We went to Hawaii!

and here is the play by play as well as I can remember it:

Day 1
Sunday
We said our goodbyes to Cabo and Asia. Sandy would take him to Spot and come feed her every other day. We left for the airport around 8:45 (a few minutes earlier than planned). Thank goodness too because the Publix marathon was happening at that very moment, so we had a few detours. (Leah Winkler was actually running this ->wonder if we saw her!) We arrived at the airport and proceeded to curbside check-in. Then while Matt parked the car, I decided to take a picture of our boarding pass and post it on facebook… we are now officially headed to Hawaii! We then grabbed a little breakfast and coffee and boarded the plane. I guess now is the time when I should’ve said it is official…?oh, facebook...

By this time, we are sitting on a 9hour flight… hoping to nap…. But I didn’t. at all. Matt did. A little. Instead, we watched a couple of tv shows and movies including Dolphin Tale and Friends with Benefits.
We made it to Honolulu... had a little drinky drink at the airport, then jumped on our flight to Maui…

We landed, got laid by our driver, grabbed our bags then headed for a sunset drive up the coast to our home for the week: The Ritz Carlton at Kapalua.

We decided we should probably have some dinner, so we ordered a little sushi at the restaurant in the hotel. It was pretty good… but I could barely keep my eyes open (it was ~2am ATL time) much less eat dinner… so Matt ended up eating a little more than he bargained for...

We walked up to our room, hoping to put on pjs and pass out…but even after eating dinner, our bags were still not there.. oh em gee…so we called and found out there was a problem with the luggage… go figure… I went to sleep anyway :/ …

Then the bellhop came and I had to properly get ready for bed…

Day 2.
Monday
Good Morning, Hawaii! *said my rear to the toilet*… I woke up around 5am local time and couldn’t very well leave the room for several hours… welcome to Hawaii…

But, after a couple of hours, Matt woke up, bought me some medicine then lunch... and we were good to go…Other than rescheduling our Monday morning surf lessons, no harm done…

In the afternoon, we walked down to the Ritz beach and took a nap (on a grassy area before you get to the beach), then to the pool where we met several other Dell Secureworks employees: Paul and Lisa, Yaacova and Kevin, Mahsa and Jordan, Mike and Gretta , John and Chrissy. (Did I forget to mention this was a work trip? Sorry about that. It could’ve been because I’d forgotten myself, until we saw them at the pool…surprise! you aren't anonymous this trip!) We all hung out for a few hours. Most everyone had a few drinks (not me after what had happened that morning) but everyone had a good time!

When we got back to the room, we noticed a basket of goodies from the hotel. It included wine, fresh pineapple, bananas, apples, chocolate covered and regular macadamia nuts and more with a handwritten note from the bus boy apologizing for the mix up with our bags the night before. What a nice gesture… that’s Ritz service for ya…

While we were at the pool, we made plans for dinner: the Plantation House at sunset. It was located on the golf course near the hotel. Gorgeous view! Food was ok even though they raved about how fresh the fish was. Everyone mentioned above except Yaacova, Mahsa and their plus ones went with us.
Though we made it through dinner, we were tired by 7pm…. Still waking up at 5am (ATL time). So, afterwards, we went back to the hotel and passed out early.

Day 3
Tuesday
We made our way down to Buzz’s Wharf to take the Trilogy out to Molokini Crater and Turtle Town for snorkeling. They fed us cinnamon rolls, fruit, and coffee for breakfast… We decided to try out Snuba for the Molokini Crater… it was ok. Not worth the extra $$ at that location. While at the second location, Turtle Town, we saw two large (old) sea turtles and just hung out with them at the surface. What a cool feeling… we got a few good pictures.

We jumped back on the boat and they gave us teriyaki chicken (seems like everyone serves teriyaki here...I think I've decided it 'isn't my favorite'), rice, a taro roll, and a yummy salad for lunch. About 30mins later we had ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert.

Once we got back to the dock, we witnessed a kid try to steal a bike and get beaten up by an older man (the owner of the bike)->that was interesting… then went back to the room and relaxed for a bit before getting ready for the big Dell Secureworks dinner.

We walked down to the beachside restaurant to notice a little booth setup for everyone to pick out their own pair of Maui Jim sunglasses! How cool! Then we mingled with everyone over drinks and worked our way over to the buffet style dinner. We sat with Andy and Ashlyn Held and heard about their fun trips island hopping around Hawaii before tonight. After a little conversation, it started sprinkling, so we all huddled under the beach bar roof and had a few more drinks before heading up the ~.5mile trek up to the hotel for bed. We were exhausted. Jetlag at its finest.

Day 4
Wednesday
We woke up and walked to Kapalua Adventures for our zip lining experience. We got our safety briefing then jumped in the ‘Pineapple Express’ to make our way up the mountain. That was the scariest part! It was raining the roads were terrible and I was beginning to wonder how much these guys had to lose if the van fell down the mountain...but we finally made it to the top….It was raining cats and dogs, and Matt and I were worried if this was going to be any fun in the rain… but we walked across the hanging bridge over 200 ft above ground and probably 75 yards long…. then jumped in another hummer-esque vehicle to roll even further up the mountain…
The guide passed out the trolleys based on weight, then we carried our own gear to the first zip line. Matt was the guinea pig… the very first of everyone in the group to jump on the zip line… he was a champ and made it all the way across…I was second…and hesitated, but made it…what a spectacular view and experience: to look up and over the town to the ocean and/or look down at a Hawaiian rainforest! Unbelievable really… we zip lined five times before making our way down to the last of them at a ‘swing.’ Kind of like something you would see in Panama City, but this one threw you over a valley and into nothingness instead of over a street. Again: unbelievable! We had lunch (chicken sandwich (thank goodness it wasn't teriyaki), chips and salsa and brownies) then headed back to the building… (where we bought the pictures and a t-shirt for Skip. The t-shirt said “I’ll show you my starfish if you show me your pencil.” Referring to the movements you make while you are on the zip line….)

We walked back to the Ritz…. I got ready for my facial while Matt got ready for his meeting. If Matt’s meeting was even 10% as good my facial… best I’ve ever had…

But then I went back to the room and got sick again for the rest of the evening... Once he returned from his meeting, Matt ordered in room service (kids spaghetti and meat sauce with a sprite for me (my comfort food) and a hamburger for him.) he was so nice about it. … I’m very lucky. Then we passed out...

Day 5
Thursday
We were supposed to go for a sunrise bike tour down the volcano…but given my state of health the night before, and our lack of motivation to meet in the lobby at 2am (among other not so great stories we were beginning to hear about the bike ride) we decided to bail… Instead, we enjoyed breakfast at the Ritz’s all you can eat buffet. It was good, but waaaaay overpriced… I had an everything omelet; Matt had Eggs Benedict and we sampled other items. And… we were able to reschedule our surfing lessons…

WOW! So much fun. After a quick lesson, we went out in the ocean with the instructors. Big waves (3-4ft) and had arguably the best time of our trip. We both got up on the board, but Matt actually did really well! He stood up every time and was able to keep his balance throughout the ride. My surfer dude! This town is where we bought our new Hawaii rash guards and will forever remember it as the first place we went surfing!

We shopped around for a little while then headed back to the Ritz for our couples deep tissue massage. Oh, what a treat, surfing is not easy on your body!

After the massage we had to get back to the room and get ready for dinner with Paul & Lisa, Mike and Gretta, John and Chrissy, Tyler and Leah and Mike and Kathy Cote… we took a car down to Lahaina Grill. Yummy! The table shared appetizers. I had the mahi mahi and Matt had the pokoiki special. Mike C ordered wine: sister to ‘the blue eyed boy’ by marquis Phillips. Then we had desserts compliments of the Ritz. (that’s what happens when you dine with Mike Cote) Then all wobbled home. ... we still aren’t accustomed to the time zone change… :/


Day 6
Friday
After all of our talking about surfing on at Thursday, Paul and Lisa and Jon and Chrissy decided to schedule surfing lessons for Friday…so we dropped them off in the Jeep we had rented and decided to do a little more shopping in that area. We walked around, bought an ornament and a pair of white flip-flops, then began to head back. We were scheduled to hang with the Winklers and Cotes over deep sea fishing for a few hours. So, we got back and changed… then met them in the lobby to find out it had been switched to whale watching and Coleen and her sister were also coming. Yay!
We then set out to sea with packed lunches. We saw several whales (similar to the views we had when we went snorkeling)…but then… closer to the end of our trip, as everyone was looking off the front of the boat, we heard a large champagne cork blow behind the boat (aka the whale blowing out of his spout!) then a huge whale swam right underneath our boat. It is unreal how big these guys are!

