Minty Fresh

Last night I decided that I was going to just work my tail off, so that I could truly have a day of relaxation today. That means working as late as needed to get stuff off my plate, cleaning the house until bedtime, and checking off a lot of little "to-dos" like making dessert for girls night ahead of time. Okay fine, I also wanted a piece (mint nanaimo bars!) for myself last night.

Anyway. So although I had a ridiculously restless night of sleep, just knowing that today is a rest and relaxation day (and my day off from CrossFit), makes everything seem a little slower and sweeter. I got up, had my fave protein waffles (you can't have a Saturday without waffles!), listened to worship music, and slowly got dressed before heading out for a nice long walk. This afternoon, my plan is to get in a nice slow yoga session, read some more of my "Flawless Consulting" book (it's a homework assignment of sorts), do some shopping, and maybe even nap (oh the luxury!). Oh and attempt to dye my clothes that were ruined last week in the wash. We'll see how that goes.

While I was waiting for Nolan to call this morning, I got a text, which I was surprised to find was not from him, but from one of the trainers I work with sometimes. I had been working out with he and another trainer yesterday, informally. Apparently while he was recording the other guy's form, he also got a little bit of mine. Score! One of the most helpful things is being able to see yourself so you know what you need to fix:

Needless to say, I need to work on my thrusters :( But at least now I can see where the issues are!

Now if I can only get through the day without scarfing the whole pan of mint nanaimos before the girls come over tonight. 

Thankful Thursday

I really did mean to blog more recently. Especially with the holiday weekend and all that time on a plane last week...and it just didn't happen. It's that time of year at the office, where everything kind of hits the windshield at once, and I'm just trying to get my wipers to work. So here are a few old-ish pictures, and a few new-ish ones. This one is from the conference in DC I was at last week. Nothing better than a big room chock full of data nerds!

 ...and this is my plane window as we were about to take off. They de-iced the wings, and said they'd "try to get off the ground" as I'm looking at the snowflakes. Really instilled confidence in me, that did. Fortunately, we made it off the ground about 30 minutes before the storm really hit. Good thing, because I was running out of clothes :(

 At our conference in Vegas, there was a talk on executive presence. So naturally, I immediately went out and bought some new blazers when I had a spare hour before dinner in DC. Always a good reminder to clean myself up:

Sadly, because I got home so late from the East Coast, I was too tired to think logically and threw all my stuff in the washer, and forgot to sort it out.  So my red coat (yes Pop, the one I nabbed from a children's coat drive) dyed my favourite blazer and a few other key items a nice blotchy pink. Sad! Fortunately, the base colour was a light gray for a couple items, so I think I'm going to use this as an opportunity to try dying clothing!

It's been so busy with travel and visiting family and work that I've not had a lot of time to sit around at home and mope about Nolan being gone. As time goes by, it gets more lonely here...but that means I'm a little closer to joining him for vacation together! Apparently he's having a hoot of a time, trying new foods, meeting fun people and enjoying the amazing culture, and even going to Indian rock concerts:

Last weekend I was up at my parents' ranch to visit and just have quality time relaxing with those I care about the most. I got to hit the gym with my (not so) little brother and visit him at his new job:

 "Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get started for you?"

And then on Saturday, we went into town to check on a new addition to the family. While we were filling out the forms, we got to ogle the precious baby piglets (EEEEEE!!!!!) in the next spot.

 Nate even bonded with one. Sort of (note the screaming mouth). I think this picture is hilarious.

 Before long, we were on our way home, with my parents' newest child:

His name is Captain, and he's a ball of energy and sweetness. I even made him run 6 laps around the vineyard with me before I found out he's supposed to be taking it easy while he recovers from an illness. Oops. Next time. 

All in all, it's been a pretty good week...besides the missing Nolan fiercely bit. 

You may see a trend in my thankful items this week, but I'm okay with that.

1. I'm thankful that time is passing quickly before I get to be reunited with my love!

2. I'm thankful for a family that I'm lucky enough to also call friends, and for the support, challenge, and love they never fail to amaze me with.

3. I'm thankful for my meals this week. I got to either eat nice lunches with colleagues or dinners with friends, and I'm grateful for not having to eat alone (it amplifies any lonely feelings, you know!).

4. I'm thankful for Milo, who keeps me company (even though he tries to get me to play at 4am)!

5. I'm thankful for my job and workplace, and that I truly enjoy both. Not many people are that fortunate.

What are you thankful for?

Walking Distance Only

I like travel. I like exploring new places, trying new foods, sleeping in hotels with tightly tucked sheets...I even like flying and being in airports. But I can't imagine travelling all the time for work. A few times is fun and always interesting, but even one trip makes me kind of tired. So now that I'm on trip 2 in a short period of time, and with my trip to India and Nepal rapidly approaching, I'm looking forward to some good time at home in the next week or so.

Flying Virgin always makes me happy (who couldn't love an airline that uses a safety video like this?!). But flying Virgin AND having a practically empty plane? Double score. I love this view next to me, particularly for a cross-country flight:

So when I landed in DC, it was snowing. Just lightly, barely...but just enough. So instead of finding a cool spot for dinner, I stayed in the building and ate at the restaurant on site. Brr. The next morning, I ventured out for breakfast, since I was up early enough to explore a little. I even took myself on a little walking tour before starting work - there was a magazine in my hotel room all about exploring Alexandria, Virginia, so I ripped out the walking tour guide and set off. If I'm honest, I almost went straight back to my warm hotel room after grabbing breakfast, but I knew I'd regret not seeing a place while there. So I trudged on, and made it all the way! Here's a pic at the waterfront with the dirty Potomac behind me:

And Carlyle house. I can't even remember why this was a historic monument.

