I frickin' love it there. It's my next move. The people are young and friendly, the culture is hip and inspiring, the atmosphere is "work hard, play harder." What more could you want from a city? It's got history, money, power, events, and one of my best friends. It's got a metro. It's even got (gasp) two airports.
AB and I had a ball this past weekend. Nothing more could be desired...except for a stomach pump when we ate too much food at the Spanish tapas restaurant on Friday night during our epic dinner. On Saturday, we went to Eastern Market and gathered veggies and cheese (and various other trinkets) at the farmer's market before setting off for the National Mall walking tour. We visited the monuments and memorials, we chatted, we soaked up the 60-degree sunlight, and we chatted some more. That night, we made dinner at her apartment (a quaint row house in the U Street area) and reluctantly met some friends at a bar down the street.
Sunday morning was lovely again; the city had barely woken up by 9am when we started our walk of the neighborhood and it was mighty peaceful. We had an amazing brunch in town and took the metro to the airport where I flew to Springfield, MO.
DC rocks my socks off.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Frenzied State
I'm just about to wrap up my day in Baltimore and I thought I'd show a little "blog love" to all of my ADORING fans. (Read: Sarcasm.)
Maryland is the 45th state I've been to, thanks to this trip. I have 5 left: Delaware (to be taken care of in March by a quick drive there from Cherry Hill, New Jersey), Arkansas, Alaska, South Carolina, and West Virginia. No problem, right? Well, after this job, I can't think of another time I'd actively WANT to go to West Virginia...or Arkansas for that matter! But, I think I can swing Alaska (by way of a birthday cruise for my beautiful mother?) and South Carolina (warmer weather equals 3-day vacation spot...). I'm almost to all 50 states, now it's just a matter of broadening my list of countries and continents!
In any case, I'm headed to Richmond tonight for another seminar and more fun. I've seen a lot of my colleagues on the road this week and I'm spending the weekend in DC with a dear friend, so I've got a lot to look forward to. This is ironic, though, because I'm trying this new thing (maybe you've heard of it)...it's called: "Living in the Moment." Well, if you haven't heard of it, let me be the first to tell you, it is NOT EASY. At least for me. Phew! Lots of mental energy expended on trying to ensure I'm living IN THE PRESENT. Surely, it alleviates my stress some, but man, it's tough to do. Luckily, I have JH to help me out whenever I get too "plan happy." Yay for him! (No, I'm being serious.)
Alrighty, then. Onto my next city (and my possibly heinous drive through DC)! But hooray for Ethopian food in Virginia - it will be waiting for me when I get there!
Maryland is the 45th state I've been to, thanks to this trip. I have 5 left: Delaware (to be taken care of in March by a quick drive there from Cherry Hill, New Jersey), Arkansas, Alaska, South Carolina, and West Virginia. No problem, right? Well, after this job, I can't think of another time I'd actively WANT to go to West Virginia...or Arkansas for that matter! But, I think I can swing Alaska (by way of a birthday cruise for my beautiful mother?) and South Carolina (warmer weather equals 3-day vacation spot...). I'm almost to all 50 states, now it's just a matter of broadening my list of countries and continents!
In any case, I'm headed to Richmond tonight for another seminar and more fun. I've seen a lot of my colleagues on the road this week and I'm spending the weekend in DC with a dear friend, so I've got a lot to look forward to. This is ironic, though, because I'm trying this new thing (maybe you've heard of it)...it's called: "Living in the Moment." Well, if you haven't heard of it, let me be the first to tell you, it is NOT EASY. At least for me. Phew! Lots of mental energy expended on trying to ensure I'm living IN THE PRESENT. Surely, it alleviates my stress some, but man, it's tough to do. Luckily, I have JH to help me out whenever I get too "plan happy." Yay for him! (No, I'm being serious.)
Alrighty, then. Onto my next city (and my possibly heinous drive through DC)! But hooray for Ethopian food in Virginia - it will be waiting for me when I get there!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Yes, Hawaii was quite the trip...
...made memorable by the fact that my phone totally died and I spent the majority of Saturday afternoon taking the bus to the nearest Sprint store to get it fixed up.
It's both interesting and unfortunate (and a little bit disgusting) how attached I am to my phone. I have this urgency about me, this NEED to be available at any time in any place to anyone. It's a sick, sick disease and I'm hoping to rid myself of it soon. My remedy, you ask? A trip to Europe where absolutely no cell phoning can take place.
