Make...Brain...Rest...

As many of you know, I was wonderfully excited to be working in Portland, OR this week...there are many reasons to be excited about that, but the biggest for me was the gift of being able to work in my home time zone for a week - JOY! I had grand plans for actually getting decent sleep during this week on the road because for once my body wouldn't be totally confused about where it was, what time it was supposed to sleep, and why I was waking it up at what it felt to be 3:00am (like it is when I'm working on the east coast).

But alas...night #1 last night = fail. I went to bed at about 9:30pm, which I know seems early, but I was still in major recovery mode from a 9 hour bar crawl the previous afternoon/evening. (Tons of fun...I'm still rounding up pictures...soon to come) I slept solidly for a bit, and then woke up feeling like I was still exhausted, but also like it was time to get up. Um, nope. It was 1:18am. I then proceeded to toss and turn and fidget and groan until about 6:15am when I got up. Dark circles under eyes? Check.

I love, respect, and appreciate my body...but seriously...what the hell?! Why can I still not sleep well even when I'm totally exhausted and spent, have a full belly (awesome dinner with my boss last night), and am in my own time zone? What more does it want to just sleep?!

I have a hunch it's my age old can't-turn-my-brain-off-ever problem. I just have so many things going on right now, that my mind just never stops spinning. But how does a person fix that problem? Is it even fixable? Aside from knocking myself unconscious with a sledge-hammer...what can I do?! I so desperately need some rest!

Better Late Than Never

Please don't point out that it is January 25 today. I am most certainly aware. I know...I'm a little behind the times on setting my new year's resolutions. But my goal was to do it within the first month of the year...so I guess technically I already achieved one of them! BAM.

My Resolutions for 2011

1. Drink more water (I resolve to do this every, single year...and yet, I continue to spend an unacceptable amount of my life dehydrated...)
2. Eat in a healthier manner CONSISTENTLY (and this doesn't just mean to eat salads all day every day...I actually mostly eat healthy food...but rather to eat good food, and enough food, and at a normal and consistent rate...2010 put me in too many instances of people asking if I was "okay" and "eating enough" and what-not...for me, being super busy/being stressed/going through life changes/being too social = often forgetting to eat...I'd like to do better with that this year...especially since the excitement shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon!)
3. Stay focused on my career (I am madly in love with my job, and my company...and 2011 has the potential to even be my best year yet! I have the best boss anyone could ask for, the most incredible coworkers, I get to travel all over the place and have amazing experiences, my company respects, values, supports, and takes great care of me, and I am lucky enough to be able to personally influence, mentor, guide, support, and encourage people on a daily basis...how did I get this lucky?!)
4. Continue to figure out who the heck I am (I have learned more about myself in this past year than I probably even realize, and I am so happy for that...I am in the incredible position of being able to really focus on ME...I was able to pick up and move to Los Angeles just because I wanted to, I settled in/got comfortable/made-and-refound friends at an unbelievable rate, while home I can walk 6 blocks to the beach whenever I feel like it, I am in a financial position to do pretty much anything I want whenever I want, and I don't have to cater to anyone else. I am proud to know that when I turn 30...don't worry, that's still a ways away!...I will have really used my 20s to find out who I am as an adult. And not a 22-25 year old "adult"...but a REAL adult. I lost a little bit of time in there, but I'm more than making up for it now.)
5. Don't do anything or be in any situation just because I think I "should" or just because it "seems right"... (probably 'nuff said there)
6. Get. More. Sleep. (I have a perpetual problem of letting my schedule get way too full...with work, with travel, with friends, with social commitments, yada yada yada...and while I love my life 'o fun, my poor body can't keep up with me forever. I must aim for at least 7 hours a night. I must.)
7. Continue to laugh every, single day (I think I laugh more as a 28 year old woman than I ever did before...life is amazing, and humorous, and often ironic, and meant to be really experienced and not taken too seriously...it feels GREAT to laugh.)
8. BE GRATEFUL...every hour of every day (I am truly blessed. I have the best family, who loves me, supports me, and is okay with anything I do, as long as I'm happy...even when I want to move 3000 miles away for awhile. I have incredible friends, without whom I can't imagine my life. Amazing job (see #3). I have my health, livelihood, freedom, and a sense of humor. And I'm only 28 years old...God willing, I've got the vast majority of my life still ahead of me. I am truly thankful for everything that I have, and I need to make sure that's at the front of my mind every day.)

2010 was a monumental year for me, in many ways...lots of change, lots of discovery, lots of stress, but also tons of fun. I had to make many decisions for myself...many quite large, and many incredibly difficult. But I am proud of the choices I made. Everything in 2010 happened the way it was meant to, and it brought me to the place I am currently in...and I believe that place is at the very beginning of a fabulous year. I've got my arms wide open for 2011...I can't wait to see what's in store for me.

Me...Scary?!

