holiday recap

when the house is empty, what is there to do, but invite four kids over for a slumber party?

i picked up the d4 on sunday night, and after some bike shuffling, some rack stacking, and some glazed looks, it was finally determined that i would take jenny's van, loaded with bikes, back to my place for the adventures to come.

first things first though, upon arriving back at my place, the kids crawled in to pajamas and followed me to the back patio where we lit a fire in the pit and toasted marshmallows for smores.

the girls get excited

brad eats fire

after smores, it was time for

hide

and seek

but before the kids could fall asleep, they absolutely demanded that we take group self-portraits. and when children demand, i'm inclined to oblige.


much to their mother's chagrin, we finally called it a night at about 11 or so.

and despite the late bedtime hour, there was no rest for the weary cousin/aunt. although they let me sleep until 8 (i had been up much later than 11), it still felt just a wee bit early.

nonetheless, after a quick shower i found that the blankets and bedding had all been folded and put away, and we could get on with our day. first stop? les pancakes internacional. or 'ihop' as it is referred to by the common folk.

brad makes a pretty good paparazzi

though it had started as a cloudy say, by the time we got back to the house, the one pocketful of sunshine to grace orange county on the holiday was emptied onto us! and that meant one thing. bike ride!

just your average beach house garage

after our ride, we dropped the bikes back at the house, and headed to newport to enjoy the beach and the water.





though i was diligent about keeping the kids sunscreened up, i may have forgotten to be quite as attentive to my own skin. the result was not just a nasty sunburn, but a bout of sun poisoning! the kind that makes you nauseous on top of the searing pain through your back and shoulders. yeah. that kind.

but, that was a small price to pay for the laughs and sunshine and time spent with the kids. i do love a holiday. and i loved that this one put me that much closer to a visit from my favorite man. 35ish hours and counting!

check out the rest of the weekend pics here.

you can accomplish a lot in one day by getting up at 5am

don't ask me why, as this was my first day off in a couple weeks, but at 5:18 am, i was up. wide awake, and unable to fall back asleep.

i had a lot on the agenda for the day, and since the first was a serious deep clean on my car, i thought i might as well get up and go to the vacuumy/car washy place. i knew i wouldn't have to wait at 5:30 in the morning:)

i'm almost embarrassed to admit this...okay, i'm embarrassed, but not too embarrassed to blog about it...but i haven't cleaned my car, inside or out, since before i moved to california. that's 8 months and a long road trip ago. usually, i'm pretty diligent about these sorts of things, but in va i knew where all the vacuum and drive through car washes were. they aren't as, um, obvious? here. imagine my surprise when i started asking around and learned there was one about 1/4 mile from my house. *hangs head in shame*.

so, i spent 2 1/2 hours cleaning the car. they had vacuums, and upholstery cleaners, and air fresheners, and everything. and partly, i was taking my sweet time to be the first in line to get an oil change.

at 8 on the dot, i pulled in, and spent the next hour or so talking to lara while they changed the oil, filter, wiper blades, and rotated and balanced the tires. much needed. believe me.

then it was on to a 9:15am showing of 'prince caspian'. many of the feelings i had watching the first narnia movie were present again, and i was emotional for most of the movie. i ended up being glad i was flying solo, and that there was only one other person in the theater.

i loved it. i mean i really loved it. i may be biased by having read the book in my formative childhood years. but i loved it.

after the movie, i had a few errands to run, then home to do some laundry and watch a netflix. then sadie called to see if i could come out to play, and i couldn't turn her down. we took a nice long ride on the boardwalk (the hb boardwalk is soooo great for a bike ride!)

after i got home, i took advantage of all of my roommates being gone for the weekend, and soaked in the jacuzzi tub in the master. perfection!

time for a couple more errands, and on to some research for the next playlist. give me a couple days--i'll get there.

it's 12:41 now, and i have no idea why or how i am still up, but i better hit the sack. tomorrow is a big day. since my house is empty, i'm having the kids over for a slumber party!

