winding things down

the virginia recap

1. lara and nick welcomed baby lydia to the world

since i've been giving lara a hard time for literally months about 'scheduling' the delivery to coincide with my trip, i thought that the fates would most certainly align against me. i had it coming really, and i never actually expected it to work out that way. imagine my surprise when it did!


i have to say that lydia is a beautiful baby. mind you, i'm not one of those people who think all babies are cute, but she really really is. i feel so fortunate that things worked out so well, and i got to meet her and spend some quality time with her folks.


2. absent friends

my trip home for christmas was a quick one and there were a few friends who were traveling themselves....meaning it had been entirely too long! this time we remedied the situation.


anne and i indulged ourselves and enjoyed a mani/pedi before grabbing a bite at potbelly's (one of my 'must hit' eateries when i'm here). then we headed back to my place where adam and brenda stopped by to catch up.


3. in it for the long haul

one of the people i always enjoy seeing when i'm in town, is my high school ex-boyfriend and his wife. yup. you read that right. i don't honestly know why life works out the way it does sometimes, but aaron (and later cindy) has been a staple in my life for nearly 20 years now.


the irony is that we never talk and rarely email between trips, but when i'm in town, we always find the time to get together. it's a visit i always look forward to. after all when you've know someone that long pretense is out the window, and there's something wonderfully easy and refreshing about that!

4. another new addition

my friend justin is a newlywed, for about two weeks or so now. since the engagement and wedding happened on mormon standard time (the super lightning speed marriage version, not the must be twenty minutes late to everything version), i had not yet met his bride.


we met for dinner and i got caught up on the wedding and honeymoon. the evening was spent laughing and lamenting at how much change the last year has brought.

the theme of the week is change and all of us have had a busy year. moves and job changes, babies (human and canine) and weddings (or almost weddings)... time is passing so quickly that i'm grateful for the opportunity to take a break from the day to day grind and reconnect with my PEOPLE!

let the good times begin...

with as much traveling as i've been doing lately, i've begun to dread it. me, dreading travel. seriously. but i've been looking forward to this trip for some time, as i knew it would also provide an opportunity for a little home town vacation.

already, it's been a success:) after getting to see the family and just how big kendyl is getting, dad drove me to baltimore, so i could get about the business of work. it's been an interesting experience. baltimore has been completely alive this weekend--probably in large part due to some homewtown o's games and the warm weather.

it turns out that our first night in town was almost TOO alive. the harbor was packed with people and during our hour and a half wait for dinner (not even kidding) there was some major action. a fight of some sort was taking place across the street, but we couldn't see it through the hundreds of people who had circled around to watch and cheer. yes, cheer. it was sheer madness. mostly african american teenagers - maybe some of them were over 18 but not many - running through the streets without paying attention to the oncoming cars, just to get a glimpse of someone being beaten. from the comments we overheard, it seemed that the fight was pretty lopsided, and given the large presence of police and rescue personnel in the area, our little group of three was surprised at how long it took to stop the madness.

once we were finally seated for dinner, things seemed to calm down for a bit. we enjoyed the patio of the cheesecake factory, overlooking the harbor, watching the phenomenal lightning show. but it wasn't long before things seemed to heat up again. in fact, it was about 10 o'clock, and we saw/heard that new diners were being turned away - that the restaurant had closed. when we asked what was going on (normally they should have been open much later on a weekend night), our waitress informed us that the police had closed all the restaurants in harbor place down and mandated that nobody else be allowed in the building. i later learned that there were two additional fights that night, which resulted in the prolific use of pepper spray. not sure if i'm using the word 'prolific' correctly there, but you get the idea. we were especially excited when our waitress also added that there had recently been a stabbing on the floor above (in the food court area). oh joy!

the sad thing is, the inner harbor use to be the safe and nice part of baltimore. apparently they've been struggling lately and have been trying to implement a curfew, with very slow moving results.

the next night, our little group, now down to two (myself and julianne) decided to get out of the harbor area and check out the new robert downey jr. movie. the closest theater was out of walking range, and rather than take the easy route and hop in a cab, we opted to use the light rail system.

