are we done yet?

this is wayne.

wayne is a supervisor (my supervisor) with our exhibit house.  he takes care of me at all of our large trade shows, and he's one of my favorite colleagues.

you can't really see wayne in this pic, because wayne has wedged himself in the only air space left after we crammed the rental car full of boxes, and a couple other people.

wayne is always bending over backwards (or forwards), with a smile on his face or a thumb in the air.

and this is what day 2 of a booth set looks like. we're already so exhausted, we contort ourselves into tight spaces just to avoid making multiple trips.  git'r'done.

let's get it started

day 1 of booth setup for our biggest trade show of the year.  let's get this show on the road...so i can get myself to costa rica ;)

first class

1. just a little light reading

2. a cheese plate? yes, please!

3. a perfect place for the ipad to sit while i enjoy a movie

4. an actual bottle of water (not those stupid cups!)

5. mmmm. breakfast

6. a pillow. and a soft blanket. and a place to lay my head

a 'perfect' travel day is akin to winning the lottery.

i generally have pretty good luck when it comes to travel, but it never goes 'perfectly'.  today may have been as close as it gets.

the night before my departure, i learned that my upgrade request had already been confirmed, and i'd be making the (direct!) flight from la to orlando in first class.  as southern california is a hotbed for business travelers, i NEVER get upgraded.  and, while i rank fairly high on the hierarchy of road warriors, it's typically not high enough for socal. score = 1.

despite my grunmblings about being up before the crack of dawn, i was relieved when my shuttle was on time and there was no traffic en route to the airport. score = 2.

i successfully took advantage of tsa-precheck (a special check-in option for frequent fliers which allows one to simply set their bags on the belt and walk through the metal detector.  meaning, no taking off shoes, jackets or having to take out out laptops or liquids.) as a part of the random screening, every once in awhile, it just won't work.  today, it did.  score = 3

spent my extra downtime (shuttle was fast!) hanging out in the admirals club. score = 4

the flight left on time and arrived early.  i got breakfast! score = 5

my bag arrived quickly. score =6

i headed across the street to the hertz gold desk (no rental car shuttle needed here!) score = 7

my name was on the board with a stall number.  i skipped the desk headed straight for the car, and made my way to dinner with some of my favorite colleagues. score = 8

on a 1-10 scale, i'd say i did pretty well.  i'd have chalked the day up as a 10, but then i realized that i had to keep 9 and 10 in reserve for the day that i find myself riding the escalator down to baggage claim and seeing nathan fillion at the bottom, holding a sign with my name on it.

a girl can dream, can't she?

january 16

looks like i'm ready for costa rica!

fingers crossed (hee hee) that the tropical manicure survives the long work week in orlando first.

january 15

i'm pretty much nowhere near ready for the 5k i'm 'running' in february (two days after i get back from costa rica), but at least i'll be geared up and lookin' cute while i suffer!

january 12

life is funny sometimes.  sometimes you end up hanging out with an old acquaintance and  former ex-boyfriend of three of your friends, because you've known each other for along time and it's nice to be reminded of 'home' and to be with someone you've known for a long time.

something about a little nostalgia, a shared history, even it if it comes with different perspectives, and a couple of snarky senses of humor, makes the longing to return to my east coast roots just a tad more bearable.

top it off with an excellent meal at a cool location, and you can call an evening a success.

january 9

sent by colleagues wishing me a happy new year.  
they had no idea how much i needed a little chocolate 
in my life .

been a bit of a rough week here in la la land.

that little romance i mentioned before?  mmm. not so much.

it's not that the thing never really got off the ground that's so disappointing, it's that i was led to believe that it would.

the short version, which isn't so long anyway, is that i recently re-connected with an old flame and discovered a spark still there. i was surprised.  and excited!  it's been a long time since i felt a spark. with anyone.  and it seemed like for the first time, in a long time, i was just starting to make out a picture in the puzzle pieces that have been hanging out, jumbled, on the coffee table that is my life.

suffice it to say, i was given good reason to believe that the feeling was mutual, and it turns out, i basically got played. so, i'm battling a fair amount of frustration and anger right now.  and yet, i also have surprising moments of gratitude.

i'm thankful for the lessons i've learned and the life experiences that have tested and strengthened me.  i'm grateful for perspective, and the knowledge (though not quite yet the feeling) that i dodged a bullet on this one. i'm also grateful for the nostalgia trip this sent me on, causing me to re-visit my past and the incredible people that have shaped it.  and i'm grateful for chocolate.

january 8

2002: our weekly thursday night dinner foursome

i love technology. sometimes, technology doesn't love me.

recently i went looking for some specific old photos, when i discovered that the site i used to host photos on (before smugmug and flickr and the million other sites now available existed)  had been completely redone, and my photos, nowhere to be found.

of course, i had them backed up on an external hard drive. which got corrupted years ago.  and there was no way to re-download them from the site. so, i went on a treasure hunt, not knowing what i had in hard copy form.

i'm still digging through boxes to see what i can find, but the last couple of days have been filled with the re-discovery of so many wonderful memories.

i am so grateful that my dad was taking photos from as far back as i can remember, that i inherited the addiction, and that so many people along the way enabled it. when i look at these old pictures, i can't help but be reminded of the amazing people i have had the privilege of knowing.  i am so grateful for the lessons they've taught, the memories they've shared, the patience they've shown, and the support and the love they've given. i have lived a blessed life, better for having them in it.

january 5

aptly named, this 'based on a true story' movie seems all but impossible.  the idea that that there could be a happy ending in a tragedy that took nearly 300,000 lives, seems beyond reason.

and truly, it is beyond reason.  it can't be explained or justified, it just is what it is.  miraculous.

sometimes i find myself hoping for miracles in my own life, yet lacking faith in their ability to manifest.  a movie (story) like this reminds me just how powerful god is and just how able to work those miracles.

hands down one of my favorite movies of the year.

january 4

i may be a lot of things, but a runner i am not.  in fact, my bum knee is as bum as ever.  but the idea of a 'color run' was something i was drawn to.   i think i fell in love with the idea of creating a team and having some great photographic opportunities.

a graphic designer i work with created a logo for our team, the purple people eaters, and another co-worker volunteered to embroider headbands.

today, the temporary tattoos i ordered arrived and i just had to do some quality control!

here's hoping i survive february 2nd!

january 2

emptied out and getting to chill at home for a couple of weeks.

january 1

my visit home to virginia for the holidays was filled with family, friends, food, music, movies, SLEEP...and even a little romance that has potential (fingers crossed!) for big romance.

it was, all in all, just about as perfect as a week can get, but this photo, for me, sums it up.