Pure hilariousness. Today was my first day with the current new hire class for work - I teach them this week, manage them from multiple locations next week, and then teach them again the week after that. They didn't get to meet me until today for the first time, but I sent out a welcome email last week, that also included some of my expectations for them for the next few weeks, and then a bunch of pre-work for them to do before today.

Here's the funny part - we all went out to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner (a group of 21, wowzas!), and after a superb afternoon with them all (really, really great...energetic, fun, we bonded...), they admitted to me at dinner that they were incredibly relieved when they met me right away today and realized I was "fun, nice, not scary." What?! Apparently I sounded very serious, and basically terrifying, in my first email to them (and I'm sure all the assignments didn't help!). Maybe this really isn't that funny, but knowing myself and my teaching style, I find it hilarious that these 19 people spent a couple of days worrying about meeting me, pleasing me, and living up to my expectations. I mean, maybe it's good to instill a little fear in them when they're first starting...but still...I kind of think I'm one of the least scary people around...right?!?!

I'm sure the fact that I give every participant in my class a nickname helped ease the situation pretty quickly too. I haven't dubbed everyone quite yet (I put thought in my nicknames), but here are some that are already set after our first afternoon/evening together - G-train, E, Jiffy Pop, Broom Ball, A-dog, Jewel, and T-pain. So there are 13 left to deem.

They picked up on this right away and decided to come up with a nickname for me as well...they said they'd still like to think some more, but the first attempt for me was "Biebs" because they think I have Bieber fever. Oy vey.

A 6-Year Love Affair...

....and his name, is Stockamp.

Today marks a pretty monumental life landmark for me. It is the 6-year anniversary of the day I started working for my company. And boy, what a 6 years it has been. I am a far cry from the 22 year old that walked into that office in Lake Oswego, OR on January 10, 2005. I had just graduated from college (which was strange for me because I was a semester ahead of all my classmates, and felt a little "on my own," though also very excited), packed up all my belongings, moved to New York City, and then was starting my first real job. All of those things happened in a span of 21 days. My head was spinning just a bit.

I could write for days about all that I have been through and experienced in the past 6 years (and it would be endless fun reliving the awesomeness of working for Stockamp), but alas, I don't quite have time for that. So instead, I thought I'd do a quick synopsis of my day today...as it has been a perfectly fitting anniversary day for a traveling consultant.

The story technically starts yesterday, around 10:00am EST. My flight for 24 hours later (Atlanta to LA) already gets cancelled...as do hundreds of others. Delta automatically rebooks me...but not until Tuesday afternoon. That's not gonna fly. (Pun intended) So I call the lovely special phone number for people with status, and talk the nice man into putting me on the 3:05pm EST today instead. I had dinner with 3 friends last night...and 3 of the 4 of us were all in the same boat for this morning. But that's fine...that just allowed us to relax, and hang out longer into the night! I can deal with that.

Well, we monitored all the flights very closely all last night and today...because more and more flights were getting cancelled nonstop. But still, this 3:05pm flight showed as "on-time." Gotta stay positive, gotta stay positive...

Actually getting to the airport was a whole other hurdle that we hadn't quite anticipated fully. Atlanta was pretty much in a state of emergency from the snow and ice that had completely blanketed the city and surrounding areas. We had to drive to the airport at no more than 12 MPH the entire way...including on the interstate. We felt like road warriors as we got closer and closer to ATL, and eventually arrived in one piece.

Upon arrival at the airport, here is what we were greeted with:



Yeah. So unless your destination is LA (our one measely flight), Allentown, PA, Bloomington, IL, Cairo, or Columbia, SC...you're pretty much up a creek with no paddle, and barely even a boat. (Ok, yes there were a few additional options, but it was seriously slim pickins'...I can't remember the last time I saw so much red print on a departures board)

We walked right up to the security line....NO one else was there! And folks, this is ATL. So the security line is never empty...not even at 3:00am on a Tuesday. It's always nuts.

And then the terminals were like ghost towns too. Barely anyone anywhere. Very odd...and a little creepy even. And when was the last time you saw this?

Yes, that's Hartsfield Jackson with ZERO plane traffic. It's the world's busiest airport...but throw down a few inches of snow and some ice, and everything stops. NO movement. I obviously had to capture on film because it's almost too crazy to believe.

Anyway, we made our way to the Sky Club lounge to hang out a bit before the flight. Then went and boarded the plane (first class upgrades!), and then sat on the plane at the gate for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. They finally closed the plane door, and then we taxi-ed out and sat on the runway for about another 40 minutes, waiting for our plane to get de-iced. After that? #1 for take-off, of course...there were no other planes as competition! Go Flight 592, go!!

And here I sit, almost 40,000 feet in the air. Just anxious to get home after the last 32 hours of travel madness. Although tons of people ended up way worse off than me...I got off pretty easy in the grand scheme of things. I guess it was my anniversary present from the travel fates.