Once we got back to land, we grabbed some shaved ice then headed back to the hotel. The sales guys had a meeting at 4pm. While Matt was working, I sat by the pool with Greg Parson’s wife and, among other things, found out about a much cheaper place to grab breakfast: the general store.
Shanna and I laid out for a little while then headed back up to the room to get ready for the big 6pm dinner. We walked down to meet the boys at the beach house, but realized it was way too windy and cold for what we were wearing, so we went back up, changed and walked back down in much warmer attire. The yard was set up beautifully (as if we were attending a wedding) with tiki torches, a bar, whit table clothes and candle lit tables. Tyler and Mike gave their speeches, then we sat down for dinner. Just after we finished our salads, it started raining. So, everyone ran for cover under the bar again… it stopped and we all sat back down… 10 minutes later( long enough for some people to get their food) it started raining again.. harder… and did not let up… what a fiasco… they brought the food underneath the bar where everyone was crowded and wet, to eat filet mignon with our fingers… Then we shuttled on golf carts back up to the Ritz to finish dinner and have dessert… we found out later that this was a several hundred dollar per couple meal that got ‘rained out’…

Day 7
Saturday
We went with the Held’s and Winkler’s on a helicopter tour of the island. Waterfalls, sugar cane… It was gorgeous. The pilot dropped us off the Hana airport where Surfer Sue picked us up in a conversion van to give us a tour back to our airport. We had lunch at a black sand beach and walked around… amazing. Beautiful sites! She told us about the different legends of the island and we sat and listened in comfort. We had plans to go swimming in a water hole with a waterfall, but it was too cold and rainy…
We all stopped for dinner at a place called: iono and topped off a fantastic day…
We then headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Day 8
Sunday
We are now officially adjusted to the time change! Just in time to go home… we woke up around 8 and ordered breakfast in while we packed… whoa. I always forget how expensive room service can be... geez…
We got dressed and met our driver around 10:50… with a little extra time to stop by Sports Authority to pick up a gym bag, since we were going to be well overweight on our luggage.

We checked in, grabbed our last meal in Hawaii at “Sammy’s” (Sammy Hagart’s restaurant) and prepared to head back to Honolulu, then to the mainland. We met up with the Held’s at the gate and hung with them during our layover at Honolulu, too. They’re a hoot.

On the flight, Matt finally started The Hunger Games, and I started this blog (until my computer died). Then, I moved along to watch the movie “I don’t know how she does it” and started “Larry Crowne”… I fell asleep during Larry Crowne and was out until we landed at about 7:20am Atlanta time… we made it home safely to find that our house was still there and the only major change was that everything had turned yellow (from the record breaking amounts of pollen) and we had weeds 3 feet tall…(how did that happen? We were only gone for a week!)

We took a little nap, then picked up Cabo from Spot… he was clean and exhausted (just like us)… Now it is time to welcome ourselves back to the real world…

What the world needs is people who COME ALIVE!

Welcome to 2012! A week or so into the year, my mother-in-law asked what my word was going to be…my verb for 2012. A word to guide me through the year. A word to root me. To inspire me. A word that I would like to be used at the end of the year to describe what I did with 2012….

I chose “stretch.”

My goal for the year, my 27th, is to stretch my mind, stretch my body… stretch my limits.

2011 was unquestionably a year of change for me and Matt. In January, I started a new job. Then decided to quit and take another offer by March. I was making good money, but still unfulfilled (one of the reasons I left my job at the end of 2010). Matt was starting school (to get his MBA), and he inspired me to do the same. I wanted to help people. I was tired of… not making a difference. So, I enrolled in some classes to start the change in my career… from marketing to medicine (or healing of some sort).

I quit my second job of the year and took a chemistry and an anatomy and physiology course last fall. Most of the majors I was interested in required both (Physical Therapy, Nutrition, Nursing…) . I made an A and B. Not too bad, but the B in A&P helped me realize the journey I was about to undertake. Do I really want to spend what could be the prime of my life in school…or studying all the time…whichever major I choose will at least be 3 more years…of intense studying...nothing but school... Do I want this THAT bad? Yes, I want to make a difference in someone else’s life, but I also want to live mine. I am a newlywed with no kids. In my late twenties – ‘the clock is ticking.’ Matt and I are fortunate enough to be able to go places and do things for week(s) at a time without having to worry about a baby or the bills (we still pay them, but we are able to do both – you know what I mean.)…

Well… before I officially quit my job, I decided to buy the materials to become a certified personal trainer. My idea was to work in a gym or for myself part time for fun while I went back to school. Being a personal trainer is something I have always been interested in. Fitness has always been a part of my life… and it was always nice to be the one friends came to for fitness advice from high school through college… and even when I started in the workplace… I loved it.

Howard Thurman once said: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

I agree.

On that note, I decided to pursue a career as a personal trainer.

Stretch!

After taking my previously scheduled exams, GRE, and TEAS tests, I took my NASM certification test on Jan 26. I passed… and am now in the process of making it happen. www.fit4yourlife.com

…to be continued…

For the record, I loved "I am Charlotte Simmons"

Yes, I realize it has been a very long time since my last entry. No apologies though, because if I had written one, it probably would have...not been very good. Not because life hasn't been interesting (because it most certainly has been!), but because my mind has been elsewhere, and I would not have given the blog post the thought it deserved. This one isn't going to be fantastic either, but I thought I could at least give two thumbs up to the book I finished back in May, "I am Charlotte Simmons."

This was my description:

I am Charlotte Simmons
by Tom Wolfe

This is another book recommended by Matt… I just packed it in my bag on the way to Deer Valley in case I finished “Into thin Air”…which I did, and began reading the hard copy of I am Charlotte Simmons on the plane ride back. It’s a long book, but I’m only 25 pages in and have a feeling I’m going to love it...time to charge up the nook…

“The novel centers on Charlotte, a naive new student at Dupont University, a school boasting a top-ranked basketball program and an Ivy League academic reputation. Despite Dupont's elite status, in the minds of its students, sex, alcohol, and social status rule the day. The student culture is focused upon gaining material wealth, physical pleasure and a well-placed social status; academics are only important insofar as they help achieve these goals.”

Well, I got my nook ready, but Barnes & Noble didn't even offer it. LAME! So, I read the hard copy and loved every minute of it. I think this may actually be my new favorite book! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

I finished it while Matt and I were in Virgin Gorda this May... which obviously deserves its own post...maybe I'll get to it someday...

Happy Veterans Day! 11-11-11

we all have bad days.

Monday, I had a bad evening...came home, did not eat, and wrote a bad blog (complete with obscenities)...I posted it...then deleted it... so, I am replacing it with the lyrics of the first song that popped up on my run on Tuesday evening. U2's "Some days are better than others"... the song says it much cleaner than I did...

...and what's funny is that I don't think I had ever actually listened to the song before Tuesday... ironic, don't you think?


U2 Some days are better than others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfm0nGiN46o

Some days are dry, some days are leaky
Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you're quick, but most days you're speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others

Some days it all adds up
And what you got is not enough
Some days are better than others

Some days are slippy, other days sloppy
Some days you can't stand the sight of a puppy
Your skin is white but you think you're a brother
Some days are better than others

Some days you wake up with her complaining
Some sunny days you wish it was raining
Some days are sulky, some days have a grin
And some days have bouncers and won't let you in

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

Some days are honest, some days are not
Some days you're thankful for what you've got
Some days you wake up in the army
And some days it's the enemy

Some days are work, most days you're lazy
Some days you feel like a bit of a baby
Lookin' for Jesus and His mother
Some days are better than others

Some days you feel ahead
You're making sense of what she said
Some days are better than others

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

my brain has blown away 'Into Thin Air'

SO… I FINALLY finished “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer…

It only took me… oh… 4months… But that is no indication of the quality of the book.. it’s more an indication of my...er.. lack of…er.. um.. I’ve just been lazy. I haven’t been writing blogs, I haven’t been reading, I haven’t been working out.. ugh. I am getting stupid, fat, and grumpy. Ugh.

But I finally finished it on the plane on the way to Deer Valley, Utah… :)

The book was good and sad and true. I would recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in what happened on Mt. Everest the summer of 1996 and looking for a book to read…

‘Into Thin Air’ deserves a much better review than this… but…I can’t bring myself to think critically, and I wanted to acknowledge it before too much time passed…

namaste

Deer Valley, I am lucky. Love, Tina

Right now I am on a plane, Delta flight 1802 from Salt Lake City, Utah to Atlanta, Georgia. Sitting first class, buzzed off of the Cranberry Vodka cocktail I downed in the Crown Room prior to boarding. I am lucky.

I’ve always (well, not ‘always’-but for the majority of my late teen to adult life) said I do not believe in luck. I don’t really. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Every single itty bitty decision you make every day prepares you, leads you, places you where you are today. Every one. How you dress. How you speak. What you say. What you eat. Everything you do every second of every day effects what will happen the next second, the next day…I believe that. Things happen because of and for a reason. Cause and effect.

But sometimes… I can’t imagine what I have done to deserve the life that I am currently living. I am humbled. And grateful.

Exactly to what or whom I am grateful, I am not currently sure…but that is for another day. Another path. Another story.

For this particular trip, I owe my appreciation to my husband, Matt. Last year, he had a particularly lucrative year work-wise, and to reward him (and everyone else who made the President’s Club quota – which was about twenty others on the sales team) and a significant other, the company treated us to a five day four night stay at the Montage in Deer Valley, Utah.

