Graphite and Jade

2 year Anniversary

🚊 And We’re Off!! 🚊

Ryan Schotter and Natalya Rodriguez on the Rail Runner to Santa Fe 6-4-2022

Where to you may ask? Santa Fe for the day! Ryan and I celebrated our two year anniversary on June 4, 2022. I had no idea where we were going until our Uber driver pulled into the downtown Rail Runner station. Ryan explained that after two years with me he knows me pretty well, (he does). Now that he knows me so intimately, he wanted to redo our first date and take me on my dream date. He succeeded. It was SO romantic.

Our first stop was NM scoops, for boba tea and iced coffee! I ordered the Thai Mango boba tea, SO GOOD 🤤 It’s located in this little underground mall in the heart of Santa Fe plaza. This is one thing I love about Santa Fe Plaza. You can enter a door thinking it’s just a little shop and it opens up into this huge underground mall full of little shops. You never know what you’ll find.

Fun Exploring the Plaza

Like I said, I didn’t know where we were going until we were there. I’m a self proclaimed fashionista. I dress for the occasion, I take so much into consideration. Where I am going? Should I dress up? Is it outside, do I need a hat? or inside where I may need a sweater? Can I wear heals or will there be walking? So naturally I needed some hint from my sweet boyfriend. He told me “Wear what you would wear for a day in walking in Mexico City”. That told me everything I need to know. Mexico City is one of my favorite places in the world. It’s so glamorous and everyone is so classy and sophisticated. I knew just what to wear. Little did did Ryan know how many similarities there really are between Sante Fe and Mexico City.

Mexico City

It’s not surprising for there to be so many similarities. Both cities were originally home to thriving native cultures before being colonized by the Spaniards in the 1500’s.

Mexico City was once Tenochtitlan, home to the Aztec people. Cortez arrived in 1519 and placed King Montezuma II under house arrest and shadow ruled through him. The Aztec people were able to rise up and eventually drove the Europeans out for a short time. With Cuauhtémoc now ruling the Aztec people, Cortez returned in 1521 with a more deadly weapon known as smallpox. The Aztec people had no defense against this new biological weapon. The Aztec Capital fell to the Spaniards and Mexico City was built upon the ruins of Tenochtitlan.

Santa Fe

Santa Fe was once known as Oghá P’o’oge in Tewa by the Native Tewa and Tanoan people that settled in the Rio Grande valley for its water. Juan de Oñate arrived in 1598 and colonized the land, renaming it “Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico”. Like the Aztec, the Pueblo people were able to come together and lead the Pueblo Revolt that drove the Spanish out in 1680. The parallels continued when the City was recaptured in 1693 by Don de Vargas through a violent campaign. Santa Fe went on to become Spains Provincial seat during the Mexican War of independence.

Spanish colonial architecture was extremely effective, and nearly all the cities were built around a central plaza. The plaza was used for gatherings, events, and ceremonies. Situated around the Plaza we’re usually a market place, the governor / mayoral palace, the federal/government buildings and the Church or Mission. This central design theme is present in both Santa Fe plaza and in the Zócalo in Mexico City.

Art

Both cities are also major art hubs of their perspective regions. Santa Fe plaza is surrounded by hundred of galleries containing everything from paintings, pottery, to the most exquisite turquoise jewelry. Mexico City has so much art I don’t even know where to begin. Mexico City was once home to celebrated artist, and a major inspiration in my own life, Frida Kahlo. Below are some photos of some me browsing some beautiful dolls from a local art vender in Santa Fe.

Native American Dancing

As I mentioned earlier, both cities were originally home to thriving Native people who still celebrate and continue to pass own their languages and traditions to the generations that follow. While we were in Santa Fe we had the pleasure of taking part in this beautiful culture. Here are some photos of a dance that honors warriors that have passed. It was after Memorial Day weekend and the plaza was full and I thought it was a beautiful dance to share with tourist that may never have otherwise seen anything like it.

Of course it once again sent my mind cascading down memory lane. While I was visiting the Zócalo I had the privilege of witnessing Aztec dancers celebrate and pass on their own traditions and cultural dances. These videos show a side by side of two very unique cultures separated by distance and how they can be so different yet underscores the way they connect and weave together.

Dinner and Drinks at La Casa Sena

We finished with dinner at La Casa Sena. It’s a scenic restaurant with a hidden little patio surrounded on all sides by beautiful fragrant rose bushes. It’s so incredibly romantic. I love art, I even consider myself an artist. Spending a whole day on an adventure taking pictures, exploring galleries, and reading all the history was my dream date. Finishing dinner at such a romantic restaurant was the cherry on top on a perfect anniversary. I guess Ryan does know me pretty well

Ps. We saw a man and this partner walking with their parent and they let Ryan hold it!

Date Night in Albuquerque

Sushi and drinks Downtown

It’s so incredibly important to make a conscious effort to keep your relationship romantic. Your partner should be your best friend but they should also always remain the object of your desire/affection, your crush, your lover. Familiarity can lead to complacency if you’re not careful. It’s not something that happens automatically, it’s something that takes daily effort, just like when you were first dating. Ryan and I have been together for 2 years now and despite the fact we’ve grown so comfortable with each other, we make it a point to have regular date nights where we get dressed up for each other and go on a date proper. We hold hands, kiss, listen and talk like we’re trying to get to know each other for the first time. I love date night and all the butterflies that still come with it.

