home again, home again, part 3

i got to be home for one whole day before i was off again! this time, a little closer, and driveable. it was the last of the prides for the season, down in san diego.

setup went quicker then planned, so i actually got to take advantage of the amaaayzing pool at the hilton bayfront, which, as you might imagine, overlooks the san diego bay.

the next day was work, work, work. we were short staffed for this one, which was a bummer, because it means very long days with no breaks.

the upside however, was that the 'short' staff, were my two favorite shorties, melissa and vicki.

as far as prides go, it was same ol' same ol'.

i picked up a cool temporary tattoo - the message of which, is debatable.

we were entertained by acrobatics.

enjoyed our last funnel cake of the season.

and tried to blend in with the local color.

if you must see more, click here.

i was home late on sunday night and monday morning found me on an early flight to maryland for the next event.

national harbor is a new development (formerly part of oxon hill) across the water from alexandria.

that proximity allowed my co-worker and i to enjoy dinner in old town via the water taxi.

other highlights included a reconnection with one of the coolest sculptures ever sculpted. most of you dc metroans have probably seen 'the awakening' at hains point. what you may or may not know is that it has been moved to national harbor.

i have to say - i don't love the new location. it just doesn't do it justice. but i did like how convenient it was to go see it again!

i was also thrilled to have lara and nick, and anne and her now fiancee, brian, join me for dinner.

and of course, i took advantage of the close proximity to fam and spent an extra day hanging out with mom, kate, and kendyl.

the full gallery is here.

i've been home now since saturday night, and i get to be home until thursday! even better, thursday marks the start of my vacation. my first 'real' time off since last october. i may be crazy, but i'm planning a road trip up north. the journey will take me as far as portland, but will also include some time in nor-cal to hang out with julie and the kids.

it's ambitious given my current state of exhaustion, but i think it will be nice to use the 16 hours each way to decompress and get myself centered again!