Santa Fe

I am now officially in love with Santa Fe. We spent about four hours there on Sunday, and I think it is such an amazing place, full of culture and art and food and music. The kids slept in Sunday morning, so we didn't make it out of Albuquerque until almost 10:30. Sam took us on a new route to Santa Fe, on a road called the Turquoise Trail, through mountains full of turquoise. Upon arriving in Santa Fe, it didn't look like much. We went straight to the state capitol building and took our capital picture. Elle was pushing Bennett in the umbrella stroller, and Sam turned to me and commented on how 26 years ago it was three-year old Sam sitting in an umbrella stroller, being pushed by his sister. It is crazy how much Bennett is like Sam -- slightly OCD, a little anxious about new people and new things, emotional and passionate, loving and loyal, not to mention the fact that Bennett looks so much like Sam did at this age! Oh, how I love my little Sam, I mean Bennett.


From the capitol, it was a short walk to the oldest church structure in America, and then a little bit more of a walk to the oldest home in America.


Then we walked down to the Lady of Loretto Chapel, which is famous because of the miraculous staircase inside of it that was built by a bearded carpenter who appeared one day in answer to the nuns prayers to the patron saint of carpentry, built the staircase, and then disappeared, never to be heard from again (can you say one of the Three Nephites?). The picture of the statue of Christ is courtesy of Ellery.





After Lady of Loretto, we walked through the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, which was very beautiful and ornate (no flash photography was allowed inside, so the quality of the picture isn't great).


Then we walked down to the plaza, where we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Old Town Santa Fe as we ate sopapillas and honey. Bennett felt like Winnie the Pooh, eating all of that honey!

Of course, Bennett's favorite part of the day was when we found the statue of an Old West era man holding a rifle. Bennett is loving guns these days (scary, huh?).

I really think Santa Fe is so beautiful and fun. We are already planning a return trip for next year! We got some pizza for a late lunch, and then headed out around 3:00, and made it back to Denver by 9:00. The kids were great in the car, and it was really a wonderful weekend.