If you want to find out where home is...

...go away for a few days.

I'm back from Albuquerque, NM. Here's a recap of the week, with bulleted points for easy skimming:

Tuesday:

• Early-morning flight, but mine went smoothly (Luke's was way delayed - ha).
• Arrival in Albuquerque: Mountains!
  
• Phone call from Denver and Maggie: Hey, Denver got fired!
• Phone call from Luke: The shuttles aren't running, how do we get to the hotel?
• Dinner: Met Megan from Tucson/Malawi/Illinois. Inappropriate comments that made me blush. Instant friends.
• Drinks in hotel bar w/ Luke and Megan.
• Flirtations. The guy even started it.

Wednesday:

• Early-morning workout. Only lasted 15 minutes on the elliptical. A for effort.
  
• Yellow dot group: Tons of information/discussions about poverty. Very compelling.
• Afternoon session about VISTA stuff. I drew a picture instead of listening. Every once in a while, Luke looked over and told me to add something. Eventually that picture went up on the wall in our room. Then I gave it to Megan. I gave it to her once before, but she said she didn't want it, so I took it back under awkward circumstances.
  
• Evening: Let's go out. Karaoke? Let's not go out. Why are you so energetic? I'm sleepy. If we're going out, let's go now. (All Megan)
  
• Cab ride into town w/ Mike the hilariously cynical cabbie/tour guide: Albuquerque sucks. I hate it. Don't go there. Really don't go there. The cops are the biggest gang in the city. Why'd I move here? Why else? A woman. Then she cut me loose. Here's my number. Call me when you guys want to go somewhere else.
  
• Maloney's Pub. Where there were books around all the walls. I'm the only one who noticed, I think.
• Cab ride #2 w/ Mike the cabbie: My sincerest apologies for not tipping you before. I really didn't know. I'm a small town girl. (Me -- although Luke gave him a smallish tip that time, so it's not completely my fault).
• Marble Brewery. They had beer. Only beer. So I just hung out and got sleepy. Oh, and found out that flirty boy is gay. For real. I'm not sure what that says about me, but he then became known as "Gay Boyfriend" to myself, Megan and Luke.
  
• Walking home. It was two miles or so. Never ever ever walk any distance with Luke when he's drunk. He's cranky and annoying. I was sober, and wanted him to go away.
  

Thursday:

• Lots more group work and information. Our table became rather trouble-making, but hilarious. This might have also been the day Rob threw a pen at me and it went down my shirt. I would have been upset if it hadn't been so funny. We finished out the day with time to "appreciate" someone or something about our group sessions. It was moving.
  
• Evening: Karaoke tonight? Please? Maybe? Oh, Luke doesn't want to go, and it's kind of far. Why don't we just go to the grocery store and buy drinks?
• Walking to grocery store: It's a lot further than the girl at the counter made it seem. Oops.
• Applebee's. Luke had a gift card, so we made a pit stop. I mean, why not?
  
• Continued walking: Seriously? Where's the dang store? Oh, there's a Walgreen's. That'll work.
• Phone call from Gay Boyfriend: Where are you guys? We're hanging out by the pool with drinks. Come.
• Conversation with Luke: Wait, Gay Boyfriend called you too? Who did he call first? Dang it. It was both at the same time. Why are we arguing about someone who's not attracted to me (because he's gay), and you're not attracted to (because you're straight)?
• Hanging out outside with everybody.
  
• Hanging out inside (it got cold) with Megan and Luke.
• Luke: Carolyn, when you go to breakfast tomorrow, get me a bagel.

Friday:

• Breakfast. I snagged a bagel for Luke. He was surprised I had remembered. I was just annoyed that I'd woken up in time for breakfast.
  
• Boring session, could-have-been-helpful-but-not session, then Swearing In Ceremony. They were right. It was a lot more powerful when you don't take the oath from a coffee shop in Alabama. Also, the photographer guy in front of us kept making me laugh. Our table is full of beautiful people, but please train that thing on someone else, sir.
• Pool frisbee: I didn't have my suit, but I took really amazing pictures of the guys catching the frisbee as they jumped into the pool.
• Back to the airport w/ almost our entire table from the yellow group: We've got an hour. Why not hang out at the brewery? Oh, the drinks are gone. We still have some time. Let's do shots of tequila. That wasn't so bad. Oh crap! It's 5:12 and the plane leaves at 5:25. Sign that receipt. Run!
• Airplane -- Breathless, woozy, and I was the LAST person on board. They nearly cut Gretchen and I out. Oops.
• Dallas: Goodbye dear friends!
• Flight from Dallas to Hobby: Bad weather, circling College Station. Bad weather, out of fuel, landing at Bush. Hanging out on the plane. Cranky passengers. Sweet, but tired flight attendant who helped out my hunger by tossing a package of almonds across the aisle to me when nobody else was looking. You're supposed to pay for them, but I was in the one front seat on a puddle-jumper plane and I was being nice to her. We finally got to Hobby at midnight. Not 10:05 as predicted.
• Home. 2:00am. After searching for my car for some 45 minutes. And driving through flood waters in Houston. It was grand.

Whew. I think that's all. Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/carolyn.jo.gibbs/Albuquerque#