vegas baby: a blog in three parts

act 3:

scene - my room, huntington beach, ca, time irrelevant

so. the host. i dug it. better than i thought i would. body snatching aside, i thought the premise was fairly unique (although i'm not a big sci-fi reader, so i could be wrong), and it was far better written than the twilight series. don't hate. i couldn't put them down either. but that was DESPITE being poorly written, and my distaste for bella. what can i say? i'm a vampire fiction lover. and then there was jacob....

i digress. i'm curious, did anyone else find it ironic that this 'adult' novel of meyer's was more suited (as in 'cleaner') to the teenage girl target market, than the books written for the demographic?

vegas baby: a blog in three parts

act 2:

scene - mccarran international airport, on the floor by the lockers and vending machines, 6:23pm

probably since i was about 19, i have loved cirque du soleil. i saw them do a short performance on one of the late night shows and it was simply magic. ever since then, i have wanted to see them. i bought cd’s, saw the imax, but in all my visits to vegas (because seeing them somewhere else just wouldn’t have felt right!) i have never seen a performance. usually it was because of money, but if look deeper, maybe it was because i was afraid that it couldn’t live up to my expectations. in my mind it was this perfect theatrical event, and nothing is perfect, is it?

when i checked in to my room at treasure island, i immediately saw that i faced the mirage, which happens to have ‘love’ signage splashed all over it. calling my name. taunting me even. i was completely torn. ‘love’ is nontraditional for cirque, but it’s beatles music. i mean, it had to be good! but i knew cheap tickets were hard if not impossible to come by—it’s still too new.

being an event planner has it's perks

i mentioned to shauna that i had never seen them perform and she told me that it was an absolute must. she suggested i stop by the desk at treasure island to see if i couldn’t find any great single ticket prices. she must have known from my hesitation that i wouldn’t. and so it wasn’t long before we were both at the desk inquiring about various shows. in the end, she bought both our tickets to see love. i’m still not sure how that happened, but it was a very nice gift. even though i know it’s probably not a big financial deal for her to do that, what was most meaningful to me, was that she did it because she somehow understood how happy it would make me. she had no particular interest in seeing the show, but she knew it would be an extraordinary experience for me. and it was.

i'm in love

it was unlike anything i’ve ever seen. it can’t help but bring out an awe and wonder rarely present in adults. because, let’s face it. we’re kind of jaded . and as much as i loved the show, equally as powerful to me was the gesture.

the trade show itself was also a huge success. in this case, i measure that by the feedback from our agents. this show is different than any other show i’ve been involved with. our booth was to serve primarily as a place where our people could setup meetings with clients and prospects.



we had 140 in attendance, and monday and tuesday, our tables were packed. the advisors had nothing but rave reviews for the booth itself, which i understand has never before been true. the booth was buzzing with activity all day monday and for most of yesterday, which is exactly how it should be. there were no angry attendees, everyone had a table when they needed one, and as i understand it, there were some very productive meetings held.

the booth reception was also a great success . a first time for the company, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect, but it was near perfection. there were one or two minor complaints, and knowing that it is impossible to please everyone to perfection, i was actually quite proud of that fact. very rarely do i walk away from a show with less than 10 ‘do differently next time’ items, but i was struggling to come up with five.

the boss and i

we had a good advance team, and the execution was near flawless. it takes skill, but also a fair amount of luck to pull that off, but it seems that despite the rough beginnings of this trip, all was to work out well in the end.

i’ve moved now to mccarran airport where i’m finishing this post (i love airports with free wifi), and looking forward to arriving home. two more work days (both of which have been announced as ‘jean day’s – yay!!) before the long weekend, and then it’s only a couple more before my man arrives. i am ecstatic!

vegas baby: a blog in three parts

act 1:

scene - las vegas convention center, icsc, 162 f street, 12:54pm

four hours and six minutes until i can officially close up shop here at the show. the tumbleweeds keep rolling past my booth and the pigeons have flown in to reclaim their territory (yeah, not kidding on the latter).

