Thursday EntriesAlissa - Thursday 1:30 PM
I've never been to a place like this. With kids and careers, Denny and I rarely have romantic time together and I know this is going to be perfect. The feeling of being in a different. exotic place started on the drive from the Albuquerque airport to Santa Fe. The sky is so vast and the open landscape is so huge and full of color. I had no idea it would be so dramatic.
Alissa - Thursday 5:10 PM
Our room at the Eldorado Hotel has a fireplace, and we immediately built a fire, not because it was cold, although there was snow on the ground, but because the local wood they use here smells so rich it's almost like incense. We had nothing to do but have a glass of wine, hold hands, and talk. That hasn't happened in ages!
Friday Entries
Alissa - Friday 10:00 AM
Spent a lazy morning enjoying each other's company, another rare treat. Called the kids. They're fine and having fun with my parents. I miss them, but I'm so happy to have their dad all to myself. He's still that great guy I married!
Alissa - Friday Noon
Today we shopped and went to about a million art galleries. I couldn't believe there were so many, all on picturesque streets with low adobe buildings. We walked everywhere. I'm not sure I really understood how much Denny enjoys contemporary art. Browsing through the galleries on Canyon Road, I saw some indigenous art by local artists and he was fascinated by much edgier pieces. I can imagine both in our house.
Alissa - Friday 2:09 PMWinter here is beautiful. The touch of snow on warm adobe walls, the clear air, the snow-capped mountains are all just breathtaking. Things are very mellow, there's lots of time to linger and chat with the local people who work in the stores and museums. Best of all, even though it's winter, the sun is shining and the temperature is quite comfortable.
Alissa - Friday 8:40 PM
We retreated back to the hotel for an afternoon siesta. It seems so natural here where it looks like a historic area of Spain. Then we did a couple's massage at the spa. The soothing music and warm touch of the therapist put both of us in a place of calm, almost sleepy reflection on our trip. I was so happy to open my eyes and see Denny after our treatment. I haven't felt like this with him for a long time.
Saturday Entries
Alissa - Saturday 10:23 a.m.
I can't really explain what happens to you here. I've never been so relaxed. I'm surrounded by art and history and culture, and yet I can lie around here for days doing little else than taking in the scenery. I feel more peaceful than ever and more in love than I can remember.
Alissa - Saturday 7:26 p.m.
It's the third and last night of our getaway. Denny planned a romantic dinner that was to die for. All of our senses were overindulged on this trip, but it was so worth it.
Alissa - Saturday 9:10 PM
I don't know how he did it, but Denny disappeared for a bit this afternoon. At dinner at the Railyard Restaurant and Saloon, a great place in this really happening new area of town, he presented me with the most gorgeous turquoise necklace I've ever seen. It's by a well known artist and will grow in value, but it's Denny's sweetness that will last for me.
Alissa - Saturday 10:17 p.m.
I don't want to leave. I'm the happiest I've been in years. Calm. Peaceful. Curiously energized. We've had fabulous food, seen the works of Georgia O'Keeffe, splurged shopping for jewelry. We even bought those boots Denny wanted. Most of all, this vacation brought us closer than ever.