Well, I think all you parents out there can relate to how great it is when your baby starts to really talk. I mean like convey a thought, since you wonder what they have been thinking for Y.E.A.R.S. Well, our sweet Addison is in full communication mode at this point and it is so cute to hear how she "puts" things together. We had been telling her for weeks we were going on vacation. The closer we got to going we started telling her we were going to Santa Fe. Of course, she would repeat that in the question format. "Santa Fe?" So, as we rode along Highway 287 she would occasionally remind us where we were going...in the question format...and we would agree. When we climbed in the car for what we thought would be the last stop before unloading in Santa Fe (clearly we had a lapse in memory that there were two girls that potty frequently with us) we turned to Addison and said, "Where are we going Addison?" She smiled real big and said, "Santa Fe HO HO HO." Uh oh. This may be a problem. We look at each other, what do we do? We quickly explain it is not time to see Santa Claus and he doesn't live in Santa Fe. Pointless..she's two. We will deal with that later. After 11 LONG hours on our 7.5 hour trip...we arrived!
After a good night's rest we were off to a real Santa Fe breakfast recommended by Guy on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. Nate loves this show so I looked up the places for Santa Fe. Tune-Up Cafe here we come!
Just a few blocks from our hotel we pulled up and stepped into the cutest Diner ever, where the owners greeted most people by first name and served up the BEST Santa Fe breakfast. We realized we just might be in trouble if all of the food in this town tasted this good. Awesome stop and I recommend it to you for sure if you are swingin' through Santa Fe. Check them out here Tune Up Cafe. Next stop - Santa Fe Children's Museum...right around the corner.
We have been to two other children museums before, one in Columbia, SC and the other in W-S, NC. We knew this would be a great time and it did not let us down. The girls had a fun time exploring new toys and games with lots of Santa Fe friends. After sitting around awhile watching all of them I began to wonder what style fit into this town. When you move around, like we do, you realize that you sort of "adjust" your wardrobe for where you live. With a quick scan of the 50+ kids running around I noticed one HUGE difference. My two beauties were the only two in the place with bows in their hair. Go ahead, laugh at me....but it was soooo noticeable because our bows don't exactly fade into the background. Oh, well...I promise you (and if you know my children you know it is true) no matter where the military sends us we are taking our bows with us! Check out some of the fun we had.
We decided to spend our second day really touring the Plaza area and the blocks surrounding it....since the train ride we wanted to do decided to take the week of Spring Break off for maintenance...what kind of business person does that? Anyway... We started with a stroll with FANCY (the camera) in hand. Ok, where I come from and this includes, NC, SC, and TX, when people see you taking pics of each other with your kids they offer to take one of the family...right? Um, not so much in NM. They all thought it was so cute and would comment on the girls as I practically sprawled across the sidewalk to take these pics. Whatever... we got the pics....
Part of our stroll included a beautiful church that was gorgeous inside and out!
It saddened me when the church bells rang and my girls did not know what that was. Where have traditions gone? Best and most precious sound ever is what I told them! Oh...I can still here them ringing.... Next up, we were off to see some Santa Fe ART. You don't have to go too far. It seems to be on every street corner and it is AWESOME!
After touring around and a good lunch and rest we headed to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Museum. WOW! Totally amazing to see so much stuff of significance in one place from sooo many places. We can highly recommend this experience and it was kid friendly with an art project and play area. Plus all of the toys to look at were really cool for all of us.
One last tour around the plaza for the night time view and we were headed to bed before hitting the road for our journey home. As Olivia put it, "They decorate there town so pretty." It is true...twinkling lights adorn the buildings and it is beautiful. But this is the most precious site I saw on the tour de noche....
Yeah, I know...melts your heart doesn't it? This is what we hoped for...a bond, a friendship, and a true love for one another....ok, until they decide not to share in 5 minutes...but we can love it while it lasts...right?
A final night at the hotel...
and we were off to Amarillo...dressed in green for St. Patrick's Day of course....
Even our newest addition, Natalie, needed a green outfit...I was informed just days before we were to leave...AND it had to match her momma, of course. To the sewing machine I went...again...at some awful hour, I am quite sure of it. Love my Olivia!Knowing that my patience would only be able to handle one long day of driving I planned a stopover in Amarillo for one night. There was stuff to see don't you know? First...the Cadillac Ranch! If you have not been you must GO NOW..do not pass home, do not collect $200 dollars...just GO!
This one is for you Popi! You can thank Daddy for that artwork!
Next we were off for the 2nd largest canyon in the US. The Palo Duro Canyon was just a short 30 minutes down the road...another MUST SEE!
Well, I must say I think we had a very successful trip. We got to see new places and spend time together. While I find myself complaining about many things "military" life hands us I have to say that living in these different places has afforded our family the most wonderful experiences and allowed us to meet the greatest people that we will know forever. We found ourselves taking for granted our time in Las Vegas (first base ever) and said we would never do that again....and I don't think we have. We have traveled every time our wallets would allow to as many places as possible. We hope you enjoyed our journey to Santa Fe....be thankful you missed the car ride. :)
P.S. There was no Santa Claus and no she didn't even remember once we got there! Whew!
Want to see more pictures from our journey? FANCY did a great job...check out her work by clicking here: Santa Fe
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