This last break was certainly a fun one! I spent just about two weeks back home in Albuquerque, New Mexico and my girlfriend was able to come visit for the first week of the vacation. This was her first time being to New Mexico, so we spent the week doing a whirlwind of touristy activities and eating all the best foods the state has to offer.

We spent our time in Albuquerque exploring the town going up to the top of the Sandia Mountains on the tram, shopping in Old Town, and, of course, visiting Breaking Bad film locations. I live in the same neighborhood as Walter White’s house, so most of the iconic scenes from the series were filmed within walking distance from my family’s home.

We also took a day trip up to the state’s capital, Santa Fe, and were able to enjoy some of the sights up there. We went to Meow Wolf, an interactive art installation commissioned by George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones writer), that is a very popular place to take pictures for social media. After that we walked around the plaza and enjoyed the local vendors before enjoying dinner at a restaurant called The Shed–home to some of the spiciest and best New Mexican food in the state!! I enjoyed having my girlfriend visit for part of break, and wish she could’ve stayed longer, but hopefully we will be able to visit again soon.

After my girlfriend left, my parents and I went to Dallas for a quick trip to visit Southwest Airlines (SWA) headquarters. My mom, a SWA employee based in Albuquerque, was accepting a Winning Spirit Award for saving an unconscious choking victim at the airport! I could not be more proud of my mom and how she was able to assess the scene and take the steps to save a life. It was an awesome experience to be there with her as she accepted her award!

For the remainder of my break I just hung out with my family and enjoyed doing very little to nothing every single day! I caught up on rest, applied for a couple external scholarships, and took a free online concussion course offered by the University of Calgary. It was a very thorough course, and I learned some cool new information regarding identification and management of concussion. I’m glad I took the course, because it kept me in a light learning mode, which made the transition back to school work a little easier; I just have to get used to the new schedule!

I look forward to providing you readers some cool new updates from Tri 6! If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].