12 days

in the summer of 2012, my mom's side of the family had a big reunion -- our first in more than ten years.  it was an awesome weekend that provided a lot of opportunities to 'get to know' these extended family members -- some of whom were very young the last time i saw them.

one such example was my cousin wyatt, who was 7 or 8 (to my 25 or 26) at our last reunion. it was a neat experience to get to know him a little as a young adult and i was even a bit surprised at just how connected i felt to him and vice versa.  over the course of the long weekend, he felt more like a little brother than a cousin i hadn't seen in a decade.

shortly after our reunion, he departed on an lds mission for our church.  i had every intention of being a great letter writer and staying in touch, keeping up with his adventures in the mission field. but, as sometimes happens, i have fallen miserably short of those intentions.  with the holidays approaching, i have felt like i have some catching up to do (18 months later!), so i decided to send a '12 days of christmas' care package.  full disclosure, it has not actually been sent yet. i just completed it today, so here's hoping i can motivate myself to the finish line.

it was a fun process for me, finding the scriptures and coordinating items, designing and creating the tags... i found myself trying to imagine his response to each of the items (and which ones will elicit the most surprised laughter), and i hope that at the very least, the package serves as a reminder that his much older mostly non-communicative cousin has been keeping him in her prayers.

if you're interested, the full list is (and there is no rhyme or reason to the order):

1st day - swedish fish
jeremiah 16:16 - behold, i will send for many fishers, saith the lord, and they shall fish them; and after will i send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks

2nd day - shout pen/wipes
psalms 35:27 - let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

3rd day - flashlight
acts 13:47 - for so hath the lord commanded us, saying, i have set thee to be a light of the gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

4th day - candy canes
1 nephi 8:19 - And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

5th day - calendar
alma 34:32 - for behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet god; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

6th day - gummi worms
d&c 111:11 - therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and i will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. amen.

7th day - something you suck on
mosiah 4:16 - and also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

8th day - cheerios
d&c 68:6 - wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for i the lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even jesus christ, that i am the son of the living god, that i was, that i am, and that i am to come.

9th day - socks
isaiah 52:7 - how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth salvation

10th day - chapstick
proverbs 20:15 - there is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

11th day - hand sanitizer
psalms 24:4 - he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

12th day - tums
d&c 9:8 - But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

thankful

thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for me.  i lost my dog cyra on my first thanksgiving here in california, and, with only a couple of exceptions, have spent most of them (since i moved here) flying solo.  it always seems to be a reminder that my family is far away.

this would be the year to change all that, however!  my cousin and her family recently moved to las vegas from utah.  initially, i thought this would just help make my dreaded work trips there a little sweeter, but i didn't realize there would be a holiday bonus as well!

laurie and her husband shawn were hosting thanksgiving for her siblings and their families, and were kind enough to invite me to join them.  i just couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the holiday with so many people i love.

the long weekend consisted of everything a good thanksgiving SHOULD consist of; great food, great conversation, games, movies, sleeping in, staying up too late, pool and hot tub time (i mean, it's vegas after all), and a 15 passenger van.

growing up, i only saw these cousins about once every other year, but i have always felt a deep connection and abiding love for them.  they are people who i would choose to spend time with even if we weren't related, and based on some of the families i know, that is the highest praise i can give.

facelift

if you've been catching up on the blog using a feed reader, it might be worth taking a look at the actual blog for  a minute.  it's got a new look and i think it's super great and want you to see it :D

home

it seems like i was just bidding adieu to october and already november is coming to a close.

that means i am also celebrating six months in my new home, and it was brought to my attention recently that i haven't said much about this year's move, nor have i provided photos of the 'final' result of all those pinterest pins i posted in my 'moving' album.

the truth is that though there were some groan-worthy transitions that resulted from my moving 15 miles up the road (an hour and a half commute and street parking, mostly), it has been a wonderful change.  i'm happier than i would have thought, to be out of orange county and now in los angeles county, and  i'm happy with the space itself (it FEELS homey).  but mostly i'm happy that my friend, comic-con buddy, and regular partner in crime, makes a perfect roommate for me.

in the six months i have lived in the home she now owns, there has never been an unkind word, an unmet expectation, a moment of awkwardness, or a boundary crossed.  i consider it a near miracle and a great blessing to somehow have naturally achieved that balance between having our own space and solitude and enjoying the interactions we share (although she almost spoiled a walking dead episode for me recently, and that might have done our friendship in!). ;)

so, without further delay, photos of what my neighbor literally referred to as 'the pinterest room'.  little does she know!

let me first give you a rough idea of the layout:

this is the view from the living room.  to the right, behind the coat rack, is the front door.  the open door on the right is one of the two into my bedroom.  to the left of the book case (yes, jami and i both really love to read!) is the dining area, and the open doorway is a small hallway. straight through is my bathroom (also the guest bathroom). there is a door to the left of the hallway that is the guest room/den, and to the right, the other door to my bedroom.

so, moving to my room:

i wanted a 'chill area'.  my bedroom is a good size with a lot of natural light and i tend to hide out a bit when i'm home.  instead of a dresser, i've opted to put my clothes and such in baskets.  there is a lot of mix and match going on, but i love it.  i also love my chair (from overstock.com), and the light gray button details are a perfect match for my target storage ottoman.  the lamps are another fun touch that i'm enjoying.

a couple of things i'll point out... first, you'll notice my scratch-off travel map on the wall, surrounded by vinyl paper airplanes.  it speaks to my current lifestyle, highlighting travel in a whimsical way.  at least - that's the goal.  fortunately (or unfortunately) i usually only get out of the country once a year, so it won't be too much of a pain to pull the map out of the frame!