*Side Note – it is quite funny to me to see how those who can afford a vacation on their own dime are rewarded with nice vacations (or something else expensive), while those who are ‘struggling’ or just not quite as well off have to pay their own way for everything. I guess the title of Truett Cathy’s book “It’s Easier to Succeed than Fail” really is true. I’ve been on each side and can clearly see the rewards of competence, hard work and most importantly - timing. It’s exponential.

**double side note- I just finished a much stronger Cranberry Vodka cocktail (it is 3:22 Utah time, but 5:22 Georgia time…so I can truthfully say, “It’s five o’clock somewhere”…and it’s Sunday…so do not judge me for the third cocktail I am about to order. Thank you.). I am particularly enjoying the pleasure of being buzzed. I would love to be in the state eternally…but will try to refrain from becoming an alcoholic… only for the damage it will do to my waistline… because right now, I think that’s the only harm it could do. I am much more interesting, fun, and insightful while slightly under the influence…

But anyway… about the trip…

The Montage is a brand new hotel… like…brand spanking new. It was finished only two months ago. And it is fabulous. The architecture and landscaping were just right (not overdone. more like a natural, understated mountain lodge)…but the service and other ‘small things’ made it …well… worth it (‘it’ being the money we would’ve paid had Matt’s company not footed the bill). The bathroom tiles were heated (I would love to do this to our house at some point in our relatively distant future. There is nothing worse (actually there are a lot of things worse – but I’m using this phrase for emphasis on how much I enjoyed the heated flooring.) than stepping out of a comfortably hot shower onto a cold tile bathroom floor.); they heated your snow boots, so they were nice and toasty when we were ready to put them on and hit the slopes; they helped you put your boots and skis on if you wanted; they left decadent chocolate covered caramels in a cute little silver box at the foot of your bed during the turndown service…and the food was excellent.

That is just the hotel. Now I’ll tell you about our experience.

The first day.

We landed in Salt Lake City Wednesday afternoon, jumped on the 45min shuttle from the airport to the hotel with several other SecureWorks couples, then checked in. Of course, upon check-in we had an escort show us around the resort… where to go shopping, where to get fitted for skis, where to eat, where to snack on the complimentary s’mores from 4-5 everyday ;)… Then, after receiving our luggage from the bellman, took a nap ((It’s amazing to me how hard traveling kicks my ass. I sit on an airplane for 3hours and 45 minutes with ample opportunity to nap and very limited calories being burned, and all I want to do is take a nap when we arrive. WTF, Man?)before treating ourselves to the s’mores (with homemade vanilla, cinnamon, and peppermint marshmallows) and trekking over to Compass Sports. We talked with the ‘ski experts’ and were fitted with beginner/intermediate skis. Matt owns his own boots and helmet, but I was fitted for those, as well. And, as I’ve come to expect…I had to wear men’s boots because my feet are so damn big… at least they were brand new...

After that, we went back to the hotel and prettied ourselves up for the SecureWorks’ dinner. We grabbed a drink, mingled with the big wigs (who are actually quite personable and a pleasure to be around), ate dinner, and roasted a few more marshmallows before heading back to bed...yes. I realize, it's a tough life...

The second day.

The next morning we grabbed a bagel and coffee at “Buzz,” the coffee/dessert/breakfast shop at the Montage, on our way to pick up our skis and hit the slopes (this became our ritual). I was particularly nervous, as I have only skied a couple of times…and the last time was a couple of years ago… but, I strapped up and hit the greens… it wasn’t so bad, and by lunch time we were skiing blues without falling on our asses… actually I don’t think either of us fell the first day, which is quite impressive in my book considering the level of slopes we decided to tackle.

We pushed ourselves pretty hard for a few hours, then dropped back by the resort to grab lunch at Apex (he had a burger and I had a pulled pork sandwich). Without much ado we geared back up and hit the mountains once again…finally calling it a day around 3:30 and jumping in the hot tub for half an hour. *on the first day, we ran into SecureWorks’ CTO Jon R. both times out and skied a few runs with him…he was a little better than us, so decided to go his own way after getting a taste for our skill level…

That night (Thursday), we had private reservations with the CEO and the other best of the best 2010 performers at Mariposa...cracked open several bottles of Caymus Special Selection and enjoyed a fine dinner with excellent company...It was probably 10pm Georgia time, before we actually started eating, but we all had a blast and enjoyed every bite...before we fell asleep on the 10min shuttle back to the hotel (just kidding - we didn't fall asleep, but we - or at least I - could have...)

The third day.

Friday, we were a little late to the slopes (finally jumping on a chairlift pretty close to 10am)…and I was damn sore. After a couple of hours, I had fallen several times and was losing my sense of fun, so I hit greens back to the resort and walked around in my running shoes…which felt fantastic after wrestling my way around in ski boots and fighting my way up and down the mountain in 6ft skis with sore muscles… but Matt stayed out** and we met back up and ate lunch at the resort pub, Daily’s, around 2 o’clock. (he had fish and chips, and I had a bbq chicken pizza.) We debated hitting the slopes again, but decided to save ourselves for more fun on Saturday (it was getting really windy and the visibility was minimal –which doesn’t make for great skiing), and hit the hot tub once again to treat our muscles… **while I was out monkeying around the hotel, Matt had accidentally made his way to a black diamond and flipped down the mountain with an excellent story to tell.. you should ask...

We went back to the hotel and took a nap… (well, I did, while Matt went to the mandatory employee only meeting)… then headed to Park City around 7pm to walk down Main Street and shop before our 9pm reservations at Zoom (Robert Redford’s restaurant). It was windy and snowy, but we enjoyed ourselves and bought a few trinkets. We met Matt’s good friend (and colleague) Dan B and our CTO Jon R at the restaurant and enjoyed WAAYY to much food… two mac n cheese appetizers, spicy buffalo onion rings, calamari, Osso Bucco for Matt, Pecan Crusted Trout for me, and Hanger steak for Jon and Dan, then we each got desserts…. Jon and I had something chocolate, while Matt had two scoops of ice cream and Dan had cheesecake…. We wobbled home…again...

The fourth day.

Saturday, we got up early and were on the slopes by 9:20…hit a couple of greens on our way to what quickly became our favorite blue, “Nabob,” and enjoyed a couple of hours of this run and “Birdseye”… We felt ourselves getting better and better and loved how wide, steep and not-so-crowded this particular run was… especially in the morning…on the BEST snow yet… but.. unfortunately, I had to call it an early day, as I had a spa appointment at two ;)… we grabbed a little lunch at Daily’s again (he had the fish and chips and I had chicken fingers and fries), and I headed back to the room to prepare for my massage while he went back out on the mountain….

So, I change and get to the spa about 30 minutes early to take advantage of all of the amenities (sauna, steam shower, private hot tub, fruit infused water…you know... the usual ;)… then they called me back to a room with an unbelievable snow covered mountain view… it was phenomenal… afterwards, I ran into a couple of other SecureWorks’ wives in the lounge… I mentioned I couldn’t hang out because of our appointment to bobsled at five required us to be in the lobby and ready to go at 4… She retorted with… “are you going with Dan?”… “yes”… “He broke his wrist…” uh oh… and another story begins…

...to be continued...the plane is descending and our friends Megan and Skip are cooking for us tonight...so it will be awhile..

p.s. sorry for the play by play - but not only am I writing for you, but also for me...so that I remember what we did each day... I'll try to make the next one a little shorter and juicier... and maybe I won't be quite so 'buzzed'... :)

Snowed in...

Soo.. trying to pick up where I left off…

*As a side note, Matt and I finally got his car today. We tried yesterday, but the wheels were not getting him anywhere! It was a little frustrating, quite funny and a touch scary…so I video recorded it. :) He has a very nice car (M3) and we had to rely on my car ( ’06 Accord coupe) to get us through the snow...hm… not sure what to think here…

... Back to Christmas morning…We had a great time at my parents’, and then drove back to Atlanta to spend Christmas evening with his family for dinner. Many years back, his parents came up with a fun way to celebrate Christmas, and I was very excited to be a part of the unique tradition that I had heard so much about. I don’t want to give away the family secrets, but it was a popping good time!

...Coming from my family’s, where my siblings have 4 kids (ages 13, 9, 4 and 2), and there is a lot of music, screaming, laughing and…chaos…pretty much constantly. Then going to his family’s, where his only sister has one little boy, age 1… things are slightly (understatement!) quieter. (I debated using the word(s) more peaceful, but in all honesty, there is something peaceful about kids making lots of racket too…) I am so thankful to be a part of both of these families! Though the atmospheric conditions were quite different, they were both loads of fun!

Meanwhile, back in the car, as we are driving over to his parents’ on Christmas evening, it started snowing! Do you know how long it has been since Atlanta, GA has had a white Christmas??? 128 years according to one of my friends on Facebook! One hundred and twenty-eight years! 1882!

…and mine and Matt’s first Christmas was white!

