MSIA travel staff are currently in the Southwest with John Morton, providing MSIA Services (Innerphasings, Polarity Balances & Aura Balances) as well as MSIA events. Staff member, Angel Gibson, provides this update from the trip:
DAY 1 – To El Paso
Ooooh, that is one early alarm this morning — 4:30am! Rise and shine ‘cuz I’ve got a plane to catch. We start our staff visit to the Southwest today, Jean-Marie Hamel and I are the advance brigade. “Didn’t I just come back from the east coast?” I’m thinking as I jump around to wake myself up. But I like it! Taking Southwest Airlines today and these employees are usually good for several laughs on and off the plane. Today they start their welcoming speech by saying “OK, time to turn off your Blackberries, strawberries and blueberries….ok well it was funny then! While looking up the weather for our trip I saw that we’re in for hot, high desert hot, humid hot, then slightly mountain warm. So my packing is very light weight clothes which makes for a much lighter suitcase. The flight is easy as I get a few SE’s and SZzzzz’s in.
Arriving in El Paso I’m aware of so many Desert Fox type uniforms and send Light to all the troops coming and going there. Bags in hand, I head for the hotel only to find the wrong hotel was booked. Not to worry! Soon all is corrected and I’m settling in munching on some of the yummy snacks provided by our El Paso co-MSIA reps, Mary Ellen Agolia and Susan Shyne. They are at the ready to do whatever is needed. Jean-Marie Hamel arrives, settles in too. At the stroke of 4pm, Jean-Marie (otherwise known as Sweetpea) and I head to the lobby to pick up our first services-takers. The next three hours fly by with catching up, hugging and being hugged by long-time friends. Then it’s dinner downtown…super fajitas on baby corn tortillas is delectable to me. Then back to the hotel for some emails, SE’s and finally…sleep, perchance to dream with a Traveler too!
DAY 2 – El Paso
Up we go and Jean-Marie and I hit the gym. Feels good this morning. Then it’s breakfast and we start having fun doing Services. Mary Ellen and Susan are the best at taking care of us and everything goes smoothly. Before we know it, we’re saying goodnight, ordering some room service and packing our suitcases, for tomorrow we will head to Santa Fe. A special treat is watching a movie and then a few emails before we surrender to sleep and hopefully catching that night train with the Travelers.
DAY 3 – El Paso to Santa Fe
We have Services earlier today before we catch our plane to Santa Fe. We said good bye to Susan yesterday and when Services are done we do our hugs, goodbyes and many many thanks to Mary Ellen. It’s been a whirlwind visit and very sweet . Jean-Marie and I board the Marriott shuttle and we’re dropped right at Southwest. We move up to the desk and get out our ID’s when all of a sudden Jean-Marie notices that she can’t find her Driver’s License. This makes for an exciting next half hour as we look everywhere in her bags, just hoping that little license will magically appear. We even enlist the aid of the TSA people as now Jean-Marie is thinking she may have left the license at security back in San Diego. To her credit Jean-Marie is proceeding in quite a Spiritual Warrior fashion–not panicking but keeping focused. As she takes out her computer to go through the security screening, her hand reaches into to the computer side pocket and Ta-Da!! Voila! her Driver’s License. What a great feeling to see it! And how did it get there?! Ah, a little reminder to both of us to stay conscious and present with what we’re doing each step of the way.
Well, we still have time for a little window-shopping and then it’s boarding time for our very quick flight to Albuquerque. No sooner are we belted in then the two of us drift into a very welcomed S.E. mode. In what seems like just a minute we’ve landed in Albuquerque and are on our way to joining Vincent and Lesley Dupont at baggage claim. They arrived a little before us from Los Angeles. Soon Vincent arrives with the rental van and we pile in our luggage and us and take the scenic route to Santa Fe.
It’s fun to do a little sight-seeing…some very quaint, old West looking town…as we by-pass a lot of Hwy 25. Arriving in Santa Fe we make our usual first stop to Whole Foods. While the rest of the crew do their discerning shopping, I make a bee-line for the cafe and order a mocha. Tastes mighty good and helps off-set that feeling of being pulled out of my body that seems to be accompanying the rise to almost 8000 feet that we’ve done today. With our goodies in hand and car we head for our hotel that has lovely fountains and an outdoor cafe. The air is cooling off as we unpack and settle into our new home for a few days. Then the four of us take off on foot for one of our favorite restaurants here, Ristra. We are so taken care of tonight as the restaurant really looks after our no onion/garlic and pork requirements. I’m so happy with all the tastes I don’t even want dessert! By dinner’s end it’s getting hard to keep awake. The walk back keeps our eyes open ’til we get back to the hotel. Once inside it’s a fast run to do a few more emails, rinse off the day and dive into bed. Sweet dreams! The Traveler’s coming tomorrow.
DAY 4 – Santa Fe
Oooh, that alarm clock sounds through the mists bringing both Jean-Marie and me back to earth. My bed is just loving me this morning as I manage to do some SE’s sitting up and halfway conscious. Then we’re dressing fast to get some breakfast before heading off to do Services at the home of our wonderful friends, Robert Waterman and Karey Thorne, the Northern New Mexico MSIA Rep. We chat with Vincent and Lesley all the way and bubble into the welcoming arms of Robert and Karey as we arrive. Their doggies, Meister Eckert and Mon Ami, are right there too wanting a piece of all the loving going around. I delight in sitting out by the burbling pond off and on all day.
Lunch comes round quickly with a delicious buffet prepared by Marsha Winborn and friends. I do several rounds at the buffet and take my tea back out to the garden, laughter sails out to me from the dining area. Our afternoon Services go by quickly and once again we bid good night knowing we’ll see most everyone tomorrow again. As we arrive back at the hotel, we walkie to see if Roger, John and Leigh are about. Roger responds and soon Roger and I head out for a little walking tour of the many art, dress and jewelry stores in downtown Santa Fe. I always enjoy catching a view of the Cathedral of Saint Frances Assisi at the top of the street as we look up from the square. It’s a perfect temperature for walking around as the sun sets. We get back to the hotel both happy to go to our room and settle in for a little room service, some emails and maybe a little TV. Jean-Marie is out with friends, Lesley and Vincent are having a quiet evening in, and John and Leigh are somewhere there and about! Nice to have a breather of a night before we move into the next stretch which will be pretty non-stop for all of us.