the good news is, i survived. i survived arriving at the airport to learn that i was only allowed one bag and not two (finally, not watching the news bites me in the behind). i survived the flight delayed due to ‘mechanical’ problems. i survived 109 degree temperatures. i survived manning a trade show booth for the first time in my life. i survived the questions i didn’t have answers for. i survived the intense amount of pain in my quads, developed by the equivalent of doing squats 8 hours a day for three days straight. up down. up down. up down.

and i also managed to finish ‘the host’ (more on this at another time), see an amazing show, meet a lot of great people, spend quality time with my boss, not lose a dime, and enjoy the bathtub in my room. twice. every day. quads and all…

ironically, i’m kind of a first timer at this. don’t get me wrong, i’ve worked on too many trade shows for my liking. but this is the first time i have taken it from booth conceptualization to onsite show management. i’ve coordinated drayage and shipping and electrical and carpet. but i’ve never led the design process and the marketing, and i have most certainly never been the ‘face’ of the company. even with eleven years in, there is still something new, and that is exciting.

i still can’t say i like trade shows any better than i did. but, i do like to do different things, face new challenges, and expand the repertoire. there isn’t a lot i haven’t done in this industry. i’ve “thrown” chairs. i’ve pulled air walls. i’ve conducted site searches. i’ve learned how to negotiate contracts. i’ve learned how to work with operations staff earning minimum wage, and executive staff earning more than i’ll make in my lifetime. short of sales (and my desire for ‘something different’ does not reach that far), there is no single part of the industry that i haven’t been involved in at some time.

i love what i do. i always have. and i’ve been lucky and blessed. i’ve spent 95% of my career working at good companies, with and for good people. i don’t know how many can truly say that. for a long time, i felt the need to justify that i never finished my degree. at 20 years old, and only part way through my schooling, i was offered a choice. finish school to earn a degree that would help me get a job i really wanted, or take the job offered to me, that i really wanted.

unfortunately, i couldn’t do both. the travel required by the job i was being offered would preclude any formal education, and in those days, there were no such thing as online degrees. maybe i should be more embarrassed by this, but for me, it was a no brainer. and never once have i regretted that decision.

that’s not to say i haven’t had to explain it a few-hundred times over the years—particularly to potential employers. but in the end, it didn’t matter. i never felt that it prevented me from being offered a job, and a few years ago, employers stopped asking. every once in a blue moon, it will still come up. but with 11 years in, it’s certainly not deterring me.

i don’t typically think of a profession as a ‘calling’, but there is no doubt in my mind that there was some divine guidance in mine. and with every good experience i have, good company, good co-workers, good boss..it is reaffirmed.

this particular show was the first time shauna and i have traveled together, and it only furthered my respect and appreciation of her as both boss and colleague. though i will stand by my initial assessment of her from my interviewing days—that i’ve never met someone so hard to read—it’s for completely different reasons than i would have guessed. i think as a culture we are trained on a very subtle level to distrust. so many hidden agendas, so much spin, so many walls. what you see is not what you get, and if it seems to good to be true, it probably is…right?

well, not so with shauna—at least, her hidden agendas aren’t hidden, her spin isn’t spun, and are walls are pretty easy to hop over. even though i am much the same way, it still can be slightly jarring at first. it took a little time to realize that it’s not so much that she was ever hard to read, but more that i assumed that that the façade was just that, a façade. perhaps true, but perhaps not the whole story.

i don’t mean to imply that she has no depth, or that she can’t hold her tongue when necessary, but, i know that when she tells me something it’s because it’s true. she is direct, she is decisive, and she is fair. she trusts people to do their jobs and only steps in to guide when direction or course correction is actually needed.

as such, she has earned my loyalty too, and her respect matters to me. beyond that though, this trip gave me the chance to see that i also genuinely enjoy her as a person, not just as a boss.

there have been many people who have shown generosity to me over the years, in a variety of ways. i am always profoundly grateful, and always a bit surprised. maybe because i know that at heart, i’m selfish and i have to work not to be, it always amazes me that there are people who at the very core of their beings are selfless. selflessness is a trait i haven’t mastered, but i have seen it time and time again in people i’ve been fortunate enough to know.

it presents itself in many ways, but on this trip, it presented itself in the form of tickets. tickets to cirque du soleil ‘love’.