it took me a loooong time to decide on what i wanted above my bed.  i'm still not entirely sure if i've really committed to that, though i do like these faux window frames.  only problem is deciding what to put in them. if i can find my old-old passport, i might blow up the stamped pages.  i think that might be a fun personal touch, which also happens to compliment the decor colors.

in general, i like details. things other people might not even notice, but that jump out at me and make me smile. these are some of my favorites:

light switches, 'bulletin boards', pillows, and instax photo displays (this one is a magnetic board covered in the same fabric as the throw pillows on my bed), all make for a slightly different take on the 'norm'.

so, there you have it (melissa)!  any questions?

adios october

all good things must come to an end i suppose, and october 2013 is no exception.  before saying a final farewell however, there was time to...

get my two-step on with grant and amy,

enjoy watching cordy and thor spooning for the first time,

have dinner with katherine, in town from colorado for some training,

and catch up with my road trip friend matt, giving me an excuse to try out a new dessert recipe.

oreo pudding cake

the haunted circus

i was excited to be heading back to texas.  i love texas. i'm a lot more country than i think i've previously realized.  but i was also excited because i'd finally be in the right texas town at the right time, to meet up with my friend old virginia friend, stephanie.  to clarify, she's not old, i'm not old, but our friendship is old. old like a fine wine that just gets better with time.

so, i had a lot to look forward to, and when i got a text from a relatively new co-worker asking if i'd be up for a haunted house while we were in texas, the ante got upped!

the decision was made to visit the strangling brothers haunted circus.  i'd like to tell you that i selected it because it appeared on 'top haunt' lists, or that i am particularly terrified of clowns, but really, i selected it because it was the ONLY option on a monday night.  which makes it a happy accident that it is hands down the scariest haunt i've experienced!

since i'm not especially bothered by clowns, i expected it to be 'okay', but it was beyond memorable.  being there on a monday night meant very short lines.  which should have moved faster.  but when i realized why it was slow going, i forgave the delay.  it turns out that they were staggering each group so that you were only going through with the people you came with. that alone made it stand apart.  i hate being lumped in with a larger group and depending on where you are in that larger group, you may actually see everything coming before it comes.  this was not the case at the circus.

also setting it apart was that rather than being set in some kind of building, in line with it's circus theme, it was actually roughly 30 big-rig size trailers linked together in some case and with some outdoor scenes happening between every 3 or 4 trailers.  this was also most excellent for me as i tend to get very hot in haunted houses and the outdoor vignettes gave my body a chance to regulate it's temperature.

but even beyond these seemingly subtle differences, the quality of the scares was far above average.  while not every 'scene' made me react, there was literally something for everyone. in fact, it was this experience that made me realize that my quirky 'cabin fever' --the one that would make me go driving around the neighborhood in three feet of snow, just to know that i could,  is actually a fear on some level.

there was one area in particular that tapped into the fear.  dense with white fog and populated with people wearing white masks and white clothing so that you could not see them until they were inches from your face, it was also impossible to find a way out.  we were in that trailer for probably 6 or 7 minutes, at least two of which, i spent curled up in a standing ball in a corner. our exit was finally made possible by one of the whiteys with a finger point, and i'm not sure we would have found it without the help.  we couldn't even figure out where we had come from!  it was soooo good!

i recently read a review on yelp where the reviewer, referring to some haunt or another, said he considered a haunt a good value if you got at least a minute for every dollar you spent.  we spent 25 dollars and it took a little over 45 minutes for us to go through the entire experience, never running into or being bumped into by any other participants.  they were truly excellent minutes.

and the texas fun was not over.  the following evening gave me a chance to spend a few hours with stephanie.  she had picked fred's texas cafe, a ddd joint that, it turned out, i hadn't been to. we grubbed and gabbed, and i was reminded just how much i love seeing old friends. i love that they come with a shared built in history.  i love that you share certain understandings and don't have to cover old ground, but can go on the same nostalgia trip should you so choose. and i love that you can just pick up where you left off.

needless to say it was a most excellent tuesday night in texas.

trick-or-treat

october makes me positively giddy.  i love the feeling of fall creeping in (at least, everywhere but southern california), knowing that the holidays and family time are drawing nearer, and i love love love haunted houses.

the 2013 haunted house season kicked off in september in san antonio, but october brought it back home for a little while.  first up was the haunted play: delusion.

my, now, roommate and i had discovered the experience last year and this year were joined by our friend kristina.

when october 12th arrived, we made our way to los angeles.  first stop, hyperion public, a great gastropub in the area, where we enjoyed such tasty treats as the 'f yeah fries', and the grilled cheese with bacon jam, pear, and mozzarella.  stomachs satisfied and tongues delighted we made our way to the bethany presbyterian church, the new 2013 location.  it promised to be both creepier and lengthier than the previous year.

we were greeted, given wristbands assigning us to a group, and ushered downstairs to the basement to wait for the experience to begin. this haunt is not so much about being scared as it is about 'participating' in the story.  it was fun to have kristina along since she didn't have any basis for expectations, and jami and i were itching to get started.

throughout the course of the experience, we were each given various tasks to perform, and at one point, jami and i were even pulled from the group (leaving kristina behind) to complete a totally separate storyline that involved plague doctors, musical charts, confessing our sins to a drunk priest, a near beheading...and there may have even been some spanking involved. eventually the rest of the group joined us and we completed the adventure together.  similar to last year, i did feel that the conclusion was  a bit abrupt, but over all, it was a fantastic evening.  it was much longer and the writing was more cohesive this year, as was the acting.  it will definitely go back on the list for next year.

the following weekend, kristina (who turns out to be a haunt lover as well!) ventured out to a local favorite, knott's scary farm.

