Morgan Family Summer Trip to Ruidoso NM

The summer was flying by quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for one of our favorite annual traditions: our Morgan Family summer trip with my parents and all the Morgan cousins! This year, we were so excited to visit a completely new state and area, Ruidoso New Mexico. Funny enough, we were supposed to visit Ruidoso the previous summer, but a week before our trip, a line of horrible wildfires took over the area and forced total evacuations for weeks. We were so thankful that most of the town was spared, and we were excited to plan our visit 1 year later. My parents rented an amazing property for all of us, including a separate guest house for the cousins (which they were super excited about)! The weather was beautiful and we were so happy to be together again for some quality family time.

One of the favorite activities for the cousin group is thrift store shopping, and we made our way around town looking for treasures and unique finds. We also loved walking through the downtown area of Ruidoso, which was the cutest street filled with shops and restaurants. We enjoyed exploring from store to store, although some of us are more shopping addicted than others, ha! While we shopped, the guys took off for a golf outing. We were soaking in the new (to us) area and loving it!

One of our outings during the vacation was a trip to the nearby White Sands National Park. It was absolutely fascinating with true white sands and dunes as far as the eyes could see! The weather was sunny and hot, so it was a little concerning (for me, ha!) to be out in the middle of the park without cell service and shade, but the kids had a blast exploring and playing on the sand dunes. 

On the drive back from the park, we found the cutest little roadside stop with life size replicas of the characters and vehicles from the Disney Cars movie. We made sure to stop for photos, so fun!

Among the many fun memories that the cousins make each year is their annual up-all-night challenge, where they set out to have an all-nighter with lots of activities, silliness, no parents, and NO SLEEP! Each year it's always funny to see who can make it to the first sign of daylight, and this year, it was a WIN for everyone because all cousins made it. This was a record for sure!

The kids crashed after their all-nighter, and the adults took the opportunity to head back into Ruidoso for more exploration. We ended up at a local brewery and enjoyed the snacks and drinks with some long overdue catching up. Ruidoso was a great town for our Morgan Family summer trip, and we were so thankful for another opportunity to spend time with extended family and continue making lifetime memories!

Summer Catch-up

Time for a miscellaneous round of summer photos and updates!

While we were away on our European cruise, Kaitlynn missed the big reveal of her new cheer team for the upcoming season. After years of looking up to this team, she was officially an Admiral with Woodlands Elite!

While Kaitlynn and I were back and forth from her summer camp, Jeff took the opportunity to visit his mom at her assisted living facility in Michigan. He visits her every quarter, and some of the highlights of his trips are their outings for lunch at some of her favorite spots. 

After Kaitlynn returned from Soul Quest, we all met up with Kevin for a quick birthday celebration dinner at a place of his choosing. It was a sushi choo choo restaurant where the items all come out on a conveyor. It might not have been Connor and Kaitlynn's first choice to eat, but we all had a blast with the experience!

During one of Kaitlynn's outings as a new driver, she met up with her sweet friend Addie. I was still getting used to the idea of Kaitlynn being out on her own, but she was loving every second of the experience!

Last New Driver

While Kaitlynn was enjoying her time at Soul Quest, she hit a FUN milestone away from home: her Sweet Sixteen birthday! We had already celebrated her birthday with her friends, but the biggest celebration for her was yet to come when she finally made it back home and was able to take the official test for her driver's license! After months and months of Aceable lessons and Jeff-led driving instruction, Kaitlynn was READY to be independent behind the wheel. Before her appointment, we practiced parallel parking one more time and she nailed it time after time. I was very impressed! So off we went to the TX DPS office. Kaitlynn was excited but maybe a little nervous, and she made sure to check the hair, makeup, and top for the official license photo. When it was finally time for her test, she passed with flying colors! No doubt she was relieved, but she was all smiles when she made the inaugural drive alone to go hang out with friends. So proud of this girl and excited for her newfound independence behind the wheel. It's official - the LAST new driver for our Courtright family!

Soul Quest 2025

I probably wrote about this before, but Kaitlynn's first time attending Soul Quest church camp a few years ago wasn't her favorite. She had been talked into it by her cousins and while she enjoyed the time with them, it just wasn't her thing. However, the following summer, she had serious FOMO when her cousins were signed up to go again, so she reluctantly attended once more. That summer, the camp and amazing connections she made there really made an impression on her. By the time this year's Soul Quest 2025 came around, it would be Kaitlynn's 4th time attending and she was BEYOND ready and excited to return! 

Early in the week while she was away, we began getting text messages from Kaitlynn about how special it was to reunite with her camp friends, especially one of her favorites, Selah. These two formed an amazing connection years ago and this is the one time each year they get to reconnect and soak in the quality time together. Kaitlynn began texting us early in the week about what a great time they were having and how much everyone was growing from this year's Soul Quest theme, "Follow Me." It sounded like lives and hearts were really changing, and Kaitlynn was feeling so thankful for the amazing friendships and spiritual lessons along the way.

We received some messages later in the week about how so many of the campers were feeling led to express their faith publicly at Soul Quest. It was clear that God's power was at work in York, Nebraska! Kaitlynn was so grateful to witness her sweet friend Selah pronounce her faith in re-baptism, and it was such an inspiring and moving expression to everyone in their group. Back home, we felt so thankful for Kaitlynn's Christian friendships and for the open hearts and minds to hear and accept God's love through their works of faith. 

Soul Quest has become the highlight of Kaitlynn's summer, and it is heartwarming to see how this amazing camp has continued to be such a conduit for growth with Kaitlynn, her cousins, and all of her great friends she has met along the way. We are forever thankful for the Alpine Church of Christ and Soul Quest camp leaders who give of their time and energy to pour into these teens every summer! What a blessing!