After five and a half lovely weeks at home in the Midwest, seeing friends and celebrating the holidays with family, we made our way back to Santa Fe, New Mexico on December 28th. We came here for our first time almost a year ago, Jan 14th 2024, during our cross country road trip. We immediately fell in love with this area. The sun always shines, the mountains are beautiful and everyone we met radiated positive energy.
One of my friends who has been living abroad a lot longer than I have said that every time you come home it gets easier/different and that was true to our experience this time. I mentioned in my last post that this time being home felt very different from when we were home in May. In May, because of everything that I mentioned, I was ready to leave for Europe come June 1st. This time it was harder to say goodbye, and easier somehow because now we know what to expect. Does that make sense? It is never easy being away from family and friends, especially when you’re fortunate enough to have a circle like ours. And, we are excited for the adventure to continue.
Since we’ve been in Santa Fe and we have quickly been reminded how interesting some Air BnB experiences can be. The place that we have been in since we arrived is lovely and comfortable and in a great location. When the host welcomed us she promptly informed us of all the horrible things that previous renters have done and made me very nervous about touching or moving anything. There are sharp knives which is a bonus, but there aren’t any surfaces void of clutter to cut the vegetables. Our host is coming into our space to clean and we have to be out of the house while she is there. Which is a first and honestly feels a little odd. I’m at the library right now and Dave is at a coffee shop. The “designated workspace” that Dave is supposed to use to work was covered with magazines and pottery and dolls. We had to move the dolls so Dave could work and were respectful in telling her that before she came in to clean today and she got very upset! I just feel like if you have something that is that sacred don’t put it in your Air BnB. Amiright?!
Anyway, after all her messages and expressions of concern, the fact that she called Dave and scolded him for wanting to keep her things safe by moving them, we have had enough. In hindsight we should’ve just moved the dolls back before she came in and no one would’ve been the wiser. And, my friend pointed out, that if it wasn’t that she’d probably find something else to complain about, so it is good we know now. So, on Saturday we’re going to move to a hotel that has a kitchen and we won’t have to worry about breathing wrong. We’ll celebrate giving ourselves what we need by getting a couple’s massage! This is all part of the adventure and I guess I was just a little surprised how quickly we were reminded of that. 🤣
In spite of it all, I’m glad we decided to come back to New Mexico before we continue the adventure in South America. In the first few days that we’ve been here we’ve noticed several differences. Which makes sense because the only constant is change. I think the awareness of these differences comes from the fact that we have grown so much since we were last here. A year ago we had just come off of the emotional toll it took on us being away from our immediate family for the holidays, then we moved into the second most disgusting Air BnB we’ve experienced this entire adventure, in New Orleans. Those combined events definitely didn’t create a space for me to be my best self. Experiencing New Years Eve in Santa Fe this year felt like the perfect place to celebrate how much we’ve grown together. I am someone who believes that every year, no matter what the universe throws at me, is better than the one before. I believe that even during the hardest times, we’re given an opportunity to grow, learn and make changes. I embrace to opportunity to honor my truth and rid my life of what no longer serves me.
One change that we’ve noticed is our ambition to walk a lot longer to get somewhere. After the time we spent in Europe, without a car the majority of the time, walking is the main thing we would do. It was our way of exploring and I actually missed walking during the time we were home. Granted it was a lot colder in the Midwest than Portugal, or basically any of the countries we visited in Europe.
We’ll be in Santa Fe for two more weeks and are hoping to do things that we didn’t last time especially since we don’t have a car this time around. Visit the farmers and makers markets, do some hiking, and we made reservations for the sunset train ride on the Sky Railway. I’m going to take the train to Albuquerque (ABQ) on Tuesday to visit a friend and then on the 18th we will move to Albuquerque for a few days. We’re renting a car for the weekend so that I can show Dave some of the amazing sites outside of Santa Fe that he didn’t get to experience last time. We hope to go to Los Alamos-where they designed and built the world’s first atomic weapons, Bandelier National Monument-where you can visit the homes of Ancestral Puebloans and Madrid-a quaint town on the Turquoise Trail. Another day I hope to bring him to Chimayo, Taos and the Rio Grande River Gorge Bridge. I’m really looking forward to visiting those places again and sharing them with Dave. I’m also looking forward to having some time in ABQ to explore that we didn’t have last time.
I am grateful that our adventure is continuing and I welcome whatever 2025 brings our way because I know that we’re in it together. Sending you love wherever you are!
Alison 🙂