at the same price as the haunted play, you can't beat the value you get from knott's.  with multiple mazes and rides, you can get a lot of bang for the buck.  but, it had been a couple years since i had been, and it was sooooo much more crowded! in previous years i had been able to do all of the mazes and the big rides in the course of an evening, but this year the lines were extremely long and we only knocked out a handful of mazes and one of the coasters during our five hours.  lesson learned if i decide to go back next year - buy the fast pass!

nontheless, kristina was good company, and i was really impressed at the increased quality of some of the mazes.  there were a couple in particular, where i also felt like the creepies inside were dedicated to their scare-craft, watching your behavior in order to scare you at the best time and in the best possible way.

and it was time for the next leg of the haunt tour, heading out of state again, and back to texas!

western days

with recent trips to nashville and texas, my 'little bit country' side has had a number of opportunities to flourish.  so, i jumped at the chance to keep the theme alive when my friend vicki texted on thursday to ask if i was in town, because she had a rodeo ticket for me.

and come saturday afternoon, i was on my way to san dimas -- about an hour from home -- to meet up with vicki and her crew.  

her boyfriend/baby daddy was serving on the rodeo committee, so, they had secured an extra vip parking pass and a ticket. and i do enjoy vip-ing it.  not only did it mean that i had free, close proximity, parking, but we also had access to the vip tent with plenty of food, drinks, and perhaps most importantly on the 96 degree day, giant fans. 

we spent the afternoon going back and forth between the tent and the sectioned off vip bleachers, and enjoyed some roping, bucking broncs, and of course, bull riding.  i was re-introduced and newly introduced to vicki's post-company (we used to work together) circle of friends,  got a chance to see more of baby jade's personality.

all in all, it was a fantastic afternoon. one of my favorite activities with one of my favorite people.  and i even got out of ther without having to wait in the unending exiting line of cars that seem inevitable at any event. so, basically, perfect!

lone star state of mind

san antonio. a city i generally enjoy, although the river walk is a bit played out for me.  despite finally getting cooler temperatures at home, and knowing i was headed towards hot and humid, i was still excited about this trip. some of my favorite work girls and of course, getting to see the bulgarian for the first time since march!

and, while waiting for my flight, i got a call from my eastern european friend, asking when i'd be getting into town.  since it would be late, we made plans for breakfast the next morning. i arrived safely and without incident, taking up residence in the lovely and oh-so-familiar hilton palacio del rio.

after re-connecting over breakfast, we headed to the exhibit hall to get our respective booths set up.  mine was done relatively quickly so emil joined me for lunch before i made my way back to the hotel and he back to the hall.  i spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on emails, and when emil was finished for the day, we headed out to the river walk for dinner.  

he continues to be someone who's company i enjoy greatly, even though our opinions are almost always at odds with each other. not contentious odds, mind you, but our perspectives are almost always on two completely opposite ends of any spectrum.  in fact, i am constantly surprised at just how well we get along.  

okay, if i'm being honest, and introspective, i'd have to admit that there must be some part of me that appreciates having my ideas challenged.  even though he doesn't directly challenge them, just by virtue of his differing opinion, i'm forced to question, re-evaluate, articulate.  and, because i tend to be a get-along to go-along type, it's a healthy refreshing change of pace.

the exhibit hall opened the following day and i had big plans for the evening.  my new jersey coworker, sam, and i had gotten tickets for a haunted house (my first of my favorite season)! this particular haunted house had been listed on several 'best of' lists, and i was eager to see if it deserved the hype!  

phew! *sigh of relief*  it did not disappoint!  though we needn't have paid for the more expensive 'fast pass' version since it was pretty quiet, it was obvious pretty quickly that this would be different than my previous haunted house experiences.  we had to enter by going down an enclosed twisty turney slide in the complete darkness. 

awesome.

and the rest of the 'house' offered plenty of surprises and scares.  sam and i were glued to each other the entire time, and the threesome going through with us weren't far behind.  in fact, when we finished the experience, my shirt was stretched to three times it's normal size as a result of one of the other girls hanging on for dear life! it was a perfectly lovely way to spend a friday evening.

the following morning in the hall was uneventful. emil joined sam, vanessa and i for lunch, which continued the theme of decent food but terrible service on the river walk. our lunch took almost an hour to arrive at our table!  but at least the company was good. 

afterward, we decided to take one of the river walk boat tours. vanessa had never been, and emil had mentioned wanting to check it out, so the four of us headed to one of the boat landings, bought our tickets, and climbed aboard.

it was pretty routine (i'd done the tour two or three times before) other than the speed talking guide, until about half-way through when an elderly woman became limp and unresponsive.  needless to say, there was an emergency docking, and her family and a couple of the other patrons carried her off the boat while ems was called.  i still don't know what happened or if she is/was okay, but i'd guess that it was a response to the heat, and hope that once she got some fluids and cool air that she made a full recovery.

after finishing our interesting adventure, emil and i headed back to the hall for closing time. and then it was downtime at the hotel for a couple of hours before meeting up again, with the rest of the girls, for dinner.  i had wanted to take everyone out to gruene (pronounced: green) -- a little town about 45 minutes outside of san antonio -- that a few of us had discovered last year when we went tubing.  i was really done with the river walk.  the food hadn't been great and the service at every meal seemed to get worse and worse, and i had been dying to get back to gruene.  i fell in love with it last year and wanted to do more exploring.

but, when a couple of the girls wanted to stay 'local',  i decided that it was nice to not have to be the 'planner' for once, so i sucked it up and prepared for another questionable river walk meal.

it was worse than i could have even imagined.  a disaster on almost every level.  the food took almost two hours (i still can't believe we stayed), and it was terrible.  i was irritated and annoyed and a little embarrassed that i had the bulgarian along for this ugly experience.  he's typically a bit short-tempered, and, maybe because i was feeling that way, he surprised me with his continued attempts to lighten the mood and calm my increasingly fraying nerves.