me and julianne...off on an adventure

i'm almost embarrassed to admit that despite my many visits to baltimore over the years, i've never been beyond the harbor area. i've most certainly never used the public transportation here, and i thought it would be fun. after all, if i can figure out the metro in amsterdam, in a language i don't remotely understand, it should be a breeze in baltimore, right? well mostly right anyway. we did make one misstep which resulted in a bit of a scenic journey. the upside was that we had given ourselves plenty of time, and the scenic return trip gave two 'damsels in distress' the perfect excuse to chat up the hottie on the train for directions.

ooops. got a little "sidetracked."

after we hopped off at the CORRECT stop, we put our iphone google mapping to use in getting us to the theater. we were both excited to see that it was not one of those new mega 40-plex gleaming theaters, but rather a phenomenal brick warehouse type building with oodles more charm than your standard theater.

my kind of dinner and a movie

the movie itself was above average, but not phenomenal. i had high expectations (having LONG been a fan of rdj), and that usually presents a problem. it was predictable, but i appreciated that they didn't necessarily go with the 'perfect' ending. it definitely had its moments and was worth the screening.

after the movie we popped into the next door tapas restaurant for dinner. the restaurant was a phenomenal find. clearly a neighborhood favorite, we took advantage of the al fresco seating and the perfect evening. our service was good, food better, and atmosphere best of all. it was an enjoyable and relaxing way to end the day.

tomorrow marks the last day of the event and i'm looking forward to spending more time with family and friends for the remainder of the week. i'm especially excited to meet baby wood. i've teased lara multiple times over the last few months that if she were to deliver early to coincide with my trip, i wouldn't object. imagine my happy surprise that she complied!

i expect it to be a most excellent week, and when it's done, i get to go home and sunggle with the new love of my life for almost an entrire month before getting on the road again!

rainbows, and princesses, and queens, oh my

another weekend spent working, but this time, it was a blast! while i'm responsible for my company's participation in several different types of events, one of the more interesting are gay pride events. this weekend was my first, so i headed to phoenix on thursday, not entirely sure what to expect.

what i did know is that i was traveling with one of my very favorite co-workers (melissa) and that one of my very favorite colleagues (joan) would be helping us out at the booth. from the very beginning, it all the makings of a good time.

melissa and i kick things off

melissa and i checked into the hotel on thursday afternoon, and were pleasantly surprised to find that our rooms shared a balcony with a few others and overlooked (and had direct access to) the pool. when i was in phoenix last month i wanted nothing more than to spend a little time in the pool, but it was under renovation...which made this a total score!

after checking in, we ran a few errands and headed over to the show site to do some nominal setup. after that, it was time to meet joan and her girlfriend for dinner. speaking of which, if you're ever in phoenix, i highly recommend 'switch'. joan and i liked it so much on my last trip that we both wanted to go back. and it didn't disappoint--i had the most delicious SALAD!

the crew fantastic (joan, me, melissa)

when i came on board with the company and started interacting with joan (she takes care of all our logo and promo items), we instantly clicked and have become friends. but since she lives in phx and i in socal, i dont get to see her very often. i was excited about hanging out with her for the weekend, and appreciative of the extra help, which, it turns out, was needed.

saturday was out of control (in a good way). we had so much traffic in the booth that there was barely time to look at our watches. the energy was high, and the crowd was great. i was told (by melissa) that this was a pretty 'tame' pride event. while there were definitely some interesting sites to see, there wasn't anything that made me really uncomfortable or out of place.

just a taste of the diversity...

i can't count the number of times i was asked with disappointed expectation if i was straight, but even that disappointment was flattering. it was also flattering to have so many of the men comment on how beautiful i was and how i could possibly be single. that's the thing about a gay man complimenting you - they have no reason to lie! even though it does you no good in the end, it's still an ego boost.

one more thing i particularly enjoy about interacting with this crowd - you can pretty much say what you're thinking. so, when four guys came to the booth to chat with us, one of whom was so incredibly stunning, the first thing out of my mouth was 'you are absolutely gorgeous.' you can't really say that kind of thing to a straight man you've never met before.

ironically, one of the others piped in to introduce my gorgeous visitor as claudia b, 'the best drag queen in phoenix'. the boys spent almost an hour with us and inisted that we come see 'claudia' perform on the following night. we heartily agreed, swapped numbers and emails, and it was time to call it a day.

