Crop Top  //  Skirt  //  Earrings   //  Bag  //  Wedges  // Strapless Bra

Every year since we’ve owned our condo in Winter Park, Colorado, we’ve escaped the summer heat around the time of the Homeowner’s Association meetings.  They tend to fall on Espen’s birthday, the second weekend of August, so I felt badly not being home to celebrate.  But we’ve quickly realized his birthday weekend is also a really popular weekend to travel for many families as it’s right before school starts and so many kiddos are out of town.  This year we planned his bday party for later in August, and so far we have tons of RSVPs “yes” and get to make the meeting in Colorado!

We usually ski three times a year, driving up at least once to bring our sweet Husky, Ophelia.  But we’re quickly realizing driving up to Colorado is kind of ideal.  It’s comfortable, dependable, there are no flight delays or cancelled flights, and you already have your car when you get there!

For our summer trip this year, we decided to drive and forgo our usual route through Amarillo and stop off in Santa Fe! I’m so excited to explore this city.  I’ve never been!  So far it’s been amazing.

We woke up early, left the house at 6:00 a.m. and made the 9.5 hour trip yesterday.  We arrived around 4:30 at our sweet hotel, Hotel Santa Fe,  after all the requisite stops.  Nikki and I showered while Sigurd took Espen to swim a bit.  We then took the dog-friendly hotel shuttle to the Santa Fe Plaza with Ophelia in tow.  The Plaza is a big area with lots of live music, great food, festivals, and shops.  We had reservations at a restaurant outside the plaza which I cancelled because we were cutting it too close, but after a bit of walking, we ended up at The Shed.  It’s funny how things happen for a reason.  That was the first restaurant recommended to me by a dear and trusted friend, Devon, and it ended up being the perfect, dog-friendly patio.  The wait was long.  There had been a power outage which delayed opening for dinner to 6:30 for all restaurants in the plaza, and the waitstaff was SCRAMBLING.  But they did an amazing job!  Since we had a long wait, I approached the bar for some chips and queso and drinks for us all.  While waiting in line, I met this adorable new friend from Dallas!  She lives about ten minutes away from us, is an attorney, knows some mutual friends, and is a riot!  We exchanged numbers and drank margaritas together until our tables were ready!  So fun.  Nikki was the sweetest big sister and took Espen to go see what Espen exclaimed was a “Lego Store” which really was just a store that sold legos, but it was closed (!) by the time they got there.   Their exploration and wandering around at least killed some time and was precious and sweet sibling time!

The food was AMAZING. The plates look beautiful and thought-out, but they don’t do justice to the flavors that burst in your mouth when you take your first bites.  The only way I can think to describe the flavors are “deep.”  It’s just intense, not too spicy, but incredibly flavorful.  Yum!!

Today we have several other adventures in store. So far I’ve had a gorgeous walk with Ophelia in 60 degree weather and sunrise yoga with a quintessential silk-voiced yoga instructor in a turban.  Seriously. She was so wonderful I found a sort of awakening in her reminding me to find and be true to myself.  I found myself praying for peace, gratitude, and saying thanks for the beautiful sounds I heard around me.  The birds were louder, my body was more in tune.  It was something special.  And they say this about Santa Fe.  I think I get it.

My two piece outfit here is SUPER comfortable and both pieces are under $40!  I received several compliments from strangers.  I am wearing a medium in both. The skirt is a wrap skirt, but it’s construction is genius!  It has a little button on the inside that makes sure it doesn’t fly open with the wind, an issue I’ve had many times before with wrap skirts.  Love it!  You can wear a strapless bra with this crop top, and I am wearing my favorite strapless bra for comfort.  You can buy it with free shipping and returns either from Zappos HERE or Nordstrom HERE.  It runs true to size and has convertible straps.  To read more about this and my other favorite strapless bras, check out my post, Strapless Bra Roundup HERE.

I’m wearing the grey version of my beloved wedge of the year.  I didn’t know if I’d get much wear out of the grey, but they made this outfit!  For more details on the shoes, check out my post dedicated to their greatness HERE.

Well, I’m off to explore this Southwestern paradise!

XOXO

Elisha