I guess I need to be updated people on specifics of what's going on in my whirlwind right now. :) (Don't worry, it's all good stuff.)
In June, right after packing up my classroom, I went to Santa Fe for most of June and the first few days in July. Jeff got a job, and they needed a sitter, so Lindsey flew me out and I was a "live-in nanny." It's a pretty sweet deal- all of my meals were paid, everything I did with the boys paid, no lodging payment, a car to drive (a Toyota Highlander at that) and Lindsey only worked 3 days a week! I flew in on a Wednesday night, and the following Wednesday, Jeff, Lins, and the boys left for a vacay in Durango, Colorado. Wednesday I just hung around, (until I was very disturbed at how quiet the house was), then I went to drop off my resume at an elementary school out there I was interested in. It didn't get me far-the school was under renovation, so the office was all packed up, and the only people there were 2 painters who spoke little English. I left my resume anyway, then went and drove around aimlessly, getting lost but not caring. (I turned on my GPS when I started to head towards uninhabited land and pure desert.) :) Then I went to Paseo de Peralta and checked out a Pilates studio and went to this adorable little shop and got Daddy a Father's Day gift. Everyone is so sweet and helpful out there... the woman at the shop helped me box up his gift. So then I took it to the Santa Fe Post Office, which was interesting. They still have the little machine where you pull a little number out and the cashiers call out the numbers. It took 30 minutes! But luckily I had done everything correctly, and his Father's Day gift was there by the time they had promised me. On Thursday, I got to drive down to albuquerque (a very different drive than to Los Alamos)- Albuquerque is a little over an hour south, and at a lower elevation. So it is hotter there than in Santa Fe, and it has way more of the "big city" feel. There''s lots of traffic and lots of attractions along the way. I went Thursday morning to pick up my mom, who came out to visit as an early birthday present to me. :) I picked her up and on her way back into town she had to pee so bad (we don't like peeing on airplanes) so we had to stop at a random office place in Santa Fe. Poor thing. Then I took her around where I had intentionally gotten lost the day before. We came back to Lindsey and Jeff's and took a short nap, then went and hiked the very short 2 mile St. John's Trail starting at St. John's College. We took the scenic route back, along a road called "Wilderness Gate Road" (how charming huh?) and walked through a neighborhood of several million dollar adobe houses. a lot of the homes were blocked by gates and large adobe walls for privacy, since they have a trail going through the front of their property. Still, mom and I couldn't resist posing at the front door of one unassuming house that had it exposed. (It was probably the front door to the privacy gate, behind which was probably another gate, before the front door... but we didn't care.) :) We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, then cleaned up and went to Maria's (my favorite Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe) and ate chile rellenos, enchiladas, tamales, soapapillas (yummm) and a couple more things that came with the gigantic sampler's platter. I feel like a "local" when they ask me if I want green or red chiles and I respond "Christmas"--- Lindsey taught me that is how you request both. Then we came home and rented Just Go With It- with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, and laughed our butts off. We went to bed early (big surprise)- the time change really catches you off-guard- when it is 9 pm in Indy, it's only 7 pm there, so we were ready for bed 930 Santa Fe time. Friday we decided to hit Bandelier (thank goodness we did!) It is my FAVORITE place in New Mexico. It is a national monument with I think 70 miles of trails through excavated Indiana cliff dwellings. We decided to walk to the Alcove House, which requires you to climb over 150 feet up on simple wooden ladders. Mom is afraid of heights, but was absolutely fearless! It was a great experience. We hung out at the top, where there is a kiva (dwelling place) that you can travel down into) then made our descent down. The way down was much more difficult, as a. the wind was FIERCE that day, and b. it's a lot harder to go back down! I love this park so much, because this is where I saw the black bear 25 feet away from me the last time I was in New Mexico. My allergies definitely hit me hard though after that... While we were in Los Alamos, we stopped by the Bradbury Museum, which is a Science Museum dedicated to the Los Alamos site and all about the Trinity explosion back in the 1940s and nuclear research, etc. We went to the pool that afternoon, then ate our leftovers (and still had leftovers from that) and watched our movie again, and laughed our butts off again.
Saturday my allergies must have hit me hard, because I slept until 845 ( mom was ok with that though, she sat on the balcony and read, and went to the grocery store again, since Jeff and Lindsey and the boys were due back that evening.) Mom was so ecstatic because there was a garage sale going on in Lindsey and Jeff's apartment complex. We stopped by there and mom bought me a pair of jeans and 2 super cute sundresses for 5 dollars. We decided to then go to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market, which was kind of a bust, because I failed to note that it closed at 12, and we got there at 1245. Luckily, the Arts Market was going on all day, as was the Buckaroo Ball, a fundraising festival. Kids were walking around wearing western attire and carrying around cowboy boots for donations (a definite "shoe-in" for collecting money.) We donated, sat in the grass and listened to the Texas honky-tonk country music on the big stage, and drank cherry lemonade. Then we went back through all of the overpriced jewelry and such and bought the only things that were resonably priced (you know us...)- a woman in Santa Fe actually melts or soaks lavendar-scented soap into loofahs, and voila! she has soap loofahs! Mom and I both bought one (they were $4!) and I bought some blue corn tortilla "flavored" face scrub. It looks like mud but smells amazing and is great for scrubbing your face. and no, it doesn't taste like blue corn tortillas. :)
Then I had to show her jackalope, my favorite crafts/garden/souvenir vendor on Cerrillos Road. she bought a wooden mobile that was so cute. She was going to buy it, then wasn't becauseof the plane ride, then I made her, then we got up to the checkout counter and the woman informed us they were made in Thailand. So much for a Santa Fe souvenir! She loves it though! :)
When we got home, we checked on the white chicken chili mom had simmering in the crockpot all day, then went to the park and swung on the swings until the Bomke's arrived home. That day was the start of the Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos (it started from a down powerline) so we went to the park with the boys and to check out the plumes in the distance. Little did we know what that fire would eventually become... 130,000 acres of the state's largest fire in history. Then we came home and ate out chili, got the boys to bed, and were sitting down to watch Eat Pray Love, when a curious 4 year old who did not want to be in bed came creeping down the stairs wearing an Easter Bunny mask. It was a bit creepy, but also hysterical. We pictured him coming up with the idea "I know I won't get in trouble if I come down the stairs wearing this, they will laugh and think I'm cute." It worked, but he still wanted to stay up. :)
Monday, Mom went for a walk through the area where Lins and Jeff live (there are trails everywhere!) and then we got ready to go explore the plaza. We went into some shops, Mom bought me a pretty little dreamcatcher necklace, then we stopped at Upper Crust Pizza off Water Street in town and had the lunch special. Then it was time to head back to Lins and Jeff's so Lins could put Kyle down for a nap, and I could take mom to albuquerque to catch her flight.
It was sad to see her go, because I had already realized that it was very likely I was going to move to Santa Fe. We had the most wonderful time in 5 days, and I was sad it was over. I know she agreed.
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