Coming to New Mexico--What's Your Story?

[catman]

Yes, I'd like to visit Australia, New Zealand, and Tierra del Fuego. But as far as the USA is concerned, NM is the place for me! I love the landforms, climate, and cultural mix. I've never felt the same way about any other place.

[mtlogger]

Originally Posted by catman

Yes, I'd like to visit Australia, New Zealand, and Tierra del Fuego. But as far as the USA is concerned, NM is the place for me! I love the landforms, climate, and cultural mix. I've never felt the same way about any other place.

Been to all three - loved NZ, esp the South Island - reminds me of MT. TDF is barren - great brown trout fishing and 'bergs'. Oz still has a fond place in my heart, but I won't go back - it would destroy the image.

I found a bit of heaven in Antigua, GT - but that too is slowly being eroded by people.

[catman]

I know I have misanthropic tendencies, but for good reason IMO. A large number of people has a way of messing up just about every good location. The night sky must be very strange from those far southern latitudes. Has Oz changed too much?

[CountryCarr]

Former Lovington resident back in 1981-83, have wished I was back there ever since. Lovington was the only town I lived in that really had that small town feel and bond, even back in the turbulant oil days of those times! Anyone remember Katy, who managed the DQ once, as well as the same for a little while at the Pizza Huts in L and H before that?

[chrokee69]

Hey Towanda, I can relate this also. I have always loved NM and AZ, but I can't find why we havn't, plus i have had the calling all my life, just can't get out of Missouri. Don't know why yet and it is really getting to me. I guess since my husbands family is here, he don't want to go but all mine is out there and i do... Help me please, I need help.

[rwjoyak]

My wife and I grew up in Fairbanks, AK, and stayed there (except for college) until about age 40. Had good jobs but got tired of the long cold winters. A better job offer fueled a move to Sacramento, CA; stayed there for about 16 years until another job drew us to Louisville, KY. Now I can work anywhere and we've looked around a lot at where we want to slide into retirement. Have visited NM a few times and love everything we' ve seen and read about it. Plus the attitudes, people and places remind us a lot of the good things we left behind in Alaska: real people with few pretensions, neighbors willing to help even strangers, a frontier mentality (I mean that in a positive way) toward life and the land, etc. As soon as we sell our house we'll be coming to a new place but I feel like it'll be arriving back home in many ways.

[tator89]

im not back in new mexico yet but i will be soon enough and i cant wait. i was born in Silver City back in 1987 and i lived there until i was six. mom and dad took me to texas for another seven, then went to oklahoma for ten years. i always thought i would be stuck in small town Checotah, Oklahoma for the rest of my life because i have my security here, but im not happy here. this is not my home like it was when i was a teenager. the reason as to why i havent left yet is simple, friends. but why do i want to move back to New Mexico when i have a great job and great friends? many ppl will ask me and i just reply this is not my home and all my family is in New Mexico. i havent seen most of my family since 2002-2003. i miss them like crazy and its time for all of us to get to know eachother once again. im a lil scared but you know i need to face my fear and do something to make myself happy once again. so that is why i want to relocate to new mexico

[hogfarmer]

Originally Posted by EveningSong

My story is the same as what I've read from all of you who unabashedly pour out your feeling. I'm an army brat and have lived all over the Country and Germany. I first came to NM about 6 years ago with a friend to watch the Arabian Horse show in ABQ we call The Nationals. We drove up to Santa Fe and Taos before stopping at the horse show. We almost didn't make it to the show, we loved being in those two towns. Fast forward two years and we brought our husbands to the show and again spent time in Taos. Last year my husband and I came back to the Carrizozo/Alto/Ruidoso area and fell in love with the area. As I recall as we were driving up from El Paso I could tell my husband was a little more than skeptical, then he saw Ruidoso and the mountains. He finally understood what I've been feeling for years. As many of you said it is a spiritual feeling, quest. Anyway I've told my sons to follow your heart, one is in San Francisco and the other is in China for the summer working a job as an intern. It's time I take my own advice. So.... it's good to have a goal. One more year and the younger son graduates from U Of Minnesota. then maybe... Keep your stories coming.

