Good evening!
One of my favorite things about going back to Wisconsin for computer training is that the place they send me to has the most interesting collection of art. I thought I would not do much talking this evening, but let the art speak for itself!
Enjoy!
Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉
Good evening!
I am so happy to report that I am finally home!! WHOO! HOO!!
Yesterday was the last day of my computer training in Wisconsin, so naturally I started the journey home yesterday afternoon. Who knew it would be such a LOOOOONG journey!! 😉
The original plan was that I would leave my class at four to catch the shuttle to the airport in Madison, which would take about an hour to get there. Then I would have about a 2 and a half hour wait before my flight to Chicago. Once to Chicago, I would have one hour to catch that plane, and then my plane to Portland, Oregon would get in at about midnight, and my sweetie would pick me up and drive us home, which would get us home about 1 am. I would get some much needed sleep and then go to work from noon to 5, and life would officially be back to “normal”.
What really happened though, was this:
I left my class at 4 to take the hour long drive to the airport on the shuttle. Got to the airport, as expected, and when I got there found out my flight to Chicago had been delayed by an extra hour, because there was a really bad wind storm in Chicago. This would also mean that if I was going to make my connecting flight, I was going to have to SERIOUSLY run, which, at that point, I was sooooo tired, and sooooo ready to be home, I was more than willing to do.
At a little after 8 pm, they finally gave the a-ok to board our plane, but when we taxi’d out, we found out we had that we were grounded and had to wait on the Tarmac until air traffic control gave us the green light to go. It was quite a wait, but at this point, in my mind, it was still all good because it was a small plane, with even less passengers, so they let us sit wherever we wanted, and by that time there were about 4 of us who were really getting to know each other,nervously laughing and joking, and three of us four, were all heading to Portland on the same flights. Come rain or come shine, I knew I wasn’t going to be alone!! What a blessing!! 😉
Well, I am not sure what time we actually got to take off, but we all knew we were going to miss our connecting flights! and boy, did we ever!
Before I tell you what happened next, I think I had better tell you about our AMAZING flight crew from Madison to Chicago! We flew United, and I have never really had any problems with them, so I knew we were going to be in good hands! That might have been the UNDERSTATEMENT of the whole trip!!! Seeing that they were forecasting cross winds of up to 50 miles an hour, we had a relatively smooth, and comfortable ride – considering the weather. There were times that I was sure we would NEVER get off of that Tarmac, but once we did the professionalism and skill of our crew was extremely self-evident! You could tell that the plane was trying hard to roll, and the pilots did a lot of compensating to make sure we made it to Chicago safely! I am not saying that I was completely worry free during our flight. It was a lot bumpier than normal after all, but I had decided to just pray about it, and let God take care of getting us there. one way or the other, I knew I would be in His hands.
We did finally get there safely, and we had an AMAZINGLY smooth landing, which was a feat unto itself because it was SO RAINY and SO WINDY!! WHEW!!! but, I knew God was helping fly that little plane. When we finally got off the plane, I headed right to the gate to ask the person at the counter if our connecting flight had taken off, well, let’s just say he practically laughed his confirmation at me, as if I were some silly dreamer, which I guess I am, but a girl could hope that it had been delayed too can’t she?
So, the three of us Portland bound ladies, myself, Eartha, and KJ (short for Kathy Jo) had decided that we were all in this together, and made the trek to find out how to go about getting ourselves set up with new flights so we could FINALLY get to Portland. After finding where we were supposed to go to get help, we found ourselves in the LOOOOOONGEST line and if we had any doubts before that this was going to be a long night, we knew for SURE now!! 😉 Thankfully, by the time I finally made it to the associate, she was still smiling – bless her heart!! I had been watching and she had people yelling at her, and being downright rude, and I was just soooo impressed that she had kept her cool, and not only that, but to do it all with a SMILE?? She was VERY IMPRESSIVE!! So, when I go to her window, I had decided to tell her so, and thank her for what a GREAT job she was doing!! She reserved me a seat on the next flight back to the Pacific Northwest, which was going to be going to Seattle, and we would be on the plane by about 8 am the next morning! WHOO! HOO!! as long as we were on our way! (Yes, all three of us girls ended up on the same flights, thankfully!!)
By this time it was a little past 11 at night, the airport had practically closed down for the evening and I was hungry because I had missed dinner that evening, and the young lady who had helped us reschedule our flights, I believe her name was Mary Jane, was just getting off of her shift, and had by then, made it her mission to make sure that the three of us had ANYTHING that we needed, food, drinks, etc!!! She kept offering to drive and get us some food, and bring it back. 🙂 We kept thanking her and telling her that wasn’t going to be necessary! She then said she was willing to go home, and bring us back some apples from an orchard that she had just picked these fresh apples from, she was VERY SWEET, but we assured her that we would be fine, and she headed home for the evening! Well, Eartha, KJ and myself had found our hunkering down spots in the airport and were busy chatting and getting to know each other a little better, when lo and behold, Mary Jane came back!!! She said that she had searched all over the airport and found that there was a Starbuck’s not to far away that would be open all night! She let us know that they had fruit, veggies, sandwiches, etc, on top of there coffee selections!! We were soooo very appreciative!! I know that she was a walking angel, and that when I had prayed for God to take care of us getting us home, he had gone above and beyond, by sending us this AMAZING lady to help make us comfortable!!!