Other than that (which, sadly, did mar the trip a bit) I had a GREAT time in Honolulu. I did, in fact, spend some time on Waikiki which included going for a morning run down the strip and doing yoga on the beach before soaking up the rays. I am definitely tanner than I was on Thursday. Surely.
Also, let it be known that I packed for this three-week trip to cities such as Portland, Los Angeles (area), Honolulu, Chicago, DC, St. Louis, Newark, and Long Island (in January and February) all in a 22-inch suitcase.
I pretty much rock, thankyouverymuch.
It's both interesting and unfortunate (and a little bit disgusting) how attached I am to my phone. I have this urgency about me, this NEED to be available at any time in any place to anyone. It's a sick, sick disease and I'm hoping to rid myself of it soon. My remedy, you ask? A trip to Europe where absolutely no cell phoning can take place.
Other than that (which, sadly, did mar the trip a bit) I had a GREAT time in Honolulu. I did, in fact, spend some time on Waikiki which included going for a morning run down the strip and doing yoga on the beach before soaking up the rays. I am definitely tanner than I was on Thursday. Surely.
Also, let it be known that I packed for this three-week trip to cities such as Portland, Los Angeles (area), Honolulu, Chicago, DC, St. Louis, Newark, and Long Island (in January and February) all in a 22-inch suitcase.
I pretty much rock, thankyouverymuch.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
DISNEYLAND!!!!!!
OMG. I am having the best week EVER!
I went to Disneyland last night for a few hours. Let me tell you, the full price of $70 I paid to get in from 5pm to 9pm was TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'm serious. I was like a kid in a candy store - so, so, so excited to be there!
I was accompanied by my colleague who, incidentally, LOVES Disneyland and has been there at least 20 times. She has an annual pass, for goodness sakes! Here was the plan of rides we discussed, then carried out:
-Big Thunder
-Pirates of the Carribbean
-Indiana Jones
(Corndogs and Cheetos)
-Star Tours
-Space Mountain
-Buzz Lightyear
-Matterhorn
-Peter Pan
(Ice cream)
Tonight, we fly to Honolulu. WOOOOOHOOOOO! I'll be lying on Waikiki beach this weekend. What are you doing?
(Sorry, I'm a total snob!)
OH MAN, it's during weeks like these that I love my job!
I went to Disneyland last night for a few hours. Let me tell you, the full price of $70 I paid to get in from 5pm to 9pm was TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'm serious. I was like a kid in a candy store - so, so, so excited to be there!
I was accompanied by my colleague who, incidentally, LOVES Disneyland and has been there at least 20 times. She has an annual pass, for goodness sakes! Here was the plan of rides we discussed, then carried out:
-Big Thunder
-Pirates of the Carribbean
-Indiana Jones
(Corndogs and Cheetos)
-Star Tours
-Space Mountain
-Buzz Lightyear
-Matterhorn
-Peter Pan
(Ice cream)
Tonight, we fly to Honolulu. WOOOOOHOOOOO! I'll be lying on Waikiki beach this weekend. What are you doing?
(Sorry, I'm a total snob!)
OH MAN, it's during weeks like these that I love my job!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Inaugural Afterthoughts
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
I sat watching the political events from the past few days at my various hotel locations and I couldn't help but think: WOW. What a historic time period for our nation. What an amazing occasion for the world.
One of the broadcasters mentioned that the moment Obama was inaugurated was proposed to have had the most viewership EVER in the lifetime of television. Over one billion people were to have watched what happened in our nation's capital at noon (EST). How incredibly humbling.
I certainly feel lucky to be a part of history in the making!
Wow.
Wow.
I sat watching the political events from the past few days at my various hotel locations and I couldn't help but think: WOW. What a historic time period for our nation. What an amazing occasion for the world.
One of the broadcasters mentioned that the moment Obama was inaugurated was proposed to have had the most viewership EVER in the lifetime of television. Over one billion people were to have watched what happened in our nation's capital at noon (EST). How incredibly humbling.
I certainly feel lucky to be a part of history in the making!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Holy Heuvos Rancheros!
It was my first experience with the breakfast dish this morning in El Paso and it was yummy.
