So beautiful is what Santa Fe is!

I was in Santa Fe, NM for work the last few days.  In the days leading up to the trip, I shared the following tidbits of info. I learned or remembered from history classes about this beautiful city on Facebook: 

• In 1610, Santa Fe was made the capital of the province, which it has almost constantly remained, making it the oldest capital city in what is the modern United States.
• In 1821, Santa Fe, although still officially belonging to Mexico after the fall of Spanish rule, was turned topsy-turvy w/ the opening of the Santa Fe Trail & Western expansionism. Santa Fe became the hub of 2 vital trade routes: El Camino Real to Mexico City & the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri.
• Locally produced poultry, lamb, a variety of goat cheeses, honey, exotic beans, and tender salad greens are the stars of many local menus. Santa Fe was the birthplace of Southwestern cuisine, one that fused traditional New Mexico flavors with contemporary ideas and fresh-off-the-farm ingredients.

It was a terrific trip where it snowed each day, thought-provoking conversations were held regarding issues in my field of Deaf Education/my upcoming dissertation plans, I got in some serious window shopping (never saw so many jewelry pieces that cost so much $), tried delicious Spanish wine, beer, sangria, & margaritas (not all at once), and even squeezed in a quick pilgrimage to Chimayo where I found some "holy dirt". Have you ever been to Santa Fe? It was gorgeous! Being the picture-holic I am, I took over 200 pictures and will post the pictures as I find the time to write about the awesome experiences over the last few days.

My last night in beautiful Santa Fe was a special one where I spent some time alone at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, someone who is close to my heart!  Look at this awesome quote I found while wandering the grounds of the church after mass:

"This Labyrinth's path is like the path of life. There are twists and turns, feelings of being lost, encounters with others on your path, the thrill of accomplishment at the center, and sometimes a flash of insight before returning." - sign I read as I sat under the full moon tonight after mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. This message couldn't be more true at this point in my life. What an amazing day (well, couple of days) while here at my work conference. Yes, Santa Fe, NM is officially one of my all time favorite places and I thank those I was able to experience it with over the last few days. ♥ — at Downtown Santa Fe, NM.

For now, I'll leave you with this as a preview:



Somewhere over SC on the way to Orlando, FL before ending up in Albuquerque, NM.  I loved how you couldn't tell where the ocean ended and the sky began!

Beautiful El Santuario de Chimayo!



I've known Eric since 2nd grade....growing up on North Nice Street in Frackville...I don't think either of us would ever have thought that we would be scooping "Holy Dirt", with the help of his precious 2.5 year old son, one day in New Mexico after "growing up" and moving away from PA.



I loved how utterly Catholic this area was!  :)



This was the Loretto Inn and Spa, the location of the ACE-DHH 2013 Conference, this year!