That’s iconic for us because of more than just the obvious…

Our first date in late February 2009 was in the snow (and you know how important those are!). We had plans to go to a sushi place – I think he was planning for Taka. But, because of the predicted snow storm, many, in fact I would venture to say most, restaurants in Atlanta closed. I double checked with him to make sure we were even still on for the date, and he assured me that his car would be just fine (mind you, it’s the same car that got stuck in the snow two days ago…I guess timing is everything:)). To be honest, I was nervous to be out on the roads in the ‘bad weather.’ However, he picked me up confidently, and as he was waiting for me to come down, managed to find a restaurant that was open...Craft. Only one of the top two nicest restaurants in Atlanta… no big deal …are you kidding!? It just happened that they had an opening, because no one was coming out ‘in the storm.’ We received lots of attention from the staff and had a wonderful time!

*I keep putting the strong comments about the weather in quotes, because by the time 7:30pm rolled around, it wasn’t bad weather at all. There was snow left on the ground and it was cold, but the roads were fine and a ‘wintery mix’ was no longer falling.

Not only that, but our second first date was also in the snow. We were again headed to sushi, Circle Sushi this time. Thankfully, this was over lunch, and the restaurants hadn’t had time to decide to shut down for the day. *I guess you could technically say that this wasn’t really a date, because we were just going to lunch as friends. But this was the lunch that led to our marriage… As soon as we got in the car, ‘our song’ started playing on his radio and everything just fell into place… a month or so later, we were engaged to live happily ever after…

And now for the less mushy iconic snow for me…

Most of you probably know that I have been giving my career a lot of thought lately (why not? Everything else is changing…) Over the last few months, I went on several interviews and talked to quite a few recruiters over the phone. But one day, I had a few girls over for girls’ night. One of my friends brought one of her friends (that I had met once or twice before) and we went out and had a good time. Long story short, the next day, the friend of a friend (who I hope to soon just switch to ‘friend’) sent a job description at her company to me. Seemed like a perfect fit. So after a few conversations, they brought me in for a face - to- face…and whatdya know… it was snowing…

I had two offers, the other of which was much better pay, but I got a very good vibe from this company and decided to accept (snow not withstanding:))…my first day was supposed to be today (1-11-11)…and…obviously…it was snowing… so I couldn’t actually start (This time the roads really are too bad.)…I’m just saying…I have a good feeling:)…and you know what I think about trusting your gut!

Could all of the snow on these special occasions really be happenstance? Yes. But, those are some crazy odds.

Catching up...

Hello again! It’s been almost two full months since I last posted… and, good gracious, do I have a lot to talk about!

So, let’s begin with the end…

In order to close 2010 with the bang it deserved (considering the many life changing events it surprised me with), I decided to go ahead and quit my job (not without two offers to consider -one of which I accepted, of course) and take a couple of weeks ‘off’ to refresh, work on the house, and spend Christmas and New Years with the people I love.

My last working hours at SecureWorks were on December 23, and I had every intention of making a daily habit of blogging, working out, and other things productive. Interestingly enough, however, the two goals that I clarified were the two that I didn’t stick with…argh… That doesn’t seem right- according to the billions of studies about new year’s resolutions and plain ol’ goal setting… but…oh well… it is what it is… and now I have a lot of catching up to do (with the blog AND my waistline - considering all of the delicious sweet treats I did not stop eating over the holidays…)….Catching up sucks. (Unless you’re catching up with old friends or Grey’s Anatomy…)Slimming down the waist line is hard work, and much more fun if you don’t ‘have’ to do it (Unless you’re burning off the extra calories snorkeling in the Caribbean or hiking through the rainforest to zip line in Costa Rica- but then you’re skimping on the alcohol or desserts…so I really wouldn’t prefer losing weight while on vacation... but anyway…)

The holidays were very nice. This was mine and Matt’s first Christmas together, ever! Have I mentioned lately how much I love him? I would not prefer it any other way! We ate too much on Thanksgiving (traveling to both families for meals con delicioso!), and trekked up to North Carolina with his folks and Skip the Sunday afterwards to pick out and cut down our very own live, first Christmas tree! What a great time! The farm was huge and complete with hundreds of gorgeous, full, (<-Kim, notice intended use of Harvard comma), and well-shaped Christmas trees. We had a hard time choosing (just) one, but finally decided and were very happy with ‘the one.’

Though it didn’t appear ginormous at the farm, by the time we got it home, we realized that it was 8ft tall and 6ft wide… We knew it was 8ft tall, but the 6ft wide part threw us for a spin…Big thanks to his folks for hauling it on the Tahoe for us! Though the tree was bigger than we intended, it really worked out well, considering we didn’t have any furniture for the room we were going to put it in :)… It served a great purpose for the month of December, and, after taking it down, I strongly considered finding another (less conspicuous) tree to put in its place…but decided on a bookshelf… I don’t think the books live up to the tree, so unfortunately for them, they won’t live there permanently… but anyway…

Christmas was lovely. Matt and I personalized matching stockings and bought a cute felt one for Anastasia, our cat. I debated personalizing hers too…but decided against it… I’m not sure why and may change my mind for next year… The two of us exchanged gifts on the 23rd, and on the 24th drove down to my parents’ and had Christmas with aunts and cousins over BBQ & Brunswick stew. Yummy - and a wonderful time. Then we had Christmas morning with my parents and brother and sister and their families. That is always a pleasure. This year we decided to do things a little differently and play the white elephant game with the siblings. It was a good time, and I came home with Vodka, coffee and other things that work well with the two…

Ok…I am stopping here for tonight’s blog… Matt got stuck in the snow on the way home from a work dinner, and I had to go ‘save’ him… He had to park about 2 miles away from our house and walk home by himself in clothes designed, well - for dinner - not for walking two miles in snow that comes up to your ankles. It was not snowing when he left and was not snowing where he was having dinner…but the weather got bad quickly and Atlanta is just NOT prepared for the snow…Thanks to advice from my well-informed brother, I called the police and all the taxis listed when you google ‘taxi Atlanta’, but no one could pick him up :( Apparently, the police had real accidents to tend to (Matt didn’t get in an accident but his M3 was not made for snowy weather, and after several tries knew it was better to park than fight with it) and the taxis weren’t getting out in this ‘crazy weather.’ Argh… But he is ok now and we are home in comfy warm clothes, a fire, and wine :)

Until next time…stay warm…

Shooting Star

Yesterday, I had to work late. But, I didn’t have any plans and Matt was in Chicago, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal… anyway…before I left, I wanted to post something on facebook…anything… just to get my ‘social fix,’ since I was going home to be alone for the night. For some reason, the lyrics to Marcy Playground’s “I smell Sex and Candy” were the only words I could even think of… “Hanging out, downtown by myself… I had so much time to sit and think about myself…then there she was…like double cherry pie…yeah there she was…” I almost posted them but thought it may be a little weird to anyone not knowing the song or trying to read deeper than the lyrics and into my soul via my facebook status… so… I tried to think of something that happened to me during the day…the best I could come up with was benefit information (getting your wisdom teeth pulled falls under ‘medical’ not dental’)… It was applicable…but boring. And I recognized this, but posted it anyway. Kind of a desperate attempt at social interaction, I’d say… but maybe someone got use of it. :)

Anyway… after all of that time (It was probably a solid minute and a half!!), I left the office. On my way home, I saw a shooting star! Can you believe it?! I was so excited! Right by myself…that’s the kind of thing you want to share with someone! So, I posted it on facebook (please don’t tell the cops it was while I was driving… I kept it short and simple and left my eyes on the road! I don’t do that very often, but I felt the need to post immediately, in case I could share that moment with anyone else who was driving or in other form outside to see the celestial surprise!) And…Woot! Someone did see it! :) That was awesome! Totally worth the potential ticket!

I guess my point is: A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.

I tried so hard to force a facebook status…and it sucked… but if I would have just been patient, a much more interesting one would have come to me ‘naturally’…

Yes, I realize this is a trivial analogy…but it made me think about other aspects of my life. How sometimes I try to ‘force’ things to happen or do certain things when I’m not 100% on board with the idea. I typically feel that same ‘reserved’ feeling. Kind of like an opposing magnetic force.

The right things will happen as they’re supposed to happen, when they’re supposed to happen… you may be able to ‘force’ your way around, but it doesn’t give you the same warm and fuzzy as going with your gut…

I’ve also noticed that whenever I ‘force’ something, it typically ends in regret… typically not painful regret…but just ‘why did I do that?’ or ‘why didn’t I do that?’ scenarios… you know?

I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.
- Margaret Thatcher

Our house is coming along!