eventually we were done with that horrid place, and as we were leaving he asked if i had picked the place.  i told him no, but that i was trying to encourage others to not rely on me so much for their extracurricular conference activities.  sometimes i need a break from planning everyone's lives, and they don't often give it to me when we're on the road.  his response; 'everyone has a role. see what happens when you don't fill yours?'

i couldn't help but laugh.  at the very least, i've developed a reputation for finding and selecting good restaurants, so i guess i'll try to stop being annoyed when people want me to do just that.

after dinner we all needed an attitude adjustment, so we cruised the walk looking for a soft and happy place to land.  we were more fortunate than in our dinner location and spent the next few hours chatting, dancing, and laughing before calling it a night.

the following day was the last of the conference.  after successfully shutting down the booth and with the afternoon open for play, i convinced sam to join me for a road trip to gruene.  and she too fell in love with the place, commenting several times that we should have come the previous night.

it has a relaxed, small town america feel, as well as having a rich country music history.  gruene hall has long been a regular stop for some of country's most well recognized performers.  and, even in the middle of the afternoon, as we explored the town following our amazing meal (with excellent service!) there were several venues with live bands playing on stages and outdoor patios.  it was bliss and i will have to make this a regular stop anytime i'm in san antonio!

with an early flight the next morning, we headed back to our hotel to pack and settle in for the night. and thus ended another trip to the lone star state...where i'll be heading back to next month!  oh well, at least i get a three week travel break to catch up on laundry and dog snuggles.

the neon lights are bright

i'm aware that the song refers to a different broadway, but for my purposes, it still applies.  broadway, after all, is where you will find 'honky tonk row' in nashville, a two-three block stretch of fantastic, free, live music. mostly country, but you'll definitely find smattering a of rock if you're looking.  and you can be sure whatever the genre, it's going to be good.

there is so much musical talent in nashville, that unless you've earned your stripes elsewhere, you won't be allowed on a broadway honky tonk stage. and it's why this is always one of my favorite cities to visit.  but before we get to that...

the exhibit hall opened at 7am.  which meant that the wake up call was for 5 am. which meant that my body thought it was 3am.  and that was rough.  the exhibit hall was also painfully slow, which did not help.

there was a mild flurry of excitement mid-way through the day when kix brooks, formerly of brooks & dunn, who was the keynote speaker at the conference, spent some time in the hall signing cd's and taking photos.  and i, of course, couldn't pass that up.  he was a normal sized nice man, partly responsible for a number of great country hits over the years, and i was pleased to have met him.

but the energy levels dropped significantly after that, and it was all we could do to stay awake at the booth. my co-worker, kevin, had never been to a honky tonk before and knew i wanted to go, so he suggested that we retire to our respective hotels for a pre-dinner nap.... he's a smart one, that kevin.

we reconvened a couple of hours later with our other co-worker, sonya, and headed to dinner where we were joined by bobby, a 'local' I met last year through my various trade show interactions. he works with a company that we work with and, something about that southern-ness made me instantly like him. (by the way, he's married and mid-sixties, so not THAT kind of like).

he told us lots of nashville stories, had us laughing 'til our stomachs hurt, and insisted on treating us all to dinner. I tried to explain that we were all on the company dime, but you just try talking a southern gentleman out of showing hospitality in his hometown, and see how successful you are!

needless to say, i lost that 'disagreement'.

after our meal had concluded, he drove us, in his fast, sporty, muscly type car, back to broadway, where I headed straight to the second fiddle -- my favorite joint on the strip.  the crowd is always diverse, the staff always friendly, and the music always good. we spent the next three hours there, and i was delighted to discover that sonya (originally from tennessee) is also a big country fan. kevin, not so much, but he enjoyed the ambiance and the live music element.

we called it a night just after midnight with the promise of another ugly early morning to follow.

and when that ugly early morning arrived, i just couldn't bring myself to head back to the exhibit hall. I had originally planned on staying only until noon before catching my flight home, but i had some urgent emails to respond to and a suitcase problem to figure out.  

both of these things having been successfully accomplished, when kevin called to see if i wanted to join he and sonya for their lunch break, i suggested we try 'arnold's', a cafeteria style southern eatery recommended by bobby the night before, highly rated on yelp, and also on the diners, drive-ins, and dives list. They came and picked me up and we made our way to the restaurant.

it was the best possible way for me to conclude the short trip to the city. I had the chicken and dumplings (made me feel like I should be sitting in y grandma's kitchen on a cold winter day), some excellent slaw, and chocolate pie. we sampled each other's selections, and kevin's hot pepper chocolate pie was a treat.  likely made with chili powder, the slow creep up of the 'kick' as the brownie batter like pie and homemade crust made their way down my gullet, was amazing.  i've always liked mexican hot chocolate - made with chili powder - so i was a big fan.

one thing i noticed this time around is just how successfully nashville cooks manage their spices. our dinner the might before included hot wings, different from any i'd had before. rather than being sauced, they were dry-rubbed. and again, the spiciness crept up on you, building slowly, and stopping at what i felt like was exactly the perfect level of heat. i'm going to have to remember that when I'm back in march!

after our tasty meal, they dropped me back off at my hotel where i picked up my bags and the rental car and headed to the airport, where the costa rican hertz agent told me that for sure i could get a boyfriend in costa rica, and the american agent upgraded me to first class on my direct flight home. a nice way to end a nice trip.

things i've seen and learned in nashville

1.  a 20 ounce diet coke is difficult to come by, but 24 ouncer's are plentiful.  i didn't check, but i suspect the same holds true for sweet tea.

