozen group we headed home to thaw out! New Mexico won 23-0.





The rest of the trip was spent eating lots of food, celebrating Christmas and Kelly showing me around the city and the state. She was really excited to show me her culture, family history and tourists sights. During my personal tour of northern New Mexico, I learned that Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Houser) and Fredie Prince Jr. went to high school with my girlfriend. Kelly also showed off the Santa Fe. Santa Fe is the state capital of New Mexico. The city is also the highest capital in the United States with an altitude of almost 7,000 ft above sea level. The town has a lot of historic Spanish and Native American architecture. Christmas is a huge tourists time in the city. The big event in the Canyon Road walk on Christmas Eve. Canyon Road is about a one mile long tiny street full of historic homes and art galleries. I also got to see the church that was seen in the Arnold Swarzenegar movie "Twins." On Christmas eve; carolers, tourists and musicians line the street. There are holiday lights, vendors, mini bon fires, singing, music and entertainment. It was a lot of fun. Enjoy these pictures from Kelly and my first Christmas together. The dogs name is Bandit!