This is a fantastic thread! So interesting to read your stories. The one above was from my wife, and thought I'd bring you up to date 1 year later on our story. We ended up buying property off hiway 37 (Rruff, probably not too far from you!) with the long-term goal of someday retiring in the area. Then not 2 months later, as my wife says, the goddess had different ideas, and my work situation changed. Rather than travel to Asia every 6-8 weeks as I had been doing over the past 8 years, my company wanted to move me to China to run the operation there. As we were now empty nesters and trying the ex-pat life is something I'd long wanted to do (and needed a change in my life anyway) we decided it would be a great opportunity-for me. Deb said she's not living in China, and she's certainly not going to spend another winter in Minnesota. So to make a long story short, we loaded up the trailers (both house and horse), drove the 1400+ miles, sold our hobby farm with our new big house, and bought a 1930's adobe in 'Zozo. We're keeping the horses on a ranch, and my wife is happily living in town and following our dream to live in NM. She really felt the call strongly after her first visit here years ago and I confess it's got me too. So it was kind of a weird way to get here, but we're here!
Everyone we meet in the area has a story, and so why our friends in Minnesota thought we were absolutely nuts to leave, and saw no way I could live in China and she could live 10,000 miles away, our friends in NM accept our life style as just another part of the community! It would be facinating to someday write a book on the stories of people in the area, as everyone here has a unique situation.
As far as us, I come back every 6-8 weeks, we escape to Taos, Albuquerque, or Santa Fe for a few days, then back to Zozo and the Honey do list. In February my wife is coming over for lunar New Year (which will be a hoot) and for the next 3 years (or longer) we'll do the long distance communte. And after seeing polluted Chinese sky (with no stars and often the sun is just a "bright spot in the night time" (3 Dog Night anyone?) it is such a treat to go out to the ranch, have some wine, and gaze up at the wonderful night sky. Lonely? Difficult? Yes, there are certainly times-but the bottom line is this gives us a way to live our dream of being in New Mexico, and after 3-4 years, who knows what happens! But certainly we appreciate the chance to live in such a great land with such fantastic people. Really, when I leave the ABQ airport and see the Georgia O'Keefe poster about leaving her land, I feel pretty sad. But conversely when I land and see that, I know I'm home!
Keep the stories coming! It is wonderful to learn more about all of you, your dreams, and how in the world you ended up here!

[clairz]

Originally Posted by hogfarmer

This is a fantastic thread! So interesting to read your stories. The one above was from my wife, and thought I'd bring you up to date 1 year later on our story.

I love that hogfarmer has updated us here on an earlier post because we just never know where our journeys will lead us. It would be great if everyone else who has posted here wrote an update on their New Mexico adventure.

As the OP, I will do so: We arrived in Clovis 2 years ago, using my husband's job as an excuse to get to New Mexico. I have to say that although we are geographically in the state, in actuality we have been living in Little Texas all this time--interesting, and a wonderful learning experience, but not exactly what we were aiming for.

So, later this month we will move to our real retirement home, just outside of Las Cruces. The decision process was long and really fun--we explored all over the state and looked closely at Pecos, Estancia, and Cochiti Lake--but no one place pleased the whole family (my sister is also moving with us) until we hit on Las Cruces, where we lived for a short time in the late 1990s.

Las Cruces is the whole enchilada for us--mountains, desert, scenery, the university, the climate, the great mix of people, etc. etc. We will live in a real adobe house, explore the surrounding areas, read, write, play music, go to NMSU basketball games, eat the wonderful food, and go to all kinds of cultural events. We will eat as many meals as we can outside in the warm air under the big pecan trees while looking up at the mountains.

Our New Mexican adventure continues... How about yours?

~clairz

[tator89]

sure i will update when i move i think itll be next month or the next now that i have somewhat of a plan on what im doing now. hopefully the walmart where im going has an opening cause thats the only way ill be able to move there