One month and 5 days later…

Whew. October should have been called WoWctober this year! I cannot believe it has already come and gone. Which means it is now NOVEMBER! Next month is December! WHAT?!? Really?? But I love Christmas, and Matt and I will be living in our new home by then, so I am very excited and will get over the fact that life is moving way too fast at the moment…

Can I please tell you about it? :)

SOO, as you know, Matt and I closed on our first house together on October 1, 2010 at 10AM. It was very exciting…in an “I know that once this is over we will share the love and debt of a new house…our beautiful home” sort of way. There were a few complications...well, not really complications, but more, time consuming hiccups, as they sorted out the paperwork. But all in all, it was a successful signing! And we couldn’t have been happier…then we went back to work, so we could pay the mortgage to come…

After slaving away the day in the office, we met his parents at our new (sans cabinets, toilets, lights, doors, shutters, tub, etc.) home for a glass… err… plastic cup… of champagne and tour de home! Oh, it was lovely!! Thank you so much for sharing in our celebration! :)

Since then, we have been super busy…designing our kitchen, picking out cabinets, granites, faucets, lights, sinks, toilets…you name it! It has been quite the process. *Reminder of how awesome Matt is right about now*You might think that having the ability/freedom to choose your own fixtures and such would be nice….but…well… it’s hard work…don’t get me wrong… it is better than having shuckle we don’t like…but, we both have full time jobs…and, in the end, if we don’t like it, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves… this project comes with a lot of pressure and responsibility… and could benefit from a lot more time than we’re able to provide…

But… I think we’ve got it under control…

As of yesterday, the cabinets were in and stained with granite countertops, the entertainment center is almost complete and the master tub is put away. And it all looked nice! Woohoo!! There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s finally starting to look livable – and we like it!! On top of that, we’ve been busting our bottoms (and Skip’s) in the yard on the weekends. :) Who knew such a small piece of land could take so much work! It was actually kind of funny… A couple of Sundays ago, Skip (Matt’s best man/best friend) let us borrow some of his fancy yard tools and his time. We had been raking, blowing, pulling vines, trimming hedges, etc. all day and made several nice piles of… yard junk…. Skip had his handy dandy wood chipper. So, nearing sunset we started chipping away…we made it through several piles when the bag broke and dust flew everywhere! Mouths wide open! As we all started hacking away…Skip omnisciently stated, “that’s the taste of home ownership…” …touché, Skip, touché…

We also picked out all of our appliances…actually, we did that first. Thankfully, since Matt is a gourmet chef, he had a good idea of what he wanted. Though we didn’t go with what he REALLY wanted (which was outrageously expensive), we picked out some pretty nice stuff… and found a great deal! We bought everything together at Sears during a special. I can’t remember the exact figures, but it was something like for every $1000, you receive $150 in gift cards – immediately! That worked well for us. We bought all of the kitchen and the washer/dryer on the spot... Granted…we did spend pretty much ALL DAY one Saturday with the very nice Sears specialist, Neena. Thankfully she was quite patient as we sorted through model numbers and such...She knows us on a first name basis now… Two weeks after the first 4hr Sears trip,we decided to change our minds…not completely, but we just wanted a different handle on all of the same appliances. Unfortunately, she had to undo and redo everything individually because of the special that was going on at the time of original purchase…poor Neena… But she was very friendly and we made it through! Appliances should be delivered on Monday! Yay!

I can’t believe this house is actually going to be ours..and in a few weeks we will be all moved in…

Closing time...

Goodness…being an adult is hard …

And that is all I have to say about that…

Just kidding.

But that does just about sum it up. Being an adult is wonderful. And rewarding. But stressful. And consequential…

I am very fortunate and eternally grateful for the many blessings on me. Not the least of which is my wonderful husband. He makes adulthood so …painless… I am not going to go into mushy detail, but that man is ‘something else’! :) I LOVE YOU, MATT! Thank you for being you!

Outside of getting old…when I think of being an adult, four descriptions immediately come to mind: job, marriage, house, kids …

Job- 1st step out of college and into the real world… check

Marriage- Falling in love and committing to one person for life… check

House – tomorrow we close on our house. Ok. I said it. Yep! On 10-01-10… we’re going to be writing our own binary code!!! And it will be 100% worth it, because we have found the house of our dreams! Under foreclosure! I still can’t believe it! This is going to be one heck of a journey! …our dream house doesn’t have anything in it… no appliances, no doors, no toilets, lights…dot dot dot… so, first we have to make it livable…then we have to move in..then decorate. And keep it clean. And make it ours. And, oh my goodness… I can’t believe we are going to be homeowners… that is one big responsibility… check…

Kids – give us a little while for that one…

Ok…so I guess what I’m saying is… I probably won’t be posting too much over the next few months as we get things situated… I would really like to take the time to write about our journey every day or at least once a week…but…well… you know how that goes…

Wish us luck!

My Rockband Crush...

Sooo… I promised you a blog post on Mikel Jollett, lead singer for The Airborne Toxic Event, who Matt and I saw live and ‘sweat in your face’ in concert a couple of weeks ago in Chicago. (Was it really only a couple of weeks ago? WOW! life has been super duper busy!) I guess this is what it really means to be an adult…?

Anyway...First, I should really mention how much I am NOT one of those girls who fantasizes about every hot famous guy on TV... I really only remember one other guy off the bat (pun intended) - David Justice - who used to play for the Braves...

But anyway, back to Mikel...I am going to begin by telling you how we first ‘met.’ One night last March, Matt took me out to dinner- sushi at MF Sushi Bar. I’m pretty sure it was a Sunday, because I was training for the ING half marathon and had run 9miles earlier that day. … though it may have been a Saturday -- but I usually did long runs on Sundays…anyway… it was the weekend and I was tired and sore. By the time we devoured our phenomenal spicy tuna tartar and other mouth watering slabs of fish, I was ready to go back home and go to bed…

However, Matt and I talked it through and, with hesitation, decided to stick with our original post-dinner plans of seeing The Airborne Toxic Event at the Drunken Unicorn. I had never heard of the band (outside of one video link Matt sent me of their appearance on David Letterman)…but I had heard of the venue – how fun, small, stinky and sweaty it was- UGH…regardless, I wanted to check it out for myself :) - we could leave if it got too bad…

The Drunken Unicorn did not disappoint! Matt and I were the preppiest people in the room…and we … well... were dressed to see a rock concert. I was definitely skeptical... But as soon as the band started playing - like, the very first note- I was hooked! (and glad I was, because there was no moving or squirming your way out of this place...)

The band was so enthusiastic... and cute ... and talented! Here's the link Matt sent me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG7LvRC12Jo

Nuff said...

But then, I started researching them and found out the scoop...Mikel started the band after a really bad week... Like REALLY bad- he and his girlfriend broke up, his mom was diagnosed with cancer, and he got pneumonia and diagnosed with autoimmune disease. Link to an interview here:

http://www.shmoop.com/sometime-around-midnight/meaning.html

...And before all of that, he had an office job, then a writing career... Check out this inspiring article he wrote for Men's Health in November 2006, titled “Brad Pitt Whipped Me into Shape”

http://www.mh.co.za/fitness/getting_started/1634/Brad-Pitt-whipped-me-into-shape

And on top of all that, he is so darn charming and sweet and cute and ... :)

... Now tell me I'm not justified on my 'obsession'...

Tears of Gratitude

I don’t handle death very well.

Even if I didn’t have a close relationship with the recently deceased, I often let loose with uncontrollable tears at the funeral, wake or just talking about it. Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m crying – whether it is grief for the surviving family members, sadness that I will no longer be able to tell him “Hello”, or varying sources of guilt. Most likely it is a combination of these and other natural feelings of mourning.

I cry for the departed, his family and his friends. And I also cry for my own family and friends. Tears of gratitude. Though I have had various loved ones pass away, I have not yet experienced the death of someone very close to me. For this I am very thankful. However, as William Authur Ward put it, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

I have an abundance of wrapped presents locked up inside me. I am so thankful for the many blessings on me. I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for my parents, for their love and support. I am thankful for my brothers and sisters for their love and unconditional friendship. I am thankful for my grandmother, for her love and encouragement. I am thankful for my aunts, uncles and cousins. I am thankful for the wonderful family I have married into; I do not think of them as ‘in-laws,’ but simply as family. I am thankful for how welcoming they have been to me. I am thankful for the wonderful people strategically placed in my life, my friends and my acquaintances. I am thankful to have a job. I am thankful for the minute and the grandiose treasures each day brings.

This one paragraph does not even open the dusty door to reveal the wrapped presents. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for each of these blessings (and others unmentioned). I am overwhelmed with love and appreciation stuffed in pretty boxes waiting to be given from the last 25 years. I need to start giving these gifts away…

To help me show my appreciation, I am going to start writing in a gratitude journal (there’s an app for that). I once read a book “Simple Abundance” by Sara Ban Breathnach. It is a day by day guide to living a fulfilling life. It is not common in bookstores, but it is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it to women. That book is where I first got the idea of creative meditation and the first I had heard of a gratitude journal. I am grateful for the women who introduced me to it. I am going to document at least five things for which I am thankful for daily. And in return, my new iPhone app is going to give me an inspiring quote (the app is by ‘happytappers.’ :) Because it is on my phone, I can write down the things I am thankful for as I am thinking of them and not have to try to remember at the end of the day.)

