Leaving Santa Fe

My last week in Santa Fe was quite a blur. Monday started our full run-throughs, which we did Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I came in early those days to work with Teal and help with the finishing touches on the stage. Wednesday had me rushing off after a long night of rehearsal and notes to the last of my 80s movie night adventures. I got there for the last 20 minutes or so of the movie, but got to hang out with my buddies and chat for a while afterward.

Thursday morning I got up relatively early to pack up all my stuff and head down to Albuquerque to pick up my mom from the airport. I got her with minimal issue and we proceeded back to Santa Fe to get some lunch. After lunch, we walked around the Plaza for a while and checked out the art. She agreed that the Plaza is reminiscent of Disneyland. We ended up buying some jewelry and felt very pretty. I got a lovely sterling silver feather necklace with Kingman (!!) turquoise. The woman told me that feathers are a symbol of peace and healing. Then my mom and I went to the hostel to check in. The room wasn't the nicest of rooms, but it worked just fine and the kitchen full of food made it totally worth it.

Since I didn't have rehearsal Thursday, we decided to head North toward Taos to do some wine tasting. Unfortunately, by the time we got up there, all of the wineries were closed... Who stops drinking at 6pm?!?! We decided to make the most of our Northwardness and dip our feet in the Rio Grande. Then we decided to just stay out of town and have dinner in Taos and see the stars without lots of city lights. On the way up to Taos we stopped at a river rafting company and crazily enough made plans to go river rafting on the Rio Grande Sunday morning (the day after I performed 4 shows in 2 days). In Taos we stopped at a little place called the Old Blinking Lantern that does New Mexican food. It was quite tasty and there was a band that was pretty good. The dessert was phenomenal. On the drive home, it was a little over cast so we didn't see quite as many stars as we'd hoped for, but we did pull off at one point to see them and it was marvelous.

Friday morning started massive amounts of shows. We had a run through at 11am and then a short break, then our first real show started at 7pm, but we had to be back at 5pm to get ready. It was awesome! Surprisingly less nerve-racking than anticipated. It went pretty well, though everyone seemed to be a little shakey. That night there was a huge rainstorm that started just as the show was finishing so we had to bring everything inside. When we got done, my dad and my uncle (who had flown in earlier that day) followed my mom and I back to the hostel for a few beers. The driving was a bit treacherous.

Saturday, we didn't start until 12pm, so I went out for breakfast with my family and then to the Farmer's Market where I bought some delicious Santa Fe honey. The Saturday afternoon show was the only one not entirely packed to the walls. There were lots of little kids and parents though that were easily impressed, which was good because we were all a bit lethargic in the heat. We only had an hour and a half between the first show and call time for the second, so I just got a bunch of snacky food, including some ice cream. The last show was awesome and my 80s movie night buddies came to watch. We all stepped it up and had a blast. One of my acro routines had a little fumble - my double cartwheel partner and I ran into another performer who didn't realize she was in our path - but it worked quite well with our clumsy, frenetic energy in the piece as a whole and it looked good. My dad and my uncle only came for the second half, which had 3 of my 4 acts, because the benches were so uncomfortable. The second act was phenomenal. We all did really well and really had fun together. After the show we had to clean up, but that actually didn't take too long. Then, some people went for food, some went home, and a handful of crazy people went to a karaoke bar. I was one of those crazy people. We had a blast dancing. It was the best karaoke I've ever been to. None of the awkward, "when is this person gonna stop, it's like nails on a chalkboard" stuff, just awesome people sharing passion and fun. At around 1am I headed back to the hostel and slept for a few hours before getting up just after 6am to meet Teal and head up to river rafting.

Rafting was also amazing. The rapids weren't the biggest I'd seen, but it was beautiful and fun. We saw a coyote near the water and lots of fish and ducks. Teal and I kicked butt in the front. On a mellow part we decided we could totally do partner acro in the boat, so we tried a move, found it to be quite stable and promptly decided to do it through the last and biggest rapid. The guide couldn't believe it and totally thought we were going to fall in... or at least I was since I was doing a shoulder stand on Teal's thighs in the front of the boat. Well, neither of us fell out and we made it through the whole rapid without issue except that we were too freakin' phenomenal. After that, we spent the rest of the time in the boat trying other moves on the flat water. Everyone was thoroughly impressed.

When we got done, we headed up to Taos again to meet my dad and uncle for lunch and beers. Food was so necessary. On the way back to Santa Fe we stopped at the Vivac winery and sampled every wine on the menu - a bit too much, they all started to run together - and bought a few bottles and some specially crafted chocolates that were amazing (dark chocolate lavender... mmmmmmm!!!). We finally got back to Santa Fe around 3:30pm. I got a few things together and headed out for the Cast and Crew Party, while my family went to have dinner.

At the party, we set off a butt-ton of fireworks, with the help of my dad. Everyone also filled out notes for the other members of the cast and crew that I had brought. It was really great to see the love pouring out. At the end of the night there was the obligatory dance party, which rocked. I finally told my crush that I had a crush on them, and they very gently rejected me romantically, but expressed a strong desire to work together in the future and a deep appreciation for what we had created both on stage and as friends. I agreed. When it finally became time to leave, I hugged Teal one last time and of course started to cry. How could it be over already? When would I see these people again? Santa Fe had become home for me and there were so many people I would miss terribly.

Monday morning, I got up with my mom and met my dad and uncle for breakfast. We rushed a little so they could get to ABQ and make their flight, but it was a great breakfast. Mom and I then headed back to the hostel to clean it out and check out. We left Santa Fe around 11:30am under a cloudless New Mexican sky. Near Albuquerque we decided to stop at the Petroglyph National Monument. It was pretty cool to see. When we got back in the car I promptly passed out. We ended up driving the entire way back to SoCal that day. We stopped a couple places along the way to check out art and to eat and get caffeine and to look at the stars, which were out in spades in the middle of the desert. We saw the milky way (which makes that the first of two times I got to see it in only 5 days). My mother, crazy woman that she is, drove the whole way. I slept for a good portion of it and we got to my dad's house around 2am.

The next day my mom and uncle and I went out for a late breakfast and then I took my mom to the airport, after which I headed up to Venice to see a friend. His mom insisted I stay until after rush hour, so he and I finally got back to my house around 9pm. That night he and I and my uncle enjoyed some hot tub time and relaxation that I sorely needed.