Well, it was waaay past midnight by now, someone from the airport had come around and given all of us stranded travelers fleece blankets to help keep us warm. I was convinced that God had placed people as angels all around us!! 😉 We knew it was going to be a long night trying to get any kind of sleep in those hard chairs, but we all took turns trying to catch some shut eye, while one of the other of us watched all of our bags, and belongings. I really couldn’t have asked for better company!!
So long story short, none of us really got much in the way of sleep, but we weren’t alone and by about 2-ish I was finally, and GRATEFULLY home!! When my sweetie got to the airport to pick me up, I almost cried with joy to see him!!! His twinkling blue eyes, smiling at me, was just almost more than my happy to be home self could bear!!
Looking back on this trip, I am sure that this will be one I will NEVER forget!! and KJ and Eartha, wherever you are – I do have your contact information, I want to say thank you to you both, you made a very scary situation, a fun, and memorable adventure, and I will forever be grateful to you both!!!
With my story told, it is time for me to go back to bed (I literally climbed in as soon as we got home, and I only got up because I ALMOST forgot to blog today!!)
Have a FABULOUS evening!!
Good morning!
Today is my last day of computer training here in Madison, Wisconsin! So far the trip has gone rather well, especially for someone who really has a hard time with flying. Ok, maybe that is sugar-coating the truth a bit! I am terrified of flying!!! Thankfully, I have special medication that I am able to take that helps soften the fear-factor quite a bit, and just makes me rather sleepy! I am also rather impressed by the Economy vs Economy-Plus upgrade that you are able to purchase. It costs me a little over $50 to upgrade both of my flights from economy to economy plus, and I am able to enjoy more leg room, and earlier boarding – YEAH!!!
I am up really early this morning, about 3 am, my time, 5 am theirs. This hotel room is so warm, and I JUST NOW figured out how to use the dang thermostat! SHEESH!! 😉 I guess I am using too many of my important brain cells in class, that by the time I get back to the hotel, they are all mushed-out!! 😉 Anyway, I am so thankful that the fan has finally kicked on, and seeing that I am going to be go-go-go until about 1 AM tomorrow morning, I really should be trying to sleep at least another hour, it ain’t gonna happen. SO, I thought I would take the extra time this morning to get my daily post out, which means I can know that I am still on target with my goal of writing one blog posting everyday for a year by 12/20/2011, and I won’t have to worry about it all day, if I don’t want to! 😉
Oh, I also wanted to let you know that I will have a lot of pics to share with you tomorrow from EPIC. The place where I am having my computer class. They have a HUGE facility, which I am sure has to be worth billions, and they have an extremely large art collection. So, both yesterday and today, I am making a point of walking around and getting as many pictures as humanly possible without missing any of my class! They are quite spectacular, and I can not wait to share them with you!
Change of subject – I really can’t wait to get home to my sweetie today! I really miss him! We are very close, almost co-dependent maybe, and it is quite the adjustment for either one of us when one or the other goes out of town. He is lover, husband, confidant, counselor, protector, boyfriend, playmate, and best friend!! I always look forward to his messages and pics that he sends when we are apart, it makes me feel like I am just a short hop, skip, and a jump away from him; and I really can’t wait to just climb into his arms this evening!! I love you, B’Spoon!! 😉
Anyway, I am not sure how else I am going to spend my extra free-time this morning, but I am sure that I will packed, and re-packed and ready to go long before I really should be!! But, that is alright with me!! I leave class at 4 today, on my first of two planes by 7 pm, and back home by 1 am – it can’t get here fast enough!!!
Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉
Good morning!
“Who you’re meant to be evolves from where you are right now.” ~Oprah Winfrey
Since I have have to get going to class today, and am not sure how mentally exhausted I am going to be when I get back, I thought I would take some time to blog this morning!
After breakfast, this morning, I have spent some quiet time reading the latest issue of Oprah’s magazine. I picked it up in the airport yesterday because the headlines plastering the cover were exactly the same things that I have been questioning a lot lately.
“Find Your True Calling! A Guide to Discovering Who You’re Meant to Be”
“O’s Self-Awareness Workbook”
“Tired of Being Tired? 5 Ways to Bring Yourself Back from Burnout”
These are all things that I have been seriously searching for answers to!!