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. ~Epictetus

*After writing the first paragraph above, I did a quick Google search on ‘feelings of mourning’ and came across the following piece. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.*

If we humans lived our lives separately from others, needing and relying on no one but ourselves, then the loss or death of another would have little impact. But we are social creatures. Compared to other animals, we spend a remarkably long period of our lives—18 or more years—living with and depending on our parents. We are born into families. We grow and live surrounded and supported by our social environment. We make friends with, go to school with and work with our neighbors. It is part of our makeup to form strong bonds of caring and affection with other people. The forces that draw us to others are so deeply entwined in our nature. We respond to these forces in powerful and seemingly involuntary ways. We feel these pressures keenly when we are lonely and bereft of companionship; when we feel ashamed and fear social disapproval; and especially when we fall in love and long for the love of another person.

Source: http://www.ncpamd.com/bereavement.htm

In honor of Jeff...

Last week was very busy… in a ‘let’s hop on a plane to Illinois on a Tuesday evening and return on Thursday night without taking a day off of work’ kind of way. It was so much fun! (though it sounds spontaneous, we had actually been planning it for months…) Every single day of last week was filled with some sort of excitement or busy-ness… not the least of which was Matt flying me up to the Windy City from Hotlanta to see (and Meet and Greet) one of my FAVORITE bands, The Airborne Toxic Event! That was incredible—and I will definitely blog in more detail about the trip and my (not so) secret crush, Mikel Jollet… (THANK YOU, MATT!!!)

Outside of Chicago, I wanted to write about random thoughts and things, including our unplanned, but well spent Saturday…however, instead of blogging on the plane, I played sodoku (I am currently addicted...), and instead of spending spare time on the weekend blogging, I was checking out kitchen cabinets, colors and appliances…but, today I have a topic that I could not put off writing about… the unfinished laundry will have to wait…

In honor of Jeff…

About two and a half years ago, I was filling up my water bottle in the office break room, when a guy I work with (SecureWorks’ General Counsel) came up to me and told me that I needed a new bottle. He was an older gentleman, probably early 40s and in great shape. Tall, good hair, good color and lots of energy. He looked like someone I should listen to. I asked why and he proceeded to tell me my bottle was not BPA free, and it is proven they cause cancer… I said ok… and we got into a water cooler conversation about how ‘everything’ gives you cancer… not your typical small talk, I’d say…

Then, ironically, about 6 months later, he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, an extremely rare and deadly cancer of the liver. The survival rate is very low, even when caught in early stages. In fact, most patients do not live a year after they have been diagnosed…

Not long after the diagnosis, I saw him at work… hmm… if that were me, I would NOT be coming to work… but he loved his job…THAT is passion…and it is admirable…he was the same old Jeff… You would never have even known, if you didn’t ‘know’… THAT is strength…

Well. After a long hard battle, he passed away last Friday, Sept 17. Actually, he survived longer than any other patient diagnosed with the disease. This evening, was his wake. Tomorrow will be his funeral.
I went to the wake for a little while. There were lots of people passing lots of love. It was very easy to tell he was surrounded with friends and family who loved him… and who he loved in return. His life was well celebrated.

…please pray for his wonderful family…

Even in our few encounters, he impacted my life in many ways. Here is one:

Jeff was a marathon runner. I don’t know how many he ran…lots…not half marathons. FULL MARATHONS - 26.2 miles! He and I had a couple of conversations here and there about fitness, and as a result, I decided I was ready to run my first half marathon, the ING Atlanta. Since he was an inspiration to me, I wanted to get a SecureWorks team together and run for a good cause – his. SO, that’s what happened. I talked to a few people within the organization, and they all agreed it was a good idea. We began raising money for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. After lots of fundraising (and training), we raised $5000 for the foundation and had about 17 runners (one of which ran the full marathon). I’d say it was a success… He and his family were very grateful. They were going to wait at the finish line (since he was a regular runner for this particular race), however, the cancer had different plans and he was just a few miles away in Piedmont Hospital… Regardless, we were thinking of him and he was thinking of us…

We ran in honor of Jeff. This year, I ran the ING again. Sans the fundraising, it was still for him. Next year it will be for him… and the year after. And the year after. And…

He was a wonderful person and will be dearly missed… I kinda thought he was gonna beat this thing...

Capricious Capricorn

Today, the Word of the Day on my iGoogle was ‘flighty.’ (Yes, I realize this is not a challenging word. I’m not sure what the qualifying criteria is for the feed...rarely are they intellectually stimulating... I should probably switch sources...but anyway...) In the past, I would interpret ‘flighty’ with a negative connotation (maybe because various definitions include words like ‘unstable’ and 'irresponsible’)...regardless, I may be jumping to the other side of the fence. The definition my word of the day gave was:

Flighty – adj. Guided by whim or fancy

I like this definition and would probably describe myself that way these days. Not in all aspects of my life, but several. This is because I'm not certain which direction I want to take my life - primarily careerwise - so I have made the conscious decision to (at least try to) do things I find interesting, with people I enjoy being around, even if it changes... We never know when the world is going to end...or whatever...why spend the time we have behind a cubicle in misery?

...who are they calling ‘unstable’? ... I wouldn’t consider this irresponsible...

But anyway...

Because I was 'intrigued' by the word of today (I guess ‘flighty’ could at least qualify as 'thought provoking' for me, even though it wasn't necessarily vocabulary enhancing...), I did a quick Google search for other definitions, connotations, and, of course, urban dictionary usage. There were some interesting finds...but the word that really caught my attention was the synonym ‘capricious.’

I realize that’s an obvious one (what’s a synonym for synonym?), but what isn't so apparent (unless you read the title to this blog) is that I am a Capricorn, and I know for a fact that you will rarely (if ever) find capricious as a description of a Capricorn. We are organized, focused, and love rewards and recognition for our hard work... The typical Capricorn blurbs are usually true of me (in 'important' matters)...and I find myself to be much happier when I have goals and work towards them...

*Though I'm not one to really 'believe in' zodiacs and such, I think they are very interesting and definitely hold value...

OK. I'm jumping back to the other side of the fence...flighty isn't a good thing for me...Time to reevaluate my long and short term goals...focus...and kick some bottom!!

Speaking of kicking gluteus maximuses...I’m going to go now, as I'm at the kickboxing gym walking on the treadmill, skipping the class I drove over here to attend, so I can write the flighty blog I was thinking of in my car on the way over...

OK. For real this time...I am going to 1. make decisions and 2. stick to them. Nothing can stop me now!. ba ha ha!

AND I'M OFF to figure out what I want to be when I grow up...and do what it takes to become it! Bring it on, LIFE! BRING IT ON!!!

What is the soundtrack to your life?

Today is the fourth day of a three day weekend...back to the daily grind after this lovely Labor Day holiday…when the weather was beautiful, the days were long, and the company was most excellent! Matt and I had plans with friends every night, which meant lots of good eatin’ (Yeah! Burger, Amuse!, dim sum, and Matt’s own lamb chops), fun events (Dad’s Garage, LSU vs UNC) and fabulous conversations! I am so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life (new and old)!

…Since we did not go out of town to celebrate this weekend, I decided to finish a couple of lingering long-term projects (including printing/framing wedding pictures and finishing my 'places I have been' scrapbook), then start brainstorming what to do next…I love waking up to my body’s alarm, moving at my own pace, and spending the days doing things that I want to do…There is just something about creating art (even if it takes years) that is so relaxing, yet liberating and empowering!... I like to call it creative meditation... And I think all of us females (and males)need to make the time to do it every once in awhile... For the sake of our sanity and well being...:)

...but anyway...

In between sitting on my bottom gluing postcards to colorful 12x12 paper and watching improv, I stepped outside for a jog through Piedmont Park. This run was particularly interesting for a couple of reasons: 1. It was African American Gay Pride and Dragoncon weekend in Midtown. and 2. My iPhone and Matt's iPod were both dead, so I had no music...

I guess if I'm going to run without tunes, this was the weekend to do it; there was definitely good people watching and dodging! Though the crowd was not good for my pace, it reminded me what a great city I live in... Where else would it be OK even 'normal' to see lots of black gays and lesbians walking next to white guys dressed as Darth Vador holding hands with a – well, I don't know what she was supposed to look like... If only the world, even the country...let's start with our state...were as open minded...this would be a much nicer place to live...All we need is love...

...and I’m off my box...

About the silence...in the last few years, I have really 'gotten into' music (this is in large part due to my wonderful husband Matt). There is no denying its power! Sure, I've always listened to it and had favorite songs. But that's different than really appreciating it for all that it is... The countless hours of energy and talent dedicated to each piece and the widespread affects it can have on every type of person – regardless of status, race or religion... As a result, I usually want music on when I’m lounging (and ALWAYS when I'm running).

So, when I was hitting the pavement without earphones, it was a bit of a shock to my mindset. A completely different experience. As I noticed each and every ankle-twisting crack in this hosting city's sidewalks, I started thinking (yes, I realize I do that way too much already...), "If I were in a movie (starring me), and they were filming me right now jogging down Spring Street -like the intro to Juno- what would my song be? What would be on the soundtrack to my life?" (That kept me busy until I hit the crowds in the park...)