melissa and i and our new gay boyfriends (paul, claudia b., mike, jamie)

the next day was far slower. painfully slow actually. there simply wasn't as much traffic at the festival. the upside was that we had joan all day, and we took the opportunity to gain a little education. melissa grew up in a religious family and as such, has a similar belief system to mine. this was the first time i can remember being comfortable enough with someone to ask some really probing questions about being gay. i knew that she would not be offended by my questions, and would answer candidly and respectfully - and she did.

it wasn't all serious though - the three of us enjoyed some good laughs and got to know each other better as we passed the day. towards the end of our time, melissa and i headed over to one of the side stages where claudia b. would be performing for the first time that night, and we oohed and ahhhed over the transformation. she was amazing, and we were looking forward to being a little more up close and personal later in the evening.

we packed up the booth, said our sad farewells to joan, and headed back to the hotel for a quick scrub down and dinner. at 10 o'clock, we pulled into the parking lot of charlie's - a local, predominantly male establishment, and headed in. as expected, there weren't very many ladies in attendance. finally, AMAZING odds and it was going to do us absolutely no good! :) the upside of course is that we were able to enjoy dancing to some great music with some really good looking guys without having to worry that they might want more.

claudia b. post-performance

after about 30 minutes, it was time for the show to begin, and put simply, it was fantastic. after the performance we went to chat with my new gay boyfriend/drag queen, took the obligatory self-portrait, and called it a night.

political and religious views aside, i miss having a gay boyfriend. they make for fantastic girlfriends. all in all, it was the most fun i've had at an event thus far. i was in great company all weekend, and truly truly enjoyed myself. i am looking forward to long beach pride next month and hoping that my new friends stay in touch!

...and though it didn't make the play by play, melissa and i did get to enjoy the jacuzzi and pool a couple of times, and it was FAB-u-LOUS!

a post to quiet the masses

my little cousin/nieces & nephews have a very subtle way of reminding me when i haven't posted in a while. they say things like 'hey, you need to post on your blog!' subtle, right?

cordy and i have been settling nicely into our new house. she's everything i could ask for in a canine companion, and this place is everything i could ask for in a home...minus the husband and kids, of course. ;)

cordy is a happy, sweet, and mellow dog. her tail is constantly wagging, usually with one of her front paws simultaneously lifted. i'm told that it's a jack russell characteristic, but i've never seen it before, and it sends me into giggle fits every time. she rarely barks and is an easy dog to have out and about or visiting at the cousins. she is an absolute joy.


her adjustment period has been remarkably smooth sailing. there have been a few 'marking' incidents, but wood and tile floors help relieve that stress while we work on stopping it entirely. despite her mostly laid back personality, she seems to have ended up as the alpha dog. she and suzy enjoy playing together, and she and lady, the lab mix and former alpha, are working out their relationship.

though they continue to settle in to the new hierarchy, it is not uncommon to find the three of them curled up on a bed somewhere..sometimes theirs, sometimes mine, sometimes heather's. initially cordy wasn't interested in sleeping with me (although she has been my shadow in every other way since i brought her home) , but after a few nights of sleeping nested in her bed on top of my bed, she has made the transition.

the first self-portrait

i've been doing some adjusting myself, but it has been remarkably easy. this house has been an answer to prayer in so many ways, and though the timing couldn't possibly have been worse, that in and of itself seems to be a testament to the 'rightness' of the situation.

there is a wonderful spirit about the house and we started to feel it as soon as we signed the lease. the landlords told us they were going to repaint everything and asked us what colors we'd like. they went above and beyond in a thousand+ ways. things like...putting in a screen door when we asked, replacing all of the light fixtures and letting us (heather) choose them, bringing us beautiful plants as housewarming gifts, etc., etc., etc.

could she be any cuter?

heather makes for an ideal roommate...we have similar taste (down to color schemes), we like things clean (don't laugh, mom), we love the dogs, and bonus, she cooks :D

so all in all, despite the crazy timing, and the fact that i'm convinced there are actually only 16 hours in a day (24..ha!) the last two (ish) weeks have been nothing short of amazing. i have a new home, i have a new dog!, i spent a weekend with my best friend (more on that in another post). happiness abounds.

she's home

and so am i! needless to say, it's been a whirlwind. i arrived home on sunday afternoon and started moving. i've been settling in over the last day or so and this morning, i picked up the new addition. meet cordy: