Beginning in the Middle

This blog about the places I am passing through, is beginning as I unpack from one adventure and pack for the next.  I have just returned from Albuquerque, NM.  The official reason for the trip was to attend a conference with some girlfriends, but the side trips were icing on the cake.  We drove the Turquoise Trail and walked the streets of Madrid.  An artist there shared the process of staking a claim, mining her own turquoise, and turning it into beautiful jewelry.  She directed us to Mama Lisa's for a delicious, organic, gourmet lunch.  The next day we toured and volunteered at a homeless shelter, where the "guests" there were people just like us, but have lost health, jobs, savings and homes.  We met moms, dads, an oil field worker, a real estate appraiser, and a man whose heart attack at 35 ended his jetsetting corporate position.  They all have hopes of once again having a place to call their own. I am so ashamed of my petty whining.  As I pack away warm memories of last week-end, I am packing for a 10 day trip to Guatemala.