2.  passing a mile and a half's worth of bikes (everything from crotch rockets to harley's) is pretty cool, but what makes it special is the guy on the side of the road doing wheelies in his wheelchair while giving the passing bikers a big thumbs up.

3.  in 2010 heavy flooding ravaged the nashville area (most of middle tennessee, actually) including a seven foot wall of water that surged through the gaylord opryland hotel, opry mills mall, and the grand ole opry. the storm and flooding cost 23 tennesseans their lives (total death toll was 32 including neighboring states).

i've been here a small handful of times since then and during my visit early last year, everything seemed to be mostly back to normal. -- except that opry mills mall had yet to open. one anchor store (outdoor world) seemed on the verge, but otherwise, it was a shell of a building surrounded by empty parking lots.  it had that abandoned 'ghost town' feel, and it was a little depressing.

i'll admit that i hadn't followed the progress, so i was pleased as punch to discover that the mall (next door to the opryland hotel where my event is) is fully operational again.  parking lots are crowded and there seem to be a lot of smiling, shopping bag toting, people going in and out.  seems like things are finally getting back to the way they were before!

san diego: the fun stuff

my recent work trip to san diego was as successful as a work trip can be, but let's just talk about the fun stuff, shall we?

after my friday morning mani/pedi, i packed my 100 pound suitcase (if it's not getting weighed, i just don't know where to stop) and loaded the bike on the back of the car to make the hour and a half drive south.  the first miracle of the trip was that it was actually and hour and a half, free of the usual slow-downs that plague this particular stretch of freeway.

i arrived at the hotel (one of my favorites) a little too early to check-in, so headed downstairs for lunch.  almost immediately after i had finished my meal i got the call that my room was ready and checked in to my beautiful corner king, with views of coronado.  then it was time to don the swimsuit and head to the pool.

a couple hours later, my co-workers julie and sam were finished with the conference service project and joined me poolside before heading to dinner and calling it an early night.

saturday found me up early and cruising the promenade to the hyatt down the strip for booth setup, which went quickly and well. and then it was time for more sun!  julie and sam had headed to coronado for some beach time, and since i haven't been at the beach all summer, i decided it was high time!

we landed at silver strand state beach where the water is filled with flecks of 'gold'.  a little research informed us that it was actually mica that had migrated from the mountains of mexico, and it made for a really uniqye experience.  what also made this beach trip stand apart is that i got in the water.

i know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but for a girl who grew up going to the atlantic ocean, the pacific is downright freezing.  in the almost six years i've lived in california, i've only ever been in the pacific one time. and learned my lesson!  but, the day was really hot, and the water just enough further south to make it bearable, and refreshing even.

we enjoyed the water and were eventually joined by my friend and former co-worker, vicki, who came down to see us all while the girls were in from various parts of the country.  we played with jade, who i haven't seen since shortly after she was born, and were impressed by just how fearless she is.  the water didn't bother her at all, even when she ended up with a mouthful of it.  and i was grateful to see that vicki has not turned in to an overly paranoid mom who wants to shelter their children from every tiny little irritation (i have little tolerance for those moms i'm afraid).

about an hour after vicki arrived, we decided to head back to the hotel for pool time and dinner, but shortly after i had pulled out of the parking lot, i got a call from vicki saying that her car wouldn't start.  i turned around and after an attempted jump, then a wait for a tow truck, we finally said our farewells when i dropped her off with friends, who would take the second leg of the 'get vicki back home' driving tour.

it was more of an adventure than any of us had bargained for, but mostly a disappointment because it cut our time short.  nonetheless, it was great to see her, if only briefly.

the rest of the trip was filled with work, good food, work, some more pool time, enjoying the work commute on my bicycle, discovering that my bicycle needs a tune-up and some re-aligning, and more good food.  all in all, a very successful long weekend!

labor day

the weekend was dominated by sleep. blessed sleep. sweaty hot sleep. but sleep nonetheless.

sunday night found me spending time with my donahoo cousins, which i try to do as often as possible.  with nicole off to byu it did feel a little different, but rachel and i made sure to drown our sorrows by doing what we love best -- taking selfies!

today brought more opportunity for sleep, but also an opportunity to catch up with some old friends.


i have several friends from high school who migrated out here (before i did) and unfortunately we don't take nearly enough advantage of our close proximity to get together.  i'm ashamed to admit that it's been a couple years -- which, given that we live only 30 miles apart, is truly ridiculous!

i'd reached out to brandon and michelle to see if they'd be in town this weekend, and they mentioned our friend bronwyn and her husband were having a cookout--which would also be attended by our other friends andy and kevin.  a perfect opportunity to see some old familiar favorite faces:)

the man of the house was quite a skilled grill-master and my creamsicle fruit dip was a huge hit.  the breezes were a welcome relief from the weekend's hot hot temperatures, and it was awesome to be able to catch up with friends who have known me since i was 16.  a little taste of my east coast home is always appreciated in my west coast home.

luck of the irish

the first show day went smoothly, if slowly.  i wasn't feeling that great (cold getting worse) so i partly planned on hiding out in my hotel room for the evening.  but when tania, my friend and co-worker, invited me to join her at dinner with a potential partner company, i agreed.  you see, this company is owned/managed by a pair of brothers. a pair of really attractive brothers. a pair of really attractive really irish brothers.  or so i'd heard.

in fact, i'd been hearing about them around the office since january and i'll admit that i was curious to see if they lived up to the hype.

they did.

we met them for dinner in the freight district (blah bbq), followed by dessert at power and light, and it was one of those rare evenings where the group dynamic was just exactly right.  for the record, both are attached (married/ long term girlfriend) much to tania's chagrin, but the eye candy was delicious and the conversational chemistry was spot on.  looking forward to seeing these guys at a few more conferences.

kansas city was delivering a lot of pleasant surprises. and there were more to come. 