I chose this song as the date night song because it was just so fitting. Ed Sheeran does (he always does) a perfect job encapsulating exactly what love truly is. This song also talks about experiencing things for the first time once you’ve found that person that you know is made for you. For this date night, we went for sushi and drinks. This was my first time eating sushi!

Sushi at Sushi Hana’s

I have never eaten sushi before. If you know me, this is NOT a surprise. If you don’t know me, I was a vegetarian for the better part of a decade. While I’m no longer a vegetarian, I’m still not a big meet eater. The only meat I can even tolerate is chicken, turkey, and salmon (not raw!). Anything else, and there is a good chance I’ll gag.

Ryan however, LOVES sushi, and he hasn’t had it in forever. I thought it would be fun to take him on a sushi date! We went to Sushi Hana’s in downtown Albuquerque. This location is perfect for a first date! It offers a multitude of places you could take your date after dinner to extend it, if you’re having fun.

I loved the decor in Sushi Hana. But I will warn you that the decor is not consistent throughout. the main dining area seen behind me is exquisite and romantic. The secondary dining area seen behind Ryan, looks more like a food hall, which is great for families… but not for a date. If you’re bringing a date here, request to sit in the main dining area.

One thing I loved about Sushi Hana’s was that their menu had plenty of vegetarian options. These were true vegetarian alternatives, little sushi rolls stuffed with bright colorful fruits and veggies, not just salads. I ordered the cucumber rolls and the fruit and vegetable rolls (Mango & carrots topped wrapped in nori and rice with pineapple sauce.) They we’re SO good. It was so much fun eating my little faux sushi rolls without having to eat real fish. Ryan ordered real sushi and kindly offered let me try it, I quickly declined and he let it be. I love that Ryan always respects my food choices and never pressures me to eat meat even though I don’t technically consider myself a vegetarian anymore. Sushi Hana’s menu

Drinks at Anodyne

After drinks we went to a downtown bar called Anodyne. It’s one of my favorite places downtown because it’s generally pretty mellow. I’m not one for clubs, loud music, or partying. Anodyne feels like a cafe sometimes. They have pool tables, great drinks, everyone is nice, and they have a few couch areas very reminiscent of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Not to mention the best part, THEY’RE DOG FRIENDLY! I didn’t take any photos in Anodyne so Checkout this amazing review of Anodyne https://theabqreviews.com/2017/11/30/anodyne-review/ The review is amazing and they have some great photos of the Bar.

The Lunar Eclipse, as seen from my balcony

Wow, what a show! Did you get the opportunity to see it? If not, don’t fret! You will have another opportunity November 8th, 2022. Not too bad? In the interim, here are some photographs of the moon I took from my balcony and a humble brag about being the best girlfriend ever.

In my Spring in Nob Hill post, I write about how my boyfriend Ryan essentially cured my crippling stress and anxiety by giving me a camera which served as the creative outlet I desperately needed at the time. He knew what I needed before even I did. He gave me something that was exclusively for me and gave me a very good excuse take time for myself to go out and have fun with it. We both have been pretty stressed out learning new jobs at the same time and I wanted to help him de-stress too.

Ryan’s birthday is in May and I wanted to get him something to help him relax, unwind, and bring more joy to his weekdays. Ryan loves Astronomy. Astronomy, not astrology… I’m talking black holes, speed of light, and planets… and no generic fortune cookie predictions about the month. What better gift for man who has his eyes on the stars than a telescope to get a better view? Our apartment is in the city, but we have a great balcony which has near 360 views of the city, it’s the perfect place for stargazing. After countless hours of research I finally decided on a model, the https://www.Celesteon StarSense Explorer 130 az Celstron StarSense .com/products/starsense-explorer-dx-130az.

I chose this model because it had great reviews and was listed on every “top 10 best telescopes to buy” list on the first 3 pages of google search results. I clearly had no idea what I was doing so I turned to google. This model was reviewed to have amazingly crisp images with minimal light aberrations, it’s light weight, and super easy to assemble. It also comes with an app for your phone that uses gps to identify visible objects in the sky and helps to calibrate the telescope to locate your intended target in the sky and tells you when your on the mark. This app is the first and only app of its kind and it makes this the absolute perfect telescope for beginners. Especially if you actually want to know EXACTLY what star or planet your looking at.

I had it overnighted to make sure it was delivered on time for the lunar eclipse, and man it was close! I wanted him to have at least one night to practice with it before the eclipse. It was supposed to be delivered Friday when I would be home, but I missed him! They left a note that said they wouldn’t deliver it without a signature and they would try gain Saturday. Saturday morning the delivery guy pulled up right as we were leaving to hot yoga! Not quite how I wanted to give him his birthday gift it but his reaction was priceless!!

Saturday night we set everything up. It was extremely easy to assemble, true to all the reviews. Within minutes we had our eyes glued to the lens and finding cool things like the Hercules cluster, Arcturus, the stars in the big dipper and many more!

Once we had everything set up on Sunday evening, we took off for our weekly Geeks who Drink showdown at our favorite local brewery. Once we were done losing again (were terrible lol) we raced home, popped open some ice creme and enjoyed the show.

He LOVES his telescope and I hope it does for him, what the camera he gave me did for my anxiety. It’s so much fun watching him tinker with it. He knows so much about space and the stars in the sky and I can’t wait to watch that passion ignite and grow. I’ve always said the soul is like a constellation. The “stars” are our passions and joys and the way they connect paints the constellation of our souls. I’m glad I could do something to help one of his stars burn a little brighter. Happy birthday Coco bean 🙂 I can’t take credit for a perfectly timed lunar event but I hope the view was great 😊