So I'm back from my weekend trip to Albuquerque, where I totally fell in love with the New Mexican landscape, culture, feel, you name it. I spent 3 days with sweet Aria, her husband James, who is one of the coolest guys ever, their cuttie-patuttie-eat-those-little-rubbery-ears little girl Sasha & dearest Samantha and Tony Schmitz.
Aria, Sasha and Samantha took Tony and I on the longest Tramway in the world which ascends to over 10,000 feet! For those who don't know the concept of the tramway, it's basically a little box you stand in that's balanced on a couple of cables a few thousand feet in the air! I'm totally not kidding! Highly terrifying but so thrilling at the same time. I loved it! At the top of the mountain, after smiling through grinding teeth and clenching the inside bar of that tiny tramway box, I was completely struck with the most amazing above view ever, overlooking all of Albuquerque and other cities and mountains in the distance. And though the winds gusted and the temperatures neared the single digits, it was splendid!
We also got to go to the Seals & Seals concert that was awesome. Several Bahá'ís from Albuquerque and surrounding areas traveled to see them play too, like our dear old friends from Costa Rica, Violeta and Phillip Mirkovich. Following the concert, which little Sasha soundly slept through (she's the cutest!), we took many pictures together.
On Sunday, my last day in NM, Violeta & Fipo prepared a delicious Tico breakfast for us. Afterwards, Aria, James and Sasha took me to the Jemez Mountains, where James had been just a day earlier on a class trip. Let me tell you, James, the soon-to-be geologist, knows his rocks and I was stunned and impressed to learn all the history of that region. Thanks for the incredible tour guys!
In all, there are no words to thank these dear friends for such a lovely experience. I can only say that I miss you dearly and love you so much! You have to come to Nashville now, so I can return the great favor! Check out these pictures of darling, sweet, beautiful Sasha.
ahem...of two little kittens, that is. Knew that would get your attention though...hehe. They are from the Manx breed and characterized by their stubby little tails which make them look much like bobcats. They are also known for their unusual dog-like behavior and attentiveness to their owners—one of the few breeds that might actually come when you call their names and have been known to even play fetch! These two are a little brother and sister, Leo (orange) & Chloe (gray), that we got from the Ft. Lauderdale Humane Society. We've been wanting a pet of for a while now, and since we're living in a condo, it just seemed practical to get a cat. Nika and Dan suggested that we get 2, as they are themselves proud parents to Oliver and Kiddo—2 brother cats—and feel that an extra cat isn't really that much more work. Plus, it guarantees they will be entertained and kept company when we're out. So, even though they are not human babies, they're the only "babies" for now. Here are some sweet little photos of the newest members of our family.