I have just finished one article where the woman, Today Show anchor, Ann Curry. I won’t tell you her whole story, you will have to pick up O to read that yourself, but something in her story has really struck a chord with me:
Ann had found a lump in her breast, and after going to her doctor and finding out that she did not have cancer, that was not the end of her physician’s news. He said, “Every day I have to tell a women she’s got a disease that might kill her. Each one of them says, ‘I didn’t get a chance to do this,’ or ‘I should have done that.’ I don’t want you to be one of those women.”
He then proceeds to tell her that no matter what is going on in her life, she needs to start by taking one full day to take care of herself, to make sure she was taking that time to do whatever fulfilled her.
At the very end of her story, Ann says, ‘I’ve learned to be deliberate about how I spend my time on this Earth. I choose to fill my days with that I’m passionate about, and live with purpose. In the end, I want to be able to say, “My life was what I made it.”
WOW!!! This really resonated with me!! Here I have been complaining about where my life is heading right now, and I realize that I have power to redirect the entire direction of my life, one decision at a time!
So this has now led me to more questions,
If my life is what I make it, what the heck do I want to see in it?
The question is, how the heck do I go about making all of that happen? Ok, I guess I have already answered this question – by being mindful in every decision I make! That is going to be easier said than done, I am sure! 😉
Anyway, I am g0ing to go enjoy some more quiet time before my class gets underway, oh that, and checking in with the office to make sure that I am not missing anything urgent!!
Have a FABULOUS day!! 😉
Good evening!
I am in Madison, Wisconsin this evening! I feel like I have either spent the whole day flying or waiting around in airports, no wait – that is EXACTLY what I did!! 😉 I am out here for some more EPIC computer training for my job, so I will be here for the next couple of days!
I have finally gotten to my hotel room, and I have to tell you, I am a sucker for a yummy hotel room!! This one has a living room and a separate bedroom, with a kitchen nook, and a great big bathroom! There are two tele, which I must say, I am not sure what I am supposed to do with two of them, but this room is very nice. It feels like a mini apartment!! It is clean, decorated nicely, and there are bits of peices of it that feel like my style – so I feel like I can relax! YEAH!!
I have just ordered myself so room service for dinner. I am going to have some chicken alfredo with salad, and a diet Sierra Mist! YUM! What more could a girl ask for! Call to order dinner, have dinner delivered, and dirty dishes taken away!! OH SWEET BLISS!!! As spoiled as I am at home, I DO NOT get that service there!!! ;-
(I STILL LOVE YOU ANYWAY, SWEETIE!!!)
This evening, I am going to go take a walk out around the grounds here – I hear there are fireflies, and as many times I have been out for EPIC training, this makes time #4, I still have never seen a firefly!! WOULDN’T THAT BE AWESOME??? So, besides being some good for me exercise, spying my very first firefly is a great excuse to get out there and walk too!! 😉
Is there anything else? Well, not really! I did get myself two magazines at this last airport so I would have something to read this evening. I purchased the new Oprah magazine, and a copy of Fitness! Both, I thought could be helpful in my current goals at the moment!! Plus I thought I would spend some quality time doing some journaling!! I didn’t get my normal morning pages in this morning (since I got up at 4 am!) 😉
I will keep you posted how class goes, but right now I am just going to LIVE this hotelling experience up!!!
Have a FABULOUS evening! 
Good evening!
I thought I would take some time this evening to share some pictures that I was fortunate enough to take from my relaxing/rejuvenating overnighter at the coast!! We got the opportunity to spend the night over in a little tiny town called Neskowin, Oregon.
Here are all of us girls! Jennifer, Ronita, myself, and Lynette! We are standing on the balcony of the beachfront condo!! (Neskowin Shores.)
Check out this SPECTACULAR view!!!
Next up were manis and pedis!!! These are mine fingers! 😉
These are Lauren’s!
This is Megan waiting for her finger and toenails to dry!! This is the pose of the PERFECT LAZY DAY!! 😉
Here is Lauren waiting for her digits to try too! She is just getting so big! 😉
After sufficiently drying, it was time to go down to the beach and get some playing done!!! 😉
The KIDDOS!! Morgan, Jason, and Megan! We were all so wet and sandy when we got back to our apartment, but we really had such a FUN TIME! 😉
Morgan investigating the barnacles!! Heaven forbid if he actually touched one though!!! HE SCREAMED LIKE A GIRL!!!! EEEK!! 😉
This environment was so beautiful, it put me in such a zen place.
AAAAAAH!!
I can NOT wait to get the opportunity to visit this mini coastal town again! It really was such an invigorating overnighter, and it came at the MOST PERFECT TIME!! Jason and I have decided that this is our new coastal vacation spot!!