Here's to another 6 years of bettering hospitals, and patient experiences, and flying all over the darn place, and certainly to having incredible amounts of fun with some of the best people around!! Cheers.

Top Notch Visit in the ATL

What a fabulous whole weekend in Atlanta! I managed to cram a ton of fun into 2 and 1/2 days here, and see a lot of some people who are incredibly dear to me. I don't get to see nearly enough of two of my loves...ES and DL. But I did this weekend - and ES and I had a particularly exhilirating day on Saturday...

After some yummy food was consumed, we hit up the Glam Nail Spa in Vinings - any real good Saturday includes deluxe manis and pedis (especially the hot paraffin wax hand treatment...sooooo soft now!). ES chose a nice pinkish color...I, on the other hand, went with OPI's "Green-wich Village"...better known as toxic green:


I only wish every mani/pedi could be followed by the activity we did next...shooting guns. It was my very first time...and it was incredible. I can't even describe the feeling of holding a loaded weapon, and pulling the trigger. I pretty much felt it throughout my entire body...I'm happy I didn't go flying backwards into the wall! I learned real fast to plant my feet firmly before firing.

We used traditional targets, but there are some other fun options to pick from. My favorite is shown here, top left - it's a creepy 80s-fabulous guy, holding up a nice-looking lady wearing mom jeans. I guess the goal is to protect the mom jeans.


Some of the other options included scary clown, hairy wolfman monster, and Nazi. Too many options. Here's ES setting up our bad guys:


And me taking them out. We got to shoot a 9-millimeter, a 45, and a rifle. I shot the 9-mm and rifle multiple times...but just one bullet with the 45. That one was a little too powerful for this small girl.



We were so proud of ourselves afterward - so many great shots! And a few missed ones as well...I know I can do even better next time.


I have a whole new respect for the power of weapons. Actually SEEING the fire of the bullet being shot (and hearing that thunder) really changes your view. I'm in awe...and a little bit shell-shocked still. But it was amazing - I'm SO incredibly glad we went and did that. (One more thing I can check off my life list!)

A rest was in order to recoup from all the bullets fired, and get ready for a fantastic all girls dinner at my favorite restaurant in Atlanta - Two Urban Licks! I love it so much, and have to go every time I'm in town. (And take pictures of the receipts...a little weird, but makes me smile!) We were even lucky enough to get one of the best booths there - great views of the entire restaurant AND the Atlanta skyline - beautiful.

Lots of fun today as well...going to church, delicious brunch at the OK Cafe, and hanging out/having dinner with and watching football with some faaaaabulous gentlemen. The Packers won, which is always a blast to watch. I wish the weekend didn't have to be over already...but maybe it won't actually be yet. All 3 of our flights (to 3 different places) have already been cancelled for tomorrow morning...Atlanta is getting a few inches of snow tonight. So the city is pretty much shutting down. And there is no milk or bread to be had in any of the stores. Which is odd...if I'm expecting to be snowed in, I'm going to the store for wine and ice cream...not boring old milk and bread. Geez.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

...something, something, smell as sweet. Blah, blah, blah. Losing stinks! What a painful loss on New Year's Day. Our beloved Badgers fell to a bunch of horned frogs. Does anyone even know what the heck a horned frog is?! I sure don't. But hearing those words will now forever bring a tear to my eye.

BUT luckily, the Rose Bowl is an amazing enough of an experience for me to still call January 1, 2011 one of my favorite days ever. Sooooooo much fun, I can barely even describe it. The sea of red made my heart swell. The sound of Wisconsin songs...the Miller Lite...the brats...the cheese...endless games of Flip Cup...the inflatable Bucky dolls...purely wonderful. Not to mention the beautiful, sunny day we were blessed with.
I should have been way more tired and out of it than I was. My friends and I had a sleepover on New Year's Eve...didn't go to bed until almost 4:30am after a really fun party at some other friends' house...got up to the alarm around 7:30am (if I remember correctly - it was a blur)...hit the road shortly after. Didn't eat breakfast...didn't have any coffee...just followed our instincts straight to Pasadena!

The adrenaline of the day was off the charts, and especially once we got to Pasadena and saw all of our brothers and sisters (and Bucky), and the mass of tail gating that was already in progress. I thought we were getting there pretty early, but it sounds like the first people got there around 5:00am. Maybe we should have just driven there straight from the NYE party.

So it was all fun and greatness until the very end of the game. And really? Not much to be said there. Losing is never fun...and our 6-7-ish to 1 ratio of fans was quite sad, as compared to all of the pre-game revelry. But what do Sconnie fans do after a tough loss? Post-game tail gating, of course. Why not?!

Some of my favorite shots to commemorate the kick-butt day:


When you say Wisconsin...you've most definitely, certainly, without a doubt...said it all.