Questa  •  Red River  •  Cerro  •  Costilla  •  Amalia  •  Lama  •  San Cristobal

northern new mexico news boy
Access Back Issues of
Print Editions Here

Post Date:

Written By:

LIVE LAUGH LOVE: March

Photo by Lora Arciniega
GALentine’s Celebration with food, games and more, held with February’s Norteñas Connect Meeting held at the Community HUB, Living Word Ministries, 12 Llano Road, Questa, NM on Feb. 13, 2026

Norteñas Celebrate Each Other

What a delightful group of women! It was my first meeting with “Norteñas Connect” and it was at their GALentine Party at Living Word Ministries Community HUB in Questa held on Feb. 13. We were supposed to wear pink to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day and it gave me a chance to wear my pink hair. My sweater and skirt and pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet were all pink too.


It was a Ladies Celebrating Ladies evening and it was fun. The room was decorated with plenty of hearts and flowers, courtesy of Pastor Gayle Martinez and her crew. One thing that thrills me is their request for prom dresses by Living Word Ministries for Questa High School girls. I was a size 6 or 8 and have some beautiful eveningwear I could donate.


Maria Gonzalez was celebrated for her contribution to the community and given a big bouquet of flowers. Lora Arciniega was MC for the evening and kept the fun happening along with Lynn Skall, Director of Questa’s Economic Development Fund, Gayle Martinez of Living Word Ministries and Maria Gonzalez of LOR Foundation, which supports the group, and Jennifer Ammann with 100% Taos Initiative. A delicious spread of charcuterie and desserts was provided by Alyssah Duran and her mother Amanda León.


The newly established Community HUB is adjacent to the Living Word Ministries Church and is open for gatherings and celebrations for a nominal fee. It has a kitchen and can hold up to 50 to 60 people with an expansion in the future.
“Norteñas Connect” refers to connecting, and empowering women who are driving positive change, particularly in areas like Questa, Cerro, Costilla, Amalia, and Red River. These efforts include networking for business owners and community leaders, as well as recognizing grassroots, unpaid volunteers who fill critical gaps in local services.


This initiative is about empowering, connecting, and celebrating the diverse, often behind-the-scenes work women do to strengthen communities in Northern New Mexico.
Join us! Contact nortenasconnect@gmail.com


Ellen Wood of Questa is an award-winning author as well as an artist using the name, Maruška. Her website is
www.howwtogrowyounger.com. Contact Ellen at ellen@howtogrowyounger.com.

  • Ellen Wood, born in 1936, is a prizewinning author, columnist and former management executive. After her youngest child began school, Ellen started an in-house ad agency and won 16 awards for annual report and advertising excellence, including 4 national awards. Five years after her mother died of Alzheimer’s, Ellen experienced early symptoms (she has the gene, APO-e4). At 68 she developed a program of mind/body/spirit techniques that proved so successful, she wrote and published “Think and Grow Young,” followed by “Joy! Joy! Joy!” (now retitled “The Secret Method for Growing Younger,” Volumes 1 and 2) and gave inspirational speeches. Since 2018 Ellen has been the ad agency for NorthStar Tire and Auto in Questa, NM. Ellen started painting in November of 2020, having dabbled at it in her 20s, and gave herself a new name: Maruška, her father’s middle name. She is overjoyed to be part of a big, loving, kindhearted family. You can find her paintings at www.northernnewmexicoartists.com/ellen-wood