There’s something about New Mexico that’s always tugged at my heart. Maybe it’s because I was born there, in Los Alamos. My childhood memories are filled with places like Tucumcari, lazy days at Conchas Lake, and, of course, Chama. Chama is a place that holds a piece of my soul, and it’s become even more special as Brett and I have been coming here every year since 2016—as many times a year as our schedules will allow. It’s our place, and if you’ve ever had a place that feels like a second skin, you know exactly what I mean.

What makes Chama so magical for us isn’t just the stunning landscape—though it’s breathtaking—or even the quiet pace of life, though that’s definitely part of it. It’s the people. Our favorite people live here. You know the kind of people who just get you, no explanation needed? That’s them. It’s the place where our kids can run wild, get dirty, and just be kids in a way that feels so hard to find these days. And every time we come, I feel like I can finally breathe, finally just be. It’s exactly what I did in Chama as a child and seeing them make their own core memories in a place I hold so dear is pure magic.

But my absolute favorite spot in all of Chama? It’s the back porch of my grandmother’s house. That porch has become a place that my soul craves. When life gets busy or stressful, it’s like my mind drifts back there, as if I’m sitting on that porch with a cup of coffee, looking out at the mountains and letting everything else melt away. There’s peace here, a deep kind of knowing that this is where I’m meant to be, even if it’s just for a little while. It feels like home in a way that’s hard to put into words.

I hope everyone has a place like this—a place that makes you feel whole, where you’re most yourself. And if you don’t yet, I hope you search the ends of the earth until you find yours. Because having a place that fills your soul is one of life’s greatest gifts. For me, that’s Chama. Always has been, and I think it always will be.

Not all who wander are lost,
Kendra