Summer Solstice





      

 Happy summer!  It has been extremely hot this month in Santa Fe, with high temperatures in the 90s.  I'm so thankful that we installed air conditioning when we moved into our house.  We have had such minimal moisture this season and the fire danger is so high that the National Forest is closed to hikers, which is such a bummer for outdoorsy folks.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the trails will open up again later this summer.  While I wouldn't trade living in the southwest for anything, I sure miss the beaches and swimming pools in the midwest! 

 The annual Music on the Hill outdoor weekly music series started up again last week!  It's one of my favorite summer traditions in Santa Fe.  Every Wednesday night, families and groups of friends gather with their picnics and drinks on the grass on the St. John's College campus to enjoy free outdoor music.  The festival features a variety of genres and it's always fun to see a lot of friends and coworkers at the event.  I took Ady to the show last night and she had such a blast running around in the grass with the other kids and dancing to the music.
Front row fan at Music on the Hill

A couple weeks ago we took a family road trip to Show Low, Arizona, for a triathlon festival.  On Saturday, Jaycob and I raced in a team Olympic distance triathlon.  He swam and biked, and I finished the final leg of the race for Team Ross with a 10K run.  I admit that I wasn't really looking forward to a race after just finishing my Half Marathon a month ago, but it was fun to compete as a team, handing off the baton and the toddler in the transition zone!  10Ks are challenging for pacing.  It seems like a short race compared to my recent 13.1, but running for an hour is still a long time, and it involves a delicate balance of pushing myself while also holding back.  I started off fairly aggressively, but had to slow down during the middle of the race, where it was much windier and hillier.  I was aiming for 10-minute miles and I was able to maintain that pace.  The following day, Jaycob competed in the off-road Xterra triathlon.  It was a hot day and he was also fighting a stomach bug, but he was able to persevere and finish the race.  I'm taking a couple weeks off from running now, but I hope to find a race to do in the fall.  In the meantime I'm looking into some barre classes and morning yoga for the summer.

Family triathletes!
We have visitors in town this weekend and we're looking forward to introducing them to some of our favorite Santa Fe summer pastimes!  Our agenda includes the Children's Museum, the Rodeo, a Santa Fe Fuegos baseball game, the Saturday morning Farmers' Market, the botanical garden, and enjoying good food and drinks in Santa Fe.  Summer is such a fun time for welcoming visitors!


I am so thankful to be able to spend time with my little family and enjoy each other's presence.  I have been incredibly distraught about current events and the separation of families at the border, and it brings me to tears to think about the children who are alone, scared, and traumatized.  I know that there are children all over the world who are separated from their families for various reasons, but the most troubling part of this whole fiasco in my opinion is the absence of a clear plan for reuniting families, and the inability of children and parents to contact one another.  I just want to hold my own baby close and express gratitude that I have never been faced with danger leading me to risk my life and flee my country, that I have never suffered circumstances that force me to put my family in danger, and that I was born in a country where I am given countless opportunities to become something better.  This is yet another reminder to be thankful for my circumstances, and to use my good fortune and privilege to help others.  I am trying to educate myself on the policies, donate money to causes to help refugee families, engage in dialogue with other people, and vote for the right people who support the right kinds of policies.  While this week we celebrate the summer solstice, we also recognize World Refugee Day.

Families belong together <3
Happy summer!  Hug your family!  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pacific Northwest Bachelorette Party

Image
I just returned home from a memorable weekend in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, celebrating my sister, Katie, who is getting married in just a few short weeks.  Four years ago she, as my Maid of Honor, planned the most unforgettable and fun-filled bachelorette weekend for me:  San Francisco and Sonoma Bachelorette , and now it was my turn to do the same for her!  We gathered together a group of twelve women from Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Manchester, Santa Fe, Denver, and Seattle to celebrate the Bride to Be.  I wanted to have some organized, pre-planned group activities, but also plenty of down time for games, lounging, and drinking wine.  While we wanted most of the weekend to be spent at a cozy cabin overlooking the serene water of Puget Sound, we wanted one exciting night out on the town, and I think we achieved that balance.  Here's the breakdown of our weekend events: 1)  Night Out in Capitol Hill We arrived in Seattle on Thursday and checked into the
Read more

High Altitude Baking: Coffee Cake

Image
Happy January!  I have two weeks left of my maternity leave and I'm trying to make the most of it by spending lots of quality time with Baby Ady before she starts daycare.  It's going by so fast!  While I'm home I've been using my crock pot a lot, working on some yarn projects, taking long walks with Ady and Kua, reading, and doing some baking.  I have struggled with high altitude baking since moving to Santa Fe 5 1/2 years ago.  Cookies turn out okay, but I usually have to make some adjustments with cakes, and my breads are often mushy in the middle and crispy on the ends.  I can get by okay with a few of my favorite recipes that I have practiced multiple times, but it's often hit or miss.  For Christmas, my secret santa got me this amazing cook book, Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes, that explains the chemistry behind high altitude baking and gives suggestions for adjustments to make at various altitudes.  Ingenious!  The idea for the book ac
Read more

My Bachelorette Party: San Francisco and Sonoma

Image
I have the best Maid of Honor in the world!   Between grad school, work, and preparing to move into a new apartment, she miraculously found time to plan THE BEST bachelorette party ever (and 3 time zones away, I might add).  I had such a fabulous time being surrounded by (and loved and adored by!) all my best friends for four days. The weekend started at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when my Santa Fe friends and I drove to Albuquerque (a 50 mile trip made possible by Panera breakfast) to catch our early flight to the Bay Area.  After a 2 1/2 trip (complete with Bloody Maries, Tequilla Sunrises, Coffees with Baileys, gossip and a few bridal magazines) we landed in Oakland!  One of my dear bridesmaids from Chicago who had arrived a few days earlier picked us up and we headed into San Francisco.  We met up with the other gals, checked in early to our hotel (Parc 55 Wyndahm in Union Square) and set out to explore the city by foot.  Some locals recommended Mama's in North Beach fo
Read more