Tomorrow, when I will be blogging again, it will be from Madison, Wisconsin – yep, more computer training!!! WHEW!!! I will be heavily medicated, because I still HATE flying, but I am going to pretend that I am on an adventure!!
So, until then…
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Good evening! Really! Good evening!
What a difference a day makes, check out the view from my beach front condo:
MAN, OH MAN!!! My sweetie has brought me out to the coast with her sister and our niece and nephew! We are HAVING A BLAST, and I am tempted to never o back to town again!! If only I could figure out how to swing that!!
Anyway, we have had manicures, played all over the beach, in the ocean, in caves, tide pools, etc. etc. etc.!! OH man!! Truly, what a difference a day makes!! This is exactly what my spirit needed, I really appreciate that my husband knows exactly what his wife needs!! I really OWE this man!! 😉
I will have a ton of pics tomorrow, but in the meantime, I am going to spend some more quality time with my family!!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Good evening!
How deep do I let myself get? How much do I allow myself to share? Well, the reality is, is that I am a very spoiled girl who lives exactly the life I have worked hard for, but I am sooooo not happy. You see the thing is, I THOUGHT I knew what I wanted but now that I am here, it is SOOOOO NOT what I expected! And in complaining about it, even just to myself I find that I am constantly feeling guilty. Guilty because I have so much of what so many others want. Then why am I not happy? I just have this nagging feeling that there is more to me, than there is of me! Do you know what I mean? There has got to be more to life than this.
Work, home, tv, sleep, work, home, tv, sleep, wok, home, tv, sleep.
M-O-N-O-T-O-N-Y!!
What is a girl to do when she has everything? Fabulous husband who loves and dotes on her, a great paying job, in a HORRIBLE economy, with fabulous bennies, a condo that isn’t perfect, but has been serving as home for the past 6 years, and family and friends who love me.
Who am I to complain about anything?
Especially when you hear about people losing their homes, and jobs, people being diagnosed with cancer, or children losing both of their parents, etc, etc, etc.
But I want a dream. I have always had them in the past, but for some reason they have all seemed to have left me. Everybody has dreams though, right??
What do you dream about? Are you actively pursuing them? If so, what are you doing? I would seriously love to hear your stories!! Maybe I might just get some kind of inspiration!!
Have a FABULOUS evening! 😉
Good evening!
Ok, so my mind is racing and I am stumped as to what to talk about at the same time! 😉
So, let me start, by telling you about my day…
I got up, super early for some unexplained reason, wrote my morning pages for about an hour (which felt pretty dang good, if I am being honest), got ready for work, went to work, and then got off work, and came home. Ok, so that wasn’t too terribly exciting!
What else?
Well, it is a cold, rainy, and blustery day outside, which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE being an Oregonian, by birth, so as soon as I got home, I slipped out of my work clothes and slipped into my hubby’s GINORMOUS bathrobe!!! SINFULLY DELICIOUS!!!
I am planning on spending my evening reading some more of the new Rick Riordan book, The Son of Neptune. My sweetie and I are both reading it at the same time, and he has more time to read than I do. What that means is that if I don’t hurry and catch up to him, he will finish reading the whole book and be off to another one before we even get a chance to speak about what happened! So, I am DETERMINED to catch up!! 😉
What else? Oh yeah! I had an idea yesterday that I could sell most of my belongings, put the rest in storage and RV around the US for the next year. I thought it was a fantasy brought on by a stressful worklife. Well, when I casually mentioned it to Jason last evening, he TOTALLY LOVED the idea, and now I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. I want to look for RV’s, figure out how much storage will cost for at least a year, etc., etc., etc.! Ok, so I am sure that it may be a fleeting-random-thought!! but just in case, I may have to go check out some RV sales!! 😉
Ok, so you were totally forwarned that my thoughts were racing.
Dinner tonight doesn’t help! I started dinner with some string cheese, and some carrots. Then about 20 minutes later I had some tator tots. Now I am waiting for our chicken to be finished, whenever that is gonna happen!!
Sheesh! It is a rather a-typical night around our residence, if I must say so myself!
Anyway, I am going to close up shop here and get some reading done!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!
Good evening!
Tonight is Chunky Dunker night, an online fitness/weight loss support group. We are always happy to have visitors so please feel free to stop by the comments section and let us know how you are doing with you weight loss/fitness goals, and please feel free to share any hints/tips/ideas that you have found helpful in getting closer to your goals!! The more the merrier!!
I have done pretty well this week. I am down a little over a pound since last week, and honestly, right now – every little bit counts!!
Anyway, this week’s topic is: Trying Something New!
This may be more of a lesson that I am personally needing in my life right now, but it is still a lesson that I think we can all learn from. Be brave! Try something new! Just for the sake of doing something new!
Come on peeps, WE CAN DO IT!!!
Have a FABULOUS evening!