- intermission -

it's like an oven in here

i head to vegas tomorrow for a few days, and i'm being an absolute grump about it. if i could pout and stomp my feet and it would make one iota of a difference, i would rock that stomp like nobody's business.

first and mediummost, i am going to man our booth at a large industry trade show. i admit it. i'm spoiled. i love my conferences and my executive retreats. i haven't done a trade show in a really long time, and spending ive days in a 30X30 space isn't all that appealing to me.

second and foremost, if it weren't for the timing on this monster, right now i'd be curled up in front of a netflix video with a man i adore. but, seeing as how i can't really expect the entire trade show to switch it's dates, i have to wait another two weeks for that.

third and leastmost, but still VERY annoying, is the fabulous weather i have to look forward to.



jealous much? then trade me places. i mean are you kidding me with this? 104 and 106 degrees on the two setup days BEFORE they turn on the air conditioning, and the days i'm carting boxes around (i'm not kidding)?

but. i know myself. and i like the adrenaline of having to be ON. i like the energy and the movement, and the not sitting in my chair for 7 1/2 of my 8ish hour workday. and i think my boss and i will try and enjoy ourselves in the off hours. it's been awhile since i've been to vegas, and much has changed. and the lights are so preeety. most of all though, i'm looking forward to this time wednesday night. when i am in my own bed again, two days out from a long weekend, and several days closer to seeing my man. at a minimum, i just hope not to die from heat stroke. wish my luck! ;)

my gifts to you

i am nothing if not a giver. i like to share. or at least , sometimes do. but when i do, i let you know that i’m going to, so that while you are deciding if you are going to order your own desert, you clearly understand whether or not you will be allowed to have a bite of mine.

uh. hmm. i digress.

when i make discoveries of any kind, i feel it my obligation to pass them along. (remember the gorillapod? you all thought i was crazy then, but who’s laughing now?)

in the spirit of giving, today i bring you a few of my favorite new things.

bandaid blister block (for everyone, but more so for fashionable feminine types)

it’s blister PREVENTION people! after acquiring a horrendous set of new blisters during the midsingles conference, when i heard about this product ‘in the wind’, i had to check it out. it’s not flawless, but so far, it’s pretty darn close. my officemate (i got her one too) and i have been ‘testing’ this product now for a couple of weeks with our most heinous blister inducing shoes. It has reduced the blistering by 97.463%. it’s very scientific you see. okay, not really, but i will say this, i have felt the difference. it’s like a little deodorant looking thing, for your feet. it won’t help with the smell, but if you rub it on your most blister prone spots, it reduces shoe friction, thereby preventing blisters before you even put the shoes on. given that i now have four pairs of shoes i can wear again, it was highly worth the $8 price tag. get yours here or at a local drugstore.

mixwit.com (for the music lovers)

technically i don’t know if i am a child of the 80’s or 90’s. i’ve also never been sure if i’m generation x or y, but an important part of romance in my day was the mix tape. it was the be all end all way to express your feelings for that secret crush, boyfriend, or guy i (i mean YOU) happened to be stalking at the time. the sheer blissful agony of spending countless hours finding just the right songs, and hoping that the intended recipient would listen to every single word, and somehow know EXACTLY what message i was trying to convey, is not easily forgotten. but, alas, ‘progress’ is unstoppable and we have evolved past the mix tape. or have we? one of my favorite new sites let’s you revisit those feelings in today’s digital world. you can search the web for songs to include or upload your own. you can choose from many already designed tape labels, or create your own. and most importantly, you can share. you can put it on your blog. your facebook. your myspace. whatever.

want to send a subtle message to that blog stalker of yours? here’s your chance.

photoshop for the cheapskates (for the photo lovers)

adobe is now offering a free online downsized version of photoshop located here. though i haven’t done an extraordinary amount of playing, i’ve found it very helpful making basic touch ups (red eye anyone?) when i don’t have my mac on hand (in the office, for example). you can email, download, or embed your edited photo, so it’s completely shareable. there are fun filters (pop colors), black & white options, color and contrast—basically every basic thing your average photo needs. i couldn’t more thrilled that they’ve made this available to the general cheapskate public.