Like I would assume most people do, I have lots of them... the song changing with each phase of my life... or new boyfriend... Conveniently, I had just reviewed my life in cities via my scrapbook ;) - so that was a nice refresher of my experiences and feelings...Ultimately, I think the song that would really be THE ONE for my life- if I had to choose just one- would be Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks (fortunately for Matt, I am now out of my Ready to Run streak:))...

Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone…
…She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes…

Some of the others that came to mind were:

During positive phases:

I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston
I'll do it naturally, Cause I'm every woman, It's all in me

During lost/searching phases:

I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Fertado
I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away, I don't know where my soul is, I don't know where my home is…

During stepping stone phases:

Anything but Ordinary by Avril Lavigne
…I'd rather be anything but ordinary please...

During the single phases:

Single Ladies by Beyonce
Don’t treat me to the things of this world I’m not that kind of girl Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve Is a man that makes me, then takes me And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond...

During depressed phases:
Don't let Me Get Me by Pink
Don't wanna be my friend no more I wanna be somebody else...

And if I had to choose one song for me right now, I would choose Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield...

Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten…

...it's only fitting...:)

Actually, all of those artists have several songs that I lived... I guess it's no coincidence that they are all women...with attitude:) And there are MANY more by other artists that I could relate to at different points in my life, hell, different points in my day. If you’re feeling it, chances are someone has a song about it…and we can all relate… funny how that works…

Weird day trending analysis…

Yesterday I had a weird day. It was like my universal balance was off or getting realigned..or maybe trying to send a clue that someone close to me needs my love and thoughts.

Today I got a call from someone very close to me telling me that a big thing had changed in her life, not necessarily for the better (or worse), it is just going to cause increased anxiety over the next few weeks. And I am realizing that is not unusual: me having a weird day = someone close to me needing love. This has happened multiple times, and here’s an example of the last time I remember it happening:

Earlier this year on a Friday in February, Matt and I decided to meet at our gym’s spinning class at 6:30am (this was when we were just friends). Working out in the morning is something I strive to do. I admire those who do it. Envy may be a better description. But anyway. On that particular day, I actually did it! And Matt met me there (he is not a morning person either) -> which is one of many reasons why we are now married.

However, even though we got there early (10 mins before the class was supposed to start) it was FULL! Not a single bike left in the room! I thought, “No big deal, I’ll just do cardio on the elliptical and watch TV.” So, I went back to the locker room to grab my headphones. Unfortunately, I realized they were still in my car, since I was planning on attending the spinning class. Again, I thought “No big deal, I’m not on a tight schedule.” So, I started searching for my keys to get my head phones out of my car…then realized they were NOT in the locker room. I had locked them in my trunk with my purse. Yet again, I thought, “No big deal, I have an extra key in my magnetic box thingy behind the tire.” Then, I went to search for it, and found it--missing. Ugh. At least I have Honda Roadside Assistance… so then I worked out, watching TV with no sound until the locksmith arrived. .. Everything about that morning was unusual… but “No big deal, because Matt is with me.”

BUT THEN, after the guy unlocked my car and I got ready for work. I saw that I had missed a call from my dad… that was really out of the ordinary. Number 1: he is just as much of a non morning person as I am (and it was still before 8am). And Number 2. He rarely calls me. So, I immediately called him back. No matter how bad things may seem, they can always be worse.

He said that my mom had been in a car accident on the way to work, and was in the hospital, but she was ok. (I am thinking, “If she is so OK why am I not talking to HER?”) He didn’t give many details, but I had such a strange feeling by the time I got to work (this might have been classified as worry), I had to go home and see her. Then, as I got closer (it is a 2hr drive), I called to see if they were home yet or needed anything and that I was coming whether they invited me or not…nope- still in the hospital… she is ok my ass. I could feel it.

When I walked into the hospital room, I saw her lying in bed with a neck brace and blood all over her scrubs on the floor. That is an image you do not want to see. We said our hellos, then I got the story. She was driving along, then, less than a mile from the hospital where she works, she took a left...and a truck popped over the hill and hit her Maxima – hard. Somehow her door flew open and she was hanging half way out, holding onto the steering wheel, with her legs being dragged as the car rolled backwards down the hill she had just driven up… and into a tree. Just before the car stopped, it rolled over her back, because her legs had made their way under the car….

Talk about a hard story to hear. I love my mom more than anything in the world. She is such an incredible person. An angel. Thankfully I heard it with her sitting in front of me telling it to me one unbelievable piece at a time. I guess that’s why my dad was so short on words on the phone. She ended up breaking lumbar number one and had to wear a back brace for the next few months. (She still wears it from time to time when it hurts). But all in all everything turned out ok and she looks fabulous now 6 months later…

You can take what you want from this post, but as I am writing, I am in awe of a few concepts:

- No matter how bad you may think you have it, it could always be worse. Keep things in perspective. Locking my keys in my car is nothing to what could have been that morning.
- Make sure the ones you love know how much you love them. You never know when something could happen. I still do not do this enough and am very bothered by it. I love my mom and my whole family more than anything, and to be honest, I do not know if they know that. I do not share it enough. They live 2 hours away, and I see them maybe once a month, but I think about them all the time. I need to give. Share these feelings more often. Not keep them internalized.
- Wear your seatbelt. When I say this, I mean: don’t take unnecessary risks. Sure, have fun, but be safe about it.
- Listen to your body. I may have lots of questions regarding faith and religion, but one thing I do know, is that a higher power does know what’s going on and communicates that with us. When something doesn’t feel right, or you are thinking about someone/thing more than usual. Reach out. If nothing more, say hello. There is always a reason.

She’s says it’s cold outside and she hands me my raincoat…

These are the lyrics that started my day! oh how I LOVE Matchbox 20! It’s a shame that I rarely listen to them anymore…but on my way to work this morning, 94.1 actually played one of my favorites, 3AM! – JUST FOR ME! :) I couldn't believe my ears!

I’m not sure exactly why, but, as the song was playing, I had this feeling that today was going to standout, be a benchmark of some sort, a day to look back at and smile! And so, of course, had to immediately tell facebook… And, well, I wasn’t entirely wrong.

Even as I was typing my update to facebook (sitting at a long red light), I get a phone call from a guy I work with. (Well, I used to work with him. He’s in marketing. And I would consider him more than just a coworker, also a friend. His wife actually gave birth to their first son last Saturday, and I have been meaning to put their card in the mail –let me do that now-…ok I’m back). He was sitting right next to me at the red light and screaming at me to get off the phone (in jest)... Then he proceeded to remind me that I was not at this breakfast event I was supposed to attend this morning -- he was (I don’t even have a newborn for an excuse – OUCH!). *It is ok that I didn’t go. The event was entirely voluntary. Sure, it probably would’ve earned me brownie points, but that’s it.

*Regardless, here comes my excuse: The event was at 7:30am (and I usually set my alarm – not get up - for 8am)…I wanted to go, BUT I hit the wrong button! ARGH! I use my iPhone as an alarm (I think the only clock in our house is on the stove), and instead of pressing snooze, I did whatever else it is you do to get the thing to cease fire. It was way too early, and I went to bed way too late (Matt was hacking my nook – another post entirely)…I just wasn’t thinking clearly… OR WAS I?

Turns out the event was a flop. The speaker’s topic was intriguing (enterprise social networking), but the execution fell flat... Sweet!! I didn’t miss anything AND I got a couple extra hours of treasured sleep. SCORE!

So those were unique hump day event numbers one and two.

Next, I get to work (a little bit late – because I unset my alarm when I tried to get up for the breakfast event) and guzzle down a coffee, because I had to give a morning training to a new hire in marketing…She asked for one thing (which I prepared for), but she really wanted/needed something completely different (a good test of my working knowledge – and I’d say I passed:)). 30mins into the hour long meeting, I decided to have her do a little research on her own (with a book I read and highlighted when I first started at the company). However, this book (which I donated back to our marketing department when I switched to client services) was nowhere to be found…and when I described it – everyone seemed to think it would be very helpful – FOR THEM… where in the world could it have gone? very strange...At least I got to talk to lots of my old marketing peeps…

THEN, after I get back to my desk after trying to track down this book, I see that I have 4 different emails from my boss asking about the status of a client I have been working with. This made me very nervous, because she doesn’t normally ask questions unless something has been escalated to her… so I go to her office, give her a status and come to find out the account manager of this prospect was trying to put blame on me for making them not want to choose us (the prospect is currently in a pilot – which means they are testing our services and another company's before they decide who’s they’re going to buy.). I was sooooo taken aback. I have gone WAY above and beyond for this company! And they have not even let on as to whether they are choosing us or not. Talk about weird! I rarely hear negative feedback – especially not like that! Skip ahead 3 hours (no one from my team has contacted him directly at this point) and the account manager left my boss a voicemail saying that he was wrong and sorry and that the pilot was looking good. He had a call with the client who told him how happy he was with our responsiveness etc… HMM! I’ve not worked with him in this scenario before, but, sorry, Mister, I’m proud of what I do and as a result do my job well! You, on the other hand, may want to take a look at your communication skills…

Anyway. Those were blood pressure increasing events numbers 3 and 4. Phew.

