Summer Travel: A trip to New Mexico

Oh hey, I know it’s kinda been a while since I’ve done my last travel post. I feel like I’ve been traveling ALL summer and between launching the new blog design, working full-time, cooking up recipes, and visiting Tony, I haven’t had time to do an iPhone photo dump.

I’ve decided to break all of my travel up into a couple of sections so it’s not overwhelming and also so I can make sense of everything. The photos below are from a trip I took back in May to visit my Grandparents in New Mexico.

They live south of Albuquerque and I hadn’t seen them in nearly a year!

We had a mini family reunion and felt blessed to be able to spend time with everyone.

Of course, I think I mentioned that my Grandma and I are like two peas in a pod. It’s a bit scary how much we are a like. We both love being active, cooking, and being super goofy. Get us together and it gets wild.

I mean I just hope I can rock these pants at the gym when I’m 80…

Seriously guys, she’s funny. How many 80 year olds wear XOXO pants to the gym? Possibly only Gloria.

Besides rocking it out with Glo, I was able to do a few fun things around the state. We spent an entire day in Santa Fe eating our way around.

Isn’t my Grandpa the cutest man ever? I snapped this photo of him while enjoying an afternoon coffee and a glorious chocolate treat at Chez Mamou, a french inspired cafe in Santa Fe.

The little pastries were fantastic. I can only imagine what the food tasted like (it looked real good).

Although rained on and off throughout the day, for the most part it was sunny. There also weren’t too many people in the city, so it was nice to be able to see everything without fighting through a crowd.

As we were walking through all of the shops and browsing, I spotted a hand-carved wooden pocket knife with a picture of a trout and real turquoise and knew immediately that I had to get it for Tony. He LOVES fishing and it reminded me of him. I forgot to take a picture, but he really liked it!

Girlfriend win.

Being in New Mexico was relaxing as I was able to step away from my computer and everyday to-do lists. Sometimes I just need that or I’ll start to drive myself crazy. I’m the type of person who wants to do it all and at 110%, but I love being able to take a breath and remember that life is about the people who you spend time with. Work, stress, and worrying about the future isn’t something that makes me happy.

This mini vacation was a good reminder to take better care of myself.

And to explore more.

After visiting Dream Cakes, I was absolutely inspired with creativity for new cupcake and cake flavors! I share a strawberry shortcake cupcake with my family, and we all agreed that it was a winner.

What’s the best cupcake flavor you’ve ever had?

Another night, my cousin and I went out to eat at a local greek restaurant called Yannis, which I HIGHLY recommend. Afterwards I begged her to take me to frozen yogurt where I made my own cone and topped it with frosted animal crackers cause those things are THE BEST EVER.

What do you typically put on your frozen yogurt?

As with all of my vacations, they are basically just about the food and I can’t even begin to explain how  much my Grandma LOVE to cook and bake. She made me the best homemade bread with oatmeal and sunflower seeds and I couldn’t get enough. I mean I was like a bread fiend. GIMME THAT BREAD!

I wish she’d ship me a loaf because no other bread can compare now. I’m still trying to get the recipe so that I can recreate it – stay tuned!

It just so happens that Gloria also makes THE BEST CORNBREAD EVER. No real surprise there. She made it in a skillet and served it with this delicious green chili chicken sweet potato stew that I wanted to slurp up all night long.

I really had a fantastic trip and I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek into my life. xo!