Land of Enchantment

(A view from Sandia mountain crest)

Our time in Albuquerque has finally come to an end. David was almost crying as we crossed the border

 into Texas. Over the course of the last two months we fell in love with the untamed beauty of this state

 and heading back east was bitter-sweet. Before visiting we were told (by our dentist of all people) that

 "Albuquerque is like Las Vegas without the glitzy casinos and like Utah without all the Mormons." I

 was kind of unsure how either place could be what they are without their stereotypical features, but

 now I get it- sort of. 

(Left: Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument   -   Right: San Ysidro Church, outside Jemez Springs)

When my husband came to me right after our son was born and said that he felt we needed to move to

 New Mexico I had no idea really what to expect. The main selling feature at the time was that there

 was an LDS temple. The New Mexico we've discovered is very different than any of my preconceived

 notions and can be loosely described as a sort of mecca for outdoors-y, health food eating, bohemian,

 artists. It is rich in Spanish and Native American culture and has a history spanning beyond the

 formation of the United States. Albuquerque specifically is very family friendly and everywhere you

 go you see young, hip couples (probably covered in funky tattoos) walking their babies in strollers or

 carrying them up mountains in carriers. 

(Left: 3/4 way up the La Luz Trail, ABQ)

Every other day we went out hiking and we finally got Eli used to facing in, in his Ergo carrier. He was

 not a fan at first, but our Bjorn was a migraine inducer so, something had to give. Now he's our little

 mountain man and he does pretty well for 4-5 hour stretches (as long as we're in constant motion). 

(Left: ABQ   -    Right: Bandelier National Monument)

People in northern New Mexico value the aesthetic like no other place we've lived and they have a respect for

 what is earthy and natural. I was also surprised to find that no place outside of Utah has had such a

 respect for staying at home to raise your children. (In Tulsa I grow very tired of hearing- in response to

 me being a stay-at-home mother- "Yeah, but what do you really do?") And the church is so much

 bigger than in Oklahoma, which I enjoy because it's not so small that we are the only young couple

 with a baby in our ward (not so fun!), but not so populated that we feel somewhat smothered by the culture. 

(In the Valles Caldera National Preserve)

And the land is so beautiful! I feel emotionally stimulated by my environment and I find big blue skies,

 open land, mountain tops and broad views liberating and energizing. Not to get all hippy-trippy, but for

 me there is such a healing and peaceful power in the uninhabited rawness of this land's natural

 panorama and it's something that seems to resonate with many of the people who live here. There's an

 openness to alternatives and variety and art that conservative societies lack making our return to Tulsa

 especially difficult. We fit in New Mexico and rarely have we found that sense of contentment. 

(Left: Horny toad found on the east side of Sandia  -   Right: Hiking up the west side of Sandia on the La Luz trail)

It's going to be difficult waiting 9 months before we can return to 'The Land of Enchantment,' (or as

 David's attorney jokingly defined, "The Land of Entrapment," because so many people who travel
 through fall in love and never leave.) David's excited to finish up school though- his last year of formal
 education. We've been waiting for this a long time! Let the count-down begin!

(Valles Caldera)