Travel Style

Helloooooo down there!  I'm looking down at some beautiful "flyover states" right now as we head to another wedding.  This one's in a little Colorado mountain town so it's perfect timing.  We're looking forward to trading 100 degree temps for low sixties.  Do I sound like a country bumpkin or a really old person if I say it always blows my mind when I'm connected from 35,000 feet?  Our two hour flight is nearly over, and I've replied to multiple work emails and set up two contracts since I've been on the plane.  Crazy awesome.  (Crawsome?)  I wish I didn't  have any work to do so I could enjoy streaming live TV like my bf over here!  Kidding... he's sitting next to me closing deals too (after he caught an episode of 30 Rock)!

When Good Trips Go Bad

If you travel enough, you know (really, you expect) that every once in a while, a trip is going to go horribly wrong.  There are too many moving parts, too many uncontrollable variables in play, for every trip to go off without a hitch.  Let me tell ya about our journey to the Rockies yesterday...

First, I have the world's best boss.  I need to buy her that coffee mug... So when you get invited to her destination wedding, you go.  Yesterday sucked because basically, we left our house at 10:45am and arrived at our hotel in Copper, Colorado  twelve hours later.  To give you some perspective, the drive takes thirteen hours.  We flew into Denver International Airport (arriving on time), which is a very nice airport, but logistically, it's a beating getting from terminal C to ground transportation.  The rental car lots are all located off-site, so by the time your shuttle picks you up it's a fifteen minute ride to get there.  And on Friday afternoon (4:00pm to be precise) of a holiday weekend, you're gonna stand in a long line to get your car.  By the time we got ours it was close to 5:00pm and traffic was bad, to say the least.  Over four hours later, we completed the 100-mile trip to Copper.

At least the view (beyond the miles of cars) was nice!  The company wasn't bad either.  :)  I practiced taking selfies to pass the time, which I regretted this morning when my camera died.  And of course I didn't pack the charger.  Since our house is a wreck, I wouldn't have been able to find it if I tried.  (I apologize in advance for the crappy cell phone pictures I'm going to post later this week.)  Here's what ya get for now...

Vegas, Baby!

Today I'm allowing my brain a little break from work (as in my job and house work) for a virtual Vegas vacation. I mentioned earlier this summer that 2013 is the year of the wedding.  In fact, we're going to one this weekend.  With weddings come showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, bridal lunches, etc... Basically, there are lots of ways to spend money on celebrate the betrothed couple.  Before one of our couple-friends walked down the aisle in July, I attended the bride's Vegas bachelorette party in May.

I've been to Vegas too many times over the last seven years, and some of my favorite trips there have lasted only twenty-four hours.  IMHO, that is the perfect amount of time for Vegas.  This is not my old age talking.  I've felt this way since I was 22 and made my second trip to Sin City.  Now, there are many different ways to approach a Vegas vacation.  The agenda can be centered around gambling, dinner/shows, partying (day at the pool, night at the club), or general entertainment (indoor sky diving, roller coasters, bungee jumping).  You can keep it classy on the strip, or go ghetto old school in downtown.  I've done Vegas on the cheap, staying at a place called Terrible's Casino (the name says it all), eating at convenience stores and Fat Burger, and playing nickle slots.  This particular bachelorette trip was Vegas done right.  Five girls + one room at The Cosmopolitan + (???) bottles of bubbly = one epic weekend.  I'll break down our trip into the following categories: restaurants, pools, and clubs.

Working from Home

Two years and one month ago, I landed a sales job that requires me to work from home in my territory (Texas, excluding Houston).  The timing was perfect, as I had been "nomadic" until April of 2011, so I had a few months to settle into my place (at the time it was an enclosed porch of my friend's apartment) before I moved out of my cube.  It's funny to think that I spent over four years in this environment!  When this picture was taken I think I was on the brink of scurvy due to lack of sunlight.

When I interviewed for my current position, moving to a home office was the part that intimidated me the most.  Most of my co-workers also work virtually, so I've asked many of them how they do it.  Everyone's challenges and motivators are truly unique.  I don't think there is one formula that would help everyone adjust to this type of work environment.  In case any of you are like me (I'm ENFP according to the Myers & Briggs personality test), here are some best practices that have helped me be successful and not go crazy being alone most of the time (E stands for extrovert).

Moved In

Last Thursday was our first night spent at the new place!  Here's how we celebrated...

(Crystal glasses courtesy of our fantastic Realtor!)  We still don't have cable or internet, which might be a good thing since we need to finish our painting projects and organize our lives.

Chalkboard Fridge

Thanks to Pinterest, I've been obsessing over chalkboard paint for a while.  I've especially been lusting after a chalkboard paint-covered refrigerator, which sadly I could not have in my rental house.  Before we even moved into our new place, we painted the fridge black with chalkboard paint and it was everything I dreamed it would be!  I know, that's a little dramatic, but I was way too excited about this project and surprisingly the bf was too!  The primer wasn't even completely dry before we had the first strokes of chalkboard paint on the fridge, which I don't recommend doing.  You should always make sure your primer is completely dry before you start the next coat of paint.  :)  Here's what we started with:

Here's the almost finished product:

It could be finished, or we could put handles on it.  I'd love to buy some stainless steel or some polished wood handles to replace the boring white ones that were on it.

That's My Hood

Took a walk this morning for the last time in my current but soon-to-be-old (as of 4pm today when the movers arrive) neighborhood .  It sure has been fun and I'll visit you often, Henderson Avenue!  Thanks for the memories! 

Oh- if you're ever in Dallas, drop me a line.  I have some great recos for restaurants in the area!  :)