THEN (actually in the middle of event 4) I got hungry. I had to eat a quick lunch because of several back to back meetings. As a result, I decided to walk downstairs and eat at the café in our building. Yuck. I do not like to do that. It reminds me of bad school food and it costs more than Willy’s (which I love and actually have a free meal waiting for me …because they have excellent customer service…but that’s another story too)…I ate there.Enough said. That was tasteless event number 5.

Mysterious number 6 is going to be vague. Only because this is when my day started to turn around…and I am hoping that it will mean my 2011 will be awesome. Just know that I had a good conversation with someone that I look up to and he had inspiring words to say.

The final event (lucky number seven) happened at the gym after work. When I walked in, I saw our CEO sitting, resting as if he had just had a hard workout. Nice. Of course I would see him on this day (a day that my mind would deliberately/haphazardly wear a raincoat only because it is cold outside). I said hello and went to change. Of course the only thing I had to wear was a tight tank top with shorts (how professional! argh! I rarely wear tight tank tops. I am usually very conservative with my gym outfits, just in case this happens...which it never-er rarely- does! It wasn’t inappropriate, but definitely not office attire…) anyway…we had a nice conversation. I went on and on about today being my first day of training for the Thanksgiving Day marathon. “Three months is all I need.” (He ran it last year)… he was impressed and we talked for a bit and said our goodbyes. Then, as I was turning on my music for the run, I realized I am NOT going to run the Thanksgiving Day Marathon!! What did I just tell this man?! OUR CEO!! So I IMMEDIATELY emailed him (a man who gets hundreds of emails a day) to correct myself… to tell him that I am training for the half and may or may not run it. But I am going to be prepared for the half not the full! I didn’t even realize I was telling him that I was running the marathon and not half marathon until our conversation was over and done with! that is weird! … after I emailed him, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But no response is what I thought most likely (does he really care about what I’m training for? If I weren’t me, I probably wouldn’t)…but, when I rounded out my run, I checked my mail.. and he had responded… a short response…but a response nonetheless.. :)

THEN (I forgot there was one more! the grand finale. Number eight. Like infinity.) I got in my car to go to the grocery before heading home, and seriously less than 30 seconds later, a different Matchbox 20 song came on (on the same station that normally plays pop music, 94.1)… I’m not sure which one it was – I think it was Real World...that would only be appropriate…

Oh shoot- I forgot one...probably the one that started it all...my mom sent me (and my aunts and siblings) an email this morning. Well, a forward. I don't even remember the last time I got an email from her at all. She usually calls. She sent it early this morning (5:45am). The subject was 'Fill my cup, Lord'. hmm. My cup was definitely filled today...

Thank for listening to me rant. This was just a very strange day for me (part one of my new 'story'?). I hope yours was wonderful.

As a side note, Matt's in Chicago, so I will be lonely at 3AM...

Until next time…

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: my thoughts on the book

Last night I finished my second book on nook :), A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: what I learned by editing my life by Donald Miller. My friend and college roommate, Jennifer, recommended it to me earlier this year (on facebook), definitively telling me “This is a Tina book.” She and I have had countless conversations on faith, fate, and forgiveness (and such), so when she says something like that, I listen… and she was right…

Donald Miller is a Christian writer. His previous bestselling book, Blue Like Jazz, was the true story of his life growing up without a father. Jenn read that one while we were living together and praised it immensely. I haven’t read it yet. From what I understand, it has more religious references than A Million Miles, which had ‘some’, but you can take what you will, keep reading and still enjoy the story (if you’re not into this religion – or any religion)…

But anyway…enough about the author, let’s talk about the book… Wait a second…the book is about the author…let’s just get on with it…

In all honesty, I feel like a better person now that I have read it. It was a quick read, yet made a lasting impact on me… I must say that there were times when I was not a huge fan of his writing style – I don’t think I learned a single new vocabulary word :( , but all things considered he told a very true, very real story… It is actually quite similar to the movie Adaptation (which I reviewed a couple of posts ago).

A Million Miles is the nonfiction story of how Miller changed his life after two producers approached him with idea of making a movie out of Blue Like Jazz (true story). However, as they all sat down to write a screenplay, the producers basically said that the book itself (Donald’s life) was too boring (for a movie) and that they were going to have to spice it up a bit. Miller was offended at first, but ultimately realized they were right… and began researching what makes a good story (a good life).

He decided that a good story in its basic form involves a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. And stories are better when there is a lot of risk involved – in fact, the more risk the better.

In this book, Donald describes the interesting scenes that occurred in his and his friends’ lives after the inciting incident where he realized he wasn’t fully living his life. Scenes of how his life changed, more specifically, how he changed his life, once he realized he needed to make his real life a better story (a better movie).

As usual, I am not going to go into too much detail about the meat of the book (you can Google anything you want :)), but instead am going to tell you a little portion of what I learned from the lessons his amusing anecdotes taught. I made a lot of notes along the way with this one (like I did with Eat Pray Love), and I would love to pull them out and talk to each piece individually – but #1 there are too many and #2 I can’t figure out how to view my notes in the nook without having to search through all of the pages:(

…but anyway…

For me, this book was an incredible motivator. It reinforced that I need to get out and do something with my life, make a difference in the world, leave a mark. Fully live. What the world needs is people who come ALIVE! Every day is a scene in the story I’m telling – the story I’m leaving behind for my grandchildren to hear. It is my job to question: did today move the story forward (or backward)? did I help someone else? did I help myself? what did I learn? what did I do? And if/when I don’t have a good answer to those questions- it is my responsibility to fix it! I am writing my story by the actions I take every day, and I plan to have written a damn good one by the time this story is over…

Excuse me for a moment… I am going to go create my story…

Yes. I definitely recommend this book. Especially to someone in a slump, depression, or any type of stagnant/bad phase in their life. This book reminds you that you do have control over your life. You have the ability to make your life meaningful…do your part…

The morning after...

Monday evening I went to kickboxing class (today is Thursday). I used to go several times a week, but I have not been in months now (hence the tight pants). I go to the gym and run every so often, but I really haven’t worked out hard since early June.

I paid for a year membership at Knuckle Up (the kickboxing place) last December, because I know for a fact that it gets me in shape –quick. It is some hard shizzle! When I was going earlier this year, I might have been in the best shape of my life. Seriously. And on top of that, I was in a great mental state. There’s just something about jabbing, hooking, and round kicking a 150lb dangling bag that not only strengthens your body but also your mind. I raved to pretty much everyone I know about the enormous impact of my kickboxing class (and showed them my biceps).

Then last week, a coworker/friend came to town from South Carolina. He was one of the people I raved to about the awesomeness of kickboxing earlier this year. We hadn’t really stayed in touch too well over the recent months (with my getting engaged and married and his getting engaged) but when he came to town, he definitely wanted to go kickboxing with me… and you know what I said? “I don’t feel like it.”

Really?

Well, I didn’t feel like it. I was exhausted. I’m not even sure why. Probably wasn’t getting enough sleep….but that’s not the point. The point is: I should have gotten off of my lazy ass, gone to kickboxing and spent some quality time with my good friend who was very excited about it.

To my good friend: I am sorry for not playing my part. I was not being a good friend. I wasn’t being a bad one, just not the good one that you deserve. Though you unfortunately did not have the pleasure of kickboxing, thank you for motivating me to get my ass back in ‘the gym’ and bettering my life! I went on Monday. There was a new instructor, and well, he gave me what I deserved. For the next two days I was sore, tired, grumpy and dehydrated. I took notes on how I felt and am dedicating that one to you, because, well. it was BRUTAL. The notes are below. Please forgive me.:) –Tina

Two days after my hard work out with Stephen (that was the instructor’s name), I was in awful shape. I was what you might call ‘exhausted.’ I’ve been through a lot of physical torture, but this might have been the worst two day ‘hangover’ ever. This is how I felt:

"Everything bothers me: even how my pants rub on my day-old shaven legs. My skin itches. I am cold. My mascara is smudged because my eyes itch- and I rub them. I don't feel like talking. I don't feel like listening. I am craving bad foods. I do not want to make a decision: completely indecisive. Taking really deep breaths that others may find offensive: “It’s not you, It’s me.” My legs and arms are all so sore. I don’t want to move them, yet I want to sprint up a hill to stretch them. I want to make weird faces. Stretch those muscles too…."

I really think I just needed a nap and a 32oz jug of water, but I didn’t take a nap and I didn’t drink the water. Instead, I sat at my desk in misery – ‘dreaming’ of a nap and a refill on my water…My brain was not working yesterday…as evident by the notes above...

But today it is, and I have definitely learned from this experience. I am going to get up and go to kickboxing at least once (but try for 2-3 times) a week. I do not want to feel like this again…you know how after you drink way too much, and you wake up the next morning vowing never to drink again… well… this is kinda like that…