make your own puzzle (for the silly and clever among you)

perhaps you remember my recent query about a phrase that would suit something related to puzzles and pictures. i didn’t clarify then (because i was hesitant to admit just how corny i am), but i had a custom puzzle made from a picture i uploaded. it’s relatively inexpensive (or at least far less expensive than i expected) and makes for a fun quirky gift. upload that family photo, that favorite shot you’ve ever taken, whatever. you can also order a custom gift box to keep it in, but i hope to puzzle-glue mine together and frame it someday! get yours here.

dry shampoo (for lazy ladies)

i’ll admit it. i hate washing my hair. if i could go a week without washing my hair, i’d be in sweet heaven. it’s not so much the washing, but all of the styling time it takes to look decent enough to leave the house. but i’m lucky if i can go two days, and stretching it to three, no way, no how. before dry shampoos that is.

about 2+ years ago i came across a product by a company called ‘cake’. it was a powder that would ‘eat up’ all the grease sitting on the scalp (particularly on my crown). sprinkle it on, brush through and voila. it wasn’t perfect. the color didn’t perfectly ‘blend’ with my own, and sometimes it worked much better in dry climates than humid ones (i traveled a lot with it). but as i mentioned before, progress is unstoppable. in recent months i have been seeing ‘dry shampoos’ pop up all over the place. the goal is generally the same, but they now come in a variety of different forms. i switched to an aerosol spray by ojon and have loved it. in general, i’m a big fan of ojon products, but this solution is far superior to my last. if you’ve been wary about trying these dry shampoos, i say go for it. i really don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

travel insurance (for the paranoid/cursed traveler)

i caveat this by saying it’s not yet available in the us, but when ‘coming soon’ changes to ‘here now’, you better believe i will be on this bandwagon.

for many years i was blessed by the travel gods, as though i were a favorite child. nary a delay or cancellation crossed my path, and never ever did i have to concern myself with things like ‘lost luggage.’ the unimaginable horror!

but alas, some blessings are only temporary, and it seems my fortune has run out. in the last year and a half, almost every trip i have taken has involved lost luggage. i generally can’t afford to fly direct, so with one or more connections, there is no telling where my bag might end up. what is more frightening is that on more than one occasion, i have had to guess, and then insist to the airline agent that they are in ‘x’ city, and someone needs to find them. imagine how much less daunting that would be if i could track them myself. incontrovertible proof (or as close as it may ever get) that that luggage handler really isn’t looking hard enough. i knew it was only a matter of time, but i am so stinkin’ excited that the time is almost at hand!

so there you have it, my gifts to you.

today's horoscope

You search and search, and then one day it all becomes crystal clear. When you find the right person, you just know. Today, let your special someone know your search ended when they came into your life.

weekly update

had anyone told me in december that within six months of moving into a new place and starting a new job, i’d be considering leaving both, and that my long distance relationship would be the most stable part of my life, i’m not sure if i would have laughed or cried.

yet here i am, and i’m too befuddled to do either. so while i recount the befuddlement, enjoy random photos.

last week was what i like to call a ‘growth opportunity’, and the theme was ‘girls’. some dramatic roommate challenges have reared their ugly head, and i’ve spent a great deal of time considering how i want to respond. it was also the week during which my company had its second round of layoffs, accompanied by an unofficial announcement that there would be a third round in the next 30-60 days. don’t fret, I am fairly confident that I am as safe as anyone can be. should the company actually go under (which no one expects) I would be out of luck, as would everyone else. but barring that, I expect to be here for a little while. Layoffs are being made according to function, not seniority, and my function is needed for the next few months at least. whatever happens, i have felt that this company and job were very specifically meant to be a part of my experience in california. if and when that comes to an end, i will only be grateful for that, and confident that it is time to pursue new and different opportunities.