after opening the booth the following morning, i skipped out to play a little hooky with melissa.  she had mentioned wanting to show me the shuttle cocks (and i only vaguely knew what she was referring to). we started with brunch at westside local (yum, but i think mascarpone is supposed to be sweeter than that!) before she took me to the nelson-atkins museum.  

i'll be honest in saying that i was struggling a little.  i wasn't feeling awesome and the heat exasperated my low-energy.  that being said, i always enjoy my melissa time, even if i'm not holding up my end of the conversational bargain.  and i appreciated the opportunity to get a little taste of kansas city culture...including the shuttle cocks, and the traveling rodin 'thinker' sculpture.

we finished up at the museum and melissa dropped me back at the hotel where i tried to refresh a little before heading over to the marriott to check-in on the set-up for a reception we were hosting.  

fortunately, most of the logistics were being handled by the conference, so i actually got to eat and talk! i had already spent some time with my work crush (i know, i'm using that word a lot lately) on the exhibit hall floor, but had hoped he would be at the reception.  it wasn't until later that i realized he probably hadn't been invited (targeted at a different set of attendees), so when the reception wrapped and i was about to head out, i was pleasantly surprised to see that he had stopped in.  

he left his conversation to come over and say hello, and offered to buy my (much older) co-worker and i a drink at the bar/restaurant. she declined, i accepted, and he bought me a lot of fresh squeezed orange juice!  he also bought me dinner and reminded me what a gentleman looks like, unexpectedly offering his jacket when i mentioned that i was freezing in the air conditioned room, and insisting that i allow him to walk me back to my hotel when i was ready to call it a night (six hours later). chivalry is not dead!

hot country nights

woo hoo! the annual birthday trip -- i mean, work trip -- to kansas city was hot for a number of reasons, and the mid 90's temps and high humidity were just the start.

arriving early always gives me a little extra potential time to spend with my friend melissa, and this year she mentioned that craig morgan would be playing a free concert at the power & light district.  since booth setup was going smoothly, i was able to join her and her husband.

after a quick bite at chipotle, a recap of my east coast trip, and a little girl talk about my relatively new work crush (i thought she'd be shocked at my confession. she wasn't.) who i expected to see during the trip, we headed over to p&l.

since we were early, we decided to hang back a bit where we could sit for the next couple of hours--which turned out to be a great choice.  not only did we manage to remain mostly sweat and foot-pain free, but when craig finally took the stage, we stood on some platform benches and had a perfect view.

and it got better when a few songs in, i noticed a flurry of activity about 10 feet in front of me. took me a second to realize that craig had come out to perform a song in the audience.  and he had just happened to wind up where we were hanging out.

when i relayed the story to my boss after the fact, his response was 'of course he did.'  i guess i've developed a reputation for having good (mostly random) things happen to me, and the truth in that makes me continually grateful.

after he finished singing from his audience stool, melissa, nick, and i decided it wouldn't get better than that and made our exit.

since melissa isn't traveling as much these days, i have to take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with her, so we said our farewells for the evening, and confirmed plans to see each other again in the next couple of days.

the following morning booth setup continued, mostly, smoothly. there was one new piece (a rotating hanging sign) that wasn't working (not rotating) and while it was a great disappointment, it wasn't the end of the world. (meaning, it WILL be fixed for the next show).  what was most surprising though, is that unlike previous years wheen we had been finishing up at midnight or 1am, we were actually done by 2pm.

i almost didn't know what to do with myself, but since i was on day 3 of a rotten summer cold, i headed back to the hotel room for a nap and a shower before meeting the rest of the gang for team-building bowling.

the most interesting new team member was my friend shannon's 3 month old baby, marcus.  i confirmed that he had not yet had a self-portrait, so i got to be the first once again!

while the rest of the team bowled, i opted to play it low(er) key and enjoyed some dinner and conversation with the non-bowlers. and, after a couple of games the group dispersed.

Julie, chris, mike and i decided to head to one of our favorite joints-- howl-at-the-moon, the dueling piano bar chain--where we sang along and judged the crowd.

at midnight i turned into a pumpkin and headed back to the hotel to be ready for the exhibit hall opening the following day.and  little did i know, things were just starting to heat up.

east coast swing, the final movement

with kendyl set to head off to her dad's, i got up early on day 5 to make sure i had some time with the girls -- particularly since they had already complained that they weren't getting to see enough of me.  so we spent the morning goofing off, dressing up, taking photos, and doing lots of giggling and snuggling.  eventually and sadly, the time came to say goodbye to kendyl, and then it was time to get our sightseeing for the day.

day 5 was a day that matt had been eagerly awaiting.  time for our journey into the nation's capital.  i still believe the washington metro is one of THE finest public transportation systems anywhere, so of course, i opted to take advantage of that rather than driving in. it was another first for my friend and we rode in washingtonian style, ear buds in, listening to our audio book.

when we arrived in the city we had two objectives; the air and space museum, and anything else we could fit in after that. and that's exactly how it worked out. i can't say that i have ever spent as many hours in a single museum as i did that day, but i was happy to indulge my companion since he was the impetus for the trip, and the reason i got to see my friends and fam on the right coast.

we closed down the museum and headed out for our walking tour of the monuments.  this was semi-strategic as there are several monuments i prefer at night. i had forgotten that the washington monument was under renovation post-2012 earthquake. fully under scaffolding, the monument took on a completely different look and we snapped a few pics before heading on to the vietnam, lincoln, finishing off with two of my favorites, the korean and the world war 2.

the rain held off and the cool temps were a blessing.  we made our way home and found ourselves awake 'til the wee hours of the morning chatting and looking at photos and finishing 'the maze runner' (which, btw, was underwhelming).