I'm feeling good today (again, imagine that!) and I think it's because I actually "got ready" this morning. More specifically, I straightened my hair (it's so long!) and put on a stellar outfit (white blouse with high-waisted skirt and nude heels). My effort totally paid off in self-esteem points because the really attractive banquet manager told me, "Don't take offense to this, but you look very gorgeous today."
Haha. My boyfriend would say that's exactly what you DON'T want to say when approaching a beautiful woman, but what does he know? I'm still flattered. It certainly proved to pump me up even more than usual! Perhaps I'll be more motivated to put the effort in every morning...
I'm feeling good today (again, imagine that!) and I think it's because I actually "got ready" this morning. More specifically, I straightened my hair (it's so long!) and put on a stellar outfit (white blouse with high-waisted skirt and nude heels). My effort totally paid off in self-esteem points because the really attractive banquet manager told me, "Don't take offense to this, but you look very gorgeous today."
Haha. My boyfriend would say that's exactly what you DON'T want to say when approaching a beautiful woman, but what does he know? I'm still flattered. It certainly proved to pump me up even more than usual! Perhaps I'll be more motivated to put the effort in every morning...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sunny-ness and Bliss
I'm feeling rather good this week. This is the result of a broader perspective (thank you, 2009!), sunny locations (Salt Lake City, Phoenix, El Paso), and early flight arrivals (YEAH!) - I think this means that 2009 will be a successful year for me.
I've been able to get out at lunchtime and go for a quick walk or run in the past three cities. Salt Lake City was holding steady at a beautiful 40 degrees yesterday while Phoenix was at a sultry 70 degrees this afternoon (and that southwestern sun is HOT!) when I took my crossword puzzle outside to bask for a bit and get my monthly dose of Vitamin D. I can't tell you how happy I am to be in the south this week considering the wickedly cold weather that's blasting through the midwestern parts of the country right now. I don't envy those in cities below zero, that's for sure! And this isn't the end of the road for my experience with beautiful weather this winter. This weekend, I'm in Vegas with my colleagues, then next week I'm headed to sunny California (and will also be visiting some good friends in the process). After that, I'm off to Portland for a weekend of fun with JH, and then California again before flying off to Hawaii for a Friday seminar and a wild Saturday of craziness with another coworker. As we get into February, I'm back to a slew of of east coast dates with cities in Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. I spend nearly all of March on the east coast (with weekends in NYC and possibly Boston as well as Green Bay) and April is yet to be seen. By that time, I'll probably be off the road and into the office until July.
Sorry about that. I didn't realize this was turning into my time to plan for the next 8 months instead of my time to blog. Silly me!
In any case, 2009 is getting started on the right foot. Now, I'm going to retire to my 'deluxe' room in the Radisson (Hello sleep number beds!) to eat my Mexican beef steak with ranchero sauce, watch bad television, and primp for Vegas.
I've been able to get out at lunchtime and go for a quick walk or run in the past three cities. Salt Lake City was holding steady at a beautiful 40 degrees yesterday while Phoenix was at a sultry 70 degrees this afternoon (and that southwestern sun is HOT!) when I took my crossword puzzle outside to bask for a bit and get my monthly dose of Vitamin D. I can't tell you how happy I am to be in the south this week considering the wickedly cold weather that's blasting through the midwestern parts of the country right now. I don't envy those in cities below zero, that's for sure! And this isn't the end of the road for my experience with beautiful weather this winter. This weekend, I'm in Vegas with my colleagues, then next week I'm headed to sunny California (and will also be visiting some good friends in the process). After that, I'm off to Portland for a weekend of fun with JH, and then California again before flying off to Hawaii for a Friday seminar and a wild Saturday of craziness with another coworker. As we get into February, I'm back to a slew of of east coast dates with cities in Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. I spend nearly all of March on the east coast (with weekends in NYC and possibly Boston as well as Green Bay) and April is yet to be seen. By that time, I'll probably be off the road and into the office until July.
Sorry about that. I didn't realize this was turning into my time to plan for the next 8 months instead of my time to blog. Silly me!
In any case, 2009 is getting started on the right foot. Now, I'm going to retire to my 'deluxe' room in the Radisson (Hello sleep number beds!) to eat my Mexican beef steak with ranchero sauce, watch bad television, and primp for Vegas.
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