long distance dating

the week has not been without it’s highlights though. my roommate ariane invited me to join her for dinner on wednesday with some girls from her ward. though i wanted to hide out and maintain my anti-social façade, i thought it probably a perfect opportunity to meet some new people. it turned out to be an incredibly good time. i immediately connected with two girls in particular, one of whom I’ve seen at a couple of activities and actually thought I would really like to get to know, and the other turned out to be a roommate in one of the houses I had originally looked at—meaning had I done things a little differently, she would have been MY roommate! the three of us spent the evening chatting about everything and nothing, and it was wonderful!

the ‘girls’ theme continued through the weekend. with mick and the boys gone for their father-sons weekend, i met jenny and the girls, along with two little girlfriends (fairly recent transplants from Portland, ironically) for dinner, followed by a visit to the nail salon. The girls and I all ended up with flowers painted on either fingernails or toenails, and they are darling! After nails, there was a little shopping and a little ice cream before calling it a night.

alison brought me a cookie!

i was so excited about saturday that i could barely sleep. a couple of weeks ago, i went bike shopping with my roommate dez. i heard angels singing from the far corner of the very full store, and there it was. the most beautiful beach cruiser i’ve seen. it wasn’t pink, even though i was convinced that’s what i would want, but there was something very ‘me’ about it. when i looked at the price, i almost cried. it was about $100 more than i wanted to spend. but, for the sake of ‘learning’ i test drove the bike anyway. it was a phenomenal ride. the kind of ride that makes me actually opt for it rather than getting in my car. so, we continued searching and visited a couple more places. nothing came close, but i was determined that I could find ‘my’ bike online for cheaper.

i spent the last two weeks researching and visiting bike shops, but nothing came close. for one, it is difficult to find bikes that comfortably accommodate my longer legs. and those that did were generally masculine or more expensive. even attempting to find the wasabi online for cheaper was a miserable failure, as i could only find it at a higher cost--not to mention the shipping.

sadie

by wednesday of last week, i had determined that one way or the other, this was the bike for me, and i wanted to pick it up this weekend since i’ll be in vegas the next, and i’d want it for memorial day (bike prices can jump higher after that—especially locally). on thursday, i learned that i would be getting my economic stimulus money on friday, and that sealed the deal.

on saturday morning, i went to the shop and purchased my bike. jenny and the girls met me there and helped me load it into the van. it ended up being quite the challenge in that they had brought their bikes to accompany me on my first ride (jenny having bought a new bicycle just minutes prior). eventually, we made it work, and after a quick stop at in-n-out for lunch (i’ve had in-n-out before, but never eaten in an in-n-out before. –say it five times fast and you’ll understand how we amused ourselves during lunch!) we headed to my house and unloaded the bikes. we sunscreened up and were off!

beach babes

we rode down to the beach and along the boardwalk, and decided to pause. we locked up the bikes, walked the pier, took some photos, watched the surfers, wandered through vendor tents set up for the weekend, and then returned to our bikes for the ride home. it was the perfect day for a bike ride, and i was absolutely giddy. the four of us had such a good time—i can’t wait to do it again! in fact i’m highly disappointed that i will be in vegas next weekend, as sadie will be quite neglected in our garage. yes. her name is sadie. i don’t know why, it’s not a particularly favorite name of mine. but somehow it fits, and these things just happen.

the next couple of weeks promise to be eventful. on saturday i leave for a trade show in vegas. i’m not a big fan of trade shows, and i’m looking forward to having this one over and done with. i’ll be there for 5 days ‘enjoying’ 100 degree temperatures (woo-hoo??), before returning for a couple of days in the office before memorial day. (how is it memorial day already??) i’m still trying to determine how to spend that weekend—most likely on my bike and at the beach, and of course, preparing for my special visitor later that week.

on the boardwalk

somewhere in the midst of that, i’m either changing rooms in my house or losing a roommate, not sure which yet, but hopefully it will work out the way it is supposed to!

saturday

today is a good day because...

= yummy mexican food at work

= someone got his tickets, and may 30 can't come soon enough!