day 6. our final day.  and more aerospace on the agenda. after getting a nice and proper sleep-in morning, we got ready and headed to the udvar-hazy center - the air and space extension built near dulles airport.  this place will always be special to me as i planned a large companyevent there in my former (pre-california) life. and it seemed to resonate with matt as well.  the sr-71 blackbird and space shuttle discovery can't help but be impressive, but it's more than that.  there's just something about the collection and the staging in an enormous airplane hangar that sets it apart from other museums.

the bonus for me was that my friend anne and her husband (and baby adele) had recently landed in the area after doing their 'welcome back to the us' tour, and joined us for an afternoon stroll through the museum. adele was darling and reminded me a little of my niece with the same name. talk talk talk and all smiles.  and apparently the snuggles and kisses she gave me are an extremely rare commodity!

anne and brian departed a little early (so excited i will now get to see them when i'm visiting my folks!), and matt and i finished perusing the various avionic displays before finally heading to the airport where i dropped him off to catch his flight back to california.  since i would be heading on to kansas city for  work, we gave the trip a good review and said our farewells.

all in all, it was a pretty perfect road trip. the timing and activities worked out as hoped for or better, and  i could not have asked for a more perfect traveling companion. my sometimes-crush will remain my sometimes-crush (and only that... i asked), i'm grateful to have had a chance to spend some time with some of my favorite people, and i'm excited to have discovered a kindred spirit in california.

east coast swing, second movement

day 3 arrived and not only were we still speaking to each other, we were still laughing and telling stories and enjoying our audio book.  the plan for the day was a leisurely one.  we'd be making our way up to my folks in northern virginia, but we'd me making a pit stop at the other willises (brinn and fw) for a birthday party.

since that pit stop would already alter our normal driving route, and i knew the likelihood of my being in greensboro, nc again in the near future was slim to none, we may have gone just a little further out of our way to visit the guilford courthouse national park. what was most interesting to me is that it was a revolutionary war site.  most of the historic sites i grew up visiting were civil war, so it was a nice change of pace.

the rain made a full exploration a non-option (which matt probably appreciated), but we followed the driving tour and made a few quick photo stops.  it did not, however, diminish our need for food.  and this is where greensboro, nc became one of my favorite places EVER!  thanks to yelp, we went hunting for the big burger spot.  it took a couple of tries, some alternating sweet and stern talking to the gps, and an absolute refusal to be thwarted, but it turns out this tiny, tucked-in-next-to-a-gas-station burger joint was a hole in the wall to match all other holes-in-walls.  i mean, they have a french fry menu (in addition to their burger menu), and this would easily fall in my top 5 burger/fries nationwide.

time to get a move on though, so onward we went to buena vista, va, where we re-joined colby and julie at brinn and fw's home for georgie's birthday carnival.  fw's mad building skills coupled with brinn's mad creativity were on full display, and even though our morning activities made us a little late, we still enjoyed some chicken-catching, funnel cake, and good company.

after getting our fill of some experimental shaved ice flavors, making plans to see the willises at christmas, and bidding adieu, we continued on to ashburn.  our late arrival ensured that most of the family was already asleep, so i got matt settled in and we called it a night.

day 4 dawned with some new realizations.  the first was that we weren't seeing a lot of 'dawn' anymore. our later and later bedtimes made for later and later wake up calls. ah, finally, a vacation!  the second was that matt and i had survived three full days of continuous and close quarters, and we were still having a blast!  i wish i hadn't been so shocked by this, but i've lost friends as a result of traveling together, so i'm a little paranoid.  but our time on the road was somehow perfectly balanced by conversation, dashboard drumming, audiobook listening and critique, and site seeing.

with the impending doom--i mean, rain--i suggested we push our dc day to day 5 and opt for my last minute back-up plan.  he was curious and interested when i suggested luray caverns as a great 'inside activity', and after spending the waning morning hours with my darling nieces, back into the car we went!

another couple hours of good conversation and we were just outside front royal, va,  visiting the fourth largest cave system in the country.  though i have visited many times, it never fails to impress, and matt repeatedly praised both my idea and the caverns themselves.  it also provided him some phenomenal opportunities to play with his new camera.  so much so that we ended up in three different tour groups.  apparently we were having too much fun and continually found ourselves at the back of one group as the front of the next was coming up behind us.  we did ultimately find a synergistic group with some kindred spirits - which made taking non-self portrait photos a lot easier! ;)

after returning to the surface, we made our way across the parking lot to the car and carriage museum that has never ceased to seem random and weird. but, admission is free and boys like cars, so i hung in there while my traveling companion perused the wood and chrome mobility machines.

a few photos and a few miles down the road later, matt asked me about the 'ice' place i'd mentioned.  i couldn't believe i'd almost forgotten but i was back in rita's territory.  i quickly referred to my rita's app, identified the most convenient location, called mom to let her know we'd be late for dinner (at which point she asked me to pick up a couple of pints), and spent the next hour on the road, mouth watering,praying for pineapple-coconut.

i was out of luck.  but fortunately there is always a good second choice at rita's. i teamed up with a store employee to educate matt on the art of ice and custard, and he made his selection.  i'm not sure it was quite the earth-shattering experience i had led him to believe it would be (and that my roommate and other friends have all enjoyed), but i'm sure that somehow it's his own fault.  regardless, i was satiated.

my family had opted to hold dinner for us, so when we arrived back at the homestead, we got to spend the rest of the evening enjoying their company.  it was one of those nights where no one left the kitchen table for hours, and i was so glad to be home.

east coast swing

when my friend, and sometimes crush, matt, said that he'd never been to the east coast and asked if i'd be willing to take a trip with him, i jumped at the opportunity.for one thing, you can learn a lot about someone when you road trip with them. and for another, visiting some of my closest friends and family? sign me up!