A little about Alexandria:

And an old brick ice well (ignore the huge reflection of me...oops):

The sign on George Washington's townhouse replica:

And the house itself. Not what I expected! Yes, that is an Olympic flag in the window too. Cheesy.

 And a sign by a tavern. Haha, I kind of like these kinds of places. It reminds me of the historical spots in the UK!

Part of the churchyard at Christchurch.

 

Christchurch.

After I got back, I headed to the kickoff of my conference. First session was awesome! All about scenario planning, which is something I need to work on. Second session: eh. It was interesting, but not really applicable, as it seemed to be less of a discussion on "strategic" workforce planning as it promised, and more of a lecture on the soft-skills and norms of today's workforce. 

After the sessions ended for the day, I walked over to King Street, hopped on the metro and met up with Sarah and Nico (and their adorable son) for dinner! It's so refreshing to spend an evening with great friends shooting the breeze after sitting in a stale chair for hours on end. Thanks, guys!

Thankful Thursday...and a lot of pictures of stuff.

Our friends recently went to Costa Rica, and brought us back some Lizano sauce as a special treat. We went there on our honeymoon many moons ago (hah!), and fell in love with the casados and tasty brown Lizano sauce. So in honour of good memories, we scrambled up some casados for lunch (the type of meal), and lived it up like we were in Costa Rica. 

Last Friday, we came into the city to submit and wait for Nolan's Indian Visa. I submitted mine too, but at a different place since mine didn't need to be rushed. We dropped it off in the morning, then I worked while he waited. Then we drove downtown for a quick meeting with boss, who joined us for lunch at my favourite spot, then I worked the rest of the day while Nolan waited...until 5:55pm (they close at 6), when they FINALLY got his Visa into his hands. I would explain the whole chaotic and ridiculous process of actually making that happen, but it makes me tired thinking about it. This is his face upon actually getting the Visa:

Although he said this is a more accurate depiction of how he felt inside after the whole stupid process:

If you've ever stayed with us and wonder why we put Milo's bed on the bathroom counter at night, this is why:

Because he ends up there either way. He discovered (and I did too, via my chapstick melting in the top drawer) that the heating system in the bathroom redirects the hot air past and through the drawers, until it hits the underside of the counter, which ends up being super warm. This is his version of butt warmers in a car, and he likes it.

Then I flew to Vegas for work...and discovered that the reputation of the Cosmopolitan hotel as a sexy hotel, though super nice, is intact. In fact, there was sex advertised everywhere in my room, oh-so-subtly. See what I mean below.

Open shower next to the bed: 

The bathroom wallpaper is women's figures (look closely):

Stocking art:

It's hard to tell, but there were mirrors everywhere! 

I don't even know what to say about this one, but...binoculars:

A "get lucky" kit, with everything you need:

And I had a picture of the magazines they left on my workdesk, but it disappeared somewhere. Anyway: one had a risque picture of Britney on it (though, what pictures of Brit-Brit aren't risque these days?), and the other one had a big bold article advertised called "Sex on a Plane". Sweet. All this would be funny and cute if I was here for fun with my significant other...not here alone on business. 

Aside from my hotel,Vegas is pretty much the same as it always is: flashing lights and smoke and noises.

 My crappy attempt at a selfie.

 I DID have to take a picture of the Chandelier bar. This doesn't do it justice, but it's beautiful! Everything is inside this huge, glittering chandelier.

 And the view from my room. Boring. But at least it's better than last time I was here, when I had a sweeping view of the wall of a maintenance building. 

Vegas is always a fun place to visit, but after about 24 hours...eh. It'll be good to be home tomorrow night...for about 24 hours before I leave for Virginia. Anyway:

1. I'm thankful that I get to go home tomorrow, albeit just for a day. I have laundry to do, my own bed to sleep in, and my cat to play with. Oh and a fun girls night out on Saturday before I leave again.

2. I'm thankful for a good meeting with colleagues. It's always so nice to catch up with good folks you haven't seen in awhile, and hear fresh takes on things you've been working on in your own little space.

3. I'm thankful for the hotel itself in Vegas. That sounds weird, but...after many trips, there are some real crap ones out there. This one has a full-blown, fully-equipped gym (hallelujah!), wifi in every part of the building (you'd think that was a given, but no), and actually pretty nice amenities and services. The restaurants in this one aren't bad, either. Did I mention they have a pillow-butler? You know, just in case I don't like my kind of pillow and want to try another one of the 8 varieties they offer.

4. I'm thankful for pilfered water bottles. Because no matter how nice the hotel, it's hard to come across water in the middle of the night when you can't just walk yourself down to the fitness center's water fountain for a refill. So I take them from the meeting rooms and stash 'em. Plus, I forgot how DRY it is here. I'm constantly thirsty and it's nice to have a supply.

5. I'm thankful for a night off tomorrow. I don't know how many hours I've logged these past couple of weeks, but the thought of having a night with my work laptop shut off and just, like...watching a movie or SOMETHING lazy and indulgent like that...sounds amazing.

What are you thankful for?