preparing for the trip was a breeze.  i was grateful that he trusted my many years of travel and planning experience, letting me dictate the flow and order of our week long vacation.  and given his professional and personal interest in aviation, i made sure there were plenty of 'flight' stops along the way.

day 1 had us meeting at 5am for our shuttle to lax. me at 5am is enough to send any man (or woman) running, as i can be a little grumpy that early.  maybe it was the adrenaline, but we pleasantly survived that first hurdle.  and after the six hour plane ride to raleigh, nc, we were still friends.  off to a good start!

we headed to julie and colby's for an evening in and enjoyed playing with the kiddos and catching up with the adults.  we were fortunate that it was overcast with temps in the low 70s (as it would be for the duration of the trip) so we spent much of the evening outdoors before calling it a night.

day 2 was 'day-trip' day, and maybe the day matt was most looking forward to.  he had suggested that a motorcycle might be a fun way to make the trip, but with the threat of rain, we opted to stick with the car, and made the 3 1/2 hour drive to the outer banks of north carolina to check out kitty hawk.  it's been 7 or 8 years since i had been there, and frankly, i hadn't remembered it that well.  we spent a few hours exploring the national park (guess who got a stamp?!) learning about the flight-brothers.  and once again, i was grateful for the cool temps since being outside on a normal nc summer day would have been painful!

despite those cool temps and on and off sprinkles, we made our way to the beach, where i was dying to get my toes back in the atlantic!  i had bragged about how warm it is (matt had never been in or even seen the atlantic before) and it wasn't long before we turned the car into an awkward changing room, had our suits on, and were wading into the ocean.

man, i miss that ocean.  granted, it was high tide and a bit rough due to the offshore storms, but warm enough to enjoy without a wet suit (take that pacific. yeah, i'm talking about you!).  we attempted to dry off a little before heading to dinner, enjoyed some grub, and began the journey back to raleigh where we spent another evening with the willises.

still giddy

scroll to 34:40 to see how years of being a nathan fillion fangirl, finally paid off!

and so it begins

june.

i have been dreading, looking forward to, anticipating june for some time. june is going to be a month full of hard work, a lot of travel, fun reunions, and a big move.

june is going to be busy.

this week kicks off the start of a four-event, three week long series of travel.  but before things got too serious, i took advantage of the fact that the first event, our bi-annual all-employee meeting, meant that some of my long distance friends/co-workers would be in town.

monday night found me enjoying dinner with katherine, my favorite colorado colleague and one of my all-time favorite people.  joining us were diana and rebecca (also from colorado), chris (a local), julie (from chicago), julianne (from massachusetts), and cori (from washington).  i love when we have the opportunity to come together from all over the country to enjoy good company, and maybe a chocolate torte or two.

unfortunately, while preparing for today's event, i took a nasty spill yesterday loading boxes and buckets and bins into my car.  the bad knee buckled, the ankle took the hit.  initially, i thought i could shake it off, but it became clear pretty fast that i had sprained it.

the timing could not be worse.  i knew yesterday and today would be filled with walking and lifting and loading and unloading and more walking. but it's my deal.  i tried to delegate as much as possible, and i had a lot of help, but there are some things that are just more natural to me then they are to other people, and if i don't do them, they don't get done.  i wear a pedometer daily, more for curiosity's sake than that i am at all health conscious.  i logged 6 miles yesterday and 9 today.  on a sprained ankle.

and i am dying.  my ankle is killing me. my knee is killing me. and i have no idea how i am going to get on a plane on friday to manage an event on sunday where i typically average 15 miles. only to then go on to two different cities for two other events. kill. me. now.

on the bright side, however, the event was a huge success.  we had a lot of moving parts this time around.  new moving parts -- including four food trucks i hired to feed our 400+ employees, and i had been fearing the worst.

in event planning, the adage 'hope (plan) for the best, expect the worst, and take what comes' is intensely apropos, and at the least, it was a huge relief to have had all the planning and communicating come to fruition exactly as i had hoped.

one down, three to go.

the calm before the storm

may went out with a whimper, a lovely whimper. in a life full of 'bangs', the respite was much appreciated.  which, of course, is not to say that there weren't some fun things going on.  but they were mellow fun things. at home, even. or mostly, anyway.

i spent a little time helping jami get settled and into her new house (my future new house) and am really excited to see how she is putting it all together and thriving in her new role as homeowner.  i've enjoyed getting the updates on paint and wallpaper and appliances, and i love that she has had so many visitors and helpers, and that it feels like a place where people will gather in warmth and laughter.

i caught up with my friend ben to get the low-down on his recent trip to china (side note - i have no interest in ever going to china), and enjoyed chinese take-out from next door, accompanied by butterscotch beer (think 'harry potter') and lion bars (european candy bar that somehow combines twix, kit kat, and krackel). the company was as good as the chocolate.

i had planned to spend the memorial day weekend at home, but tania, my co-worker and friend, invited me up to big bear where she and her sister had rented a ginormous cabin for the weekend.

since my roommate was out of town, and the dogs in need of looking after, i could only make it a day trip, but the four hour drive (round trip) was absolutely worth the fresh mountain air, scenic vistas, and total relaxation.

back home, i celebrated the actual holiday with a bbq at the cousins, and was reminded once again, how grateful i am to have family here!

jami and i closed out the month by catching up on some movies, and i finally saw star trek and the great gatsby.  both were awesome!  my only disappointment came during gatsby when i realized that i was robbed of some really great literature by been forced to read it a little to early.  in high school, fitzgerald's work did not resonate with me at all, and my interest in the movie came largely from baz luhrman's previous work.

after the movie, i immediately downloaded the book on my kindle app.  i mean, with quotes like this:

He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.

how did i almost never read this as an adult!?