I am home.  I thought that I just had a scratchy throat from the dry dessert air.  I always do. 

I thought the sneezing was from TI’s nasty casino perfume.  It’s rank.

Sadly, I’m sitting on the couch in humid NOVA in a smoke-free house and my symptoms have only gotten worse.  I must accept the sad sad fact that I’m sick. 

I say it like that because aside from one other itty bitty detail* this is the first time I’ve been sick this winter and typically once I’m sick I continue to pick up crude until the spring. 

At least I made it this far.

*The one itty bitty other little detail may be the fact that I just spent 7 days with the entire techy world.  I can’t say how many people were there just yet, but I can say it’s a lot of people…a lot of people that I came in contact with one way or another. 

Oops-sorry ’bout that press peeps.

Anywho, I’ll try to write about my week soon, but for now here are the top 10 things I learned this week:

1.) Added security screening apparently means that the United check-in agent has to call her friend “Ang”, chat for a few mins, then chat with “Mike” for a few more mins about where he’s been and what’s new and oh yea, confirm I’m not a terrorist.  I feel so safe.

2.) I have the most beautiful downstairs bathroom thanks to my sweet husband…even if he did refer to it as “Tarheel Blue”-ACK!

3.) Treasure Island’s line of shampoo and condintioning products reminds me of something one would find at an *ahem* adult store.

4.) I FINALLY got to see the fountains at the Bellagio…was a let down.  Even worse I thought they were “all of the way” down the strip.  Umm yea, they were next door. 

5.) Las Vegas is not for children.  The flashcards they hand out, when accumulated, don’t equal a pack of “old maid” cards.

6.) 3D TV’s are cool, but mostly for gaming.  And if you aren’t wearing the glasses you can be pretty sure you’ll end up with a migrane.

7.) New micro-blogging cameras are sure to cause a problem…but are freakin’ cool.

8.) Lady GaGa is the new face of Polaroid….umm WHY?

9.) The Tuscanny Suite at the Las Vegas Hilton has a 11 fireplaces,  12 TV’s, and 8 bathtubs including one that requires a  lifeguard. 

10.) Most of what you bring home from Vegas requires a Rx…bleh.

Most people wrote these guys of posts two days ago, but let’s face it I’m not most people.  Still, I wanted to share my favorite memories of 2009 month-by-month. 

January brought me to a “little known show” that is the biggest consumer technology tradeshow *ahem*.  Normally I go onsite as a second, but given the birth of my counterpart’s son, I was left in charge.  It was a doozy, I learned a lot, was overly hard on myself and my skills, and will forever hold it as a mark of pride that I was able to pull it off (with a LOT of help from friends!)

February was the month of love.  Honestly there was nothing overly remarkable, but on Valentine’s night the boy made dinner for us.  It was sweet and nice.  Our (young) neighbors that are on the other side of our duplex however had a party complete with beer keg and loud music.  I felt old, and I was fine with it.

March we finally got our living room painted, and the house started to become a home.  It was also the month of our company meeting and one of THE worst hangovers known to man.

April was the month that the boy’s Mamaw passed.  It was the first death that we experienced as a couple, and odd as it may sound it’s an extremely touching memory for me.  One in which my new family fully embraced me as one of their own, and I was able to be the strong one.  It also meant that while I had to miss J’s surprise party, we were able to celebrate the twin’s 2nd birthday in person.  I love those babies I do.

May  was a busy month but oh what a fun one!  My sister and brother-in-law came to visit.  It was the week in which we became known as the neighbors that sit on their front porch until all hours drinking beer and having long chats about nothing and everything.

June took me away from the boy for 10 days, the longest we’ve been apart since we first started dating and I had to be in San Diego for a month.  June took me to Florida, the most humid state on the planet forcing me to pour pounds of hairspray into my head in a futile attempt to keep it in check while I worked one of the most unique show’s I’ve had the privelage of working with.  Wrangling lost children, vomit calls, protestors and dancing in the asiles during GS load in. 

July brought me home to my sweet husband and straight into the 4th of July festivities, including tubin’ which I once again survived.  Those that know me know I have an unrational fear of fish.  I choose to believe that the Shennandoah has none (though next year I may wear a helmet in case I can’t avoid the rapids again).  More importantly, July brought us our pupper Archie.  I love him to bits, kibbles and bits.  It was also very quickly that we found out how scary “parenthood” can be as his kennel cough escalated at rapid pace to pnemonia.  Scared the bejesus outta me.  The stress, however, did make me loose 7 lbs (which I promptly gained back) so you gotta take the good with the bad I say

August brought our one year anniversary, which we celebrated in Boston.  It was hottern’ blazes, but we had a good time.  I, ever able to injure myself in unique ways, arrived home with an ankle sprain due to walking too many miles in my beloved flops.

September will forever be the month of the PJ fiasco.  I honestly don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard (especially on someone’s kitchen floor) and will remain true to the argument that “simplicity” patterns aren’t so simple.

October we would rather forget….so we will.  HA!  October was crazy busy with work, and though in the first part I stuck to my “8 hours a day” schedule, that quickly went by the wayside.  As it did, the boy helped me see even more just how important it is to take some time to yourself.

November gave me my final show of the year, with a wonderful client.  And Thank God too b/c I was t-i-r-e-d!  I also was able to visit with my aunt and uncle while out there, which was really a treat.  November also took us to Georgia for Thanksgiving, and the puppers first long car ride with us.  Little did we know how important this preparation would be.  I got to shop on Black Friday with my mom and had so much fun with her that I was sad it had to end.

December will forever go down in history as the trip from hell   Those that read my Facebook page already know about our adventure on 81 South complete with National Guard rescue, flat tire, tornado and a wirlwind of fun and love with family and friends (for the record I will forever be indebted to Comfort Inns).  One day I’ll write about it all and post it here….but for now it’s just one of those memories that you kinda have to laugh at.  It also is (technically still is) the longest vacation I’ve ever been able to take.  16 whole days!  There were bets about how long it would take until I got bored.  Guess what people?  Didn’t happen.

New Year’s was spent with friends in a low-key perfect sorta way.  We said goodbye to 2009, and though I know that for others it was a much worse year, I cannot lie.  I’m not exactly sad to see it go.  It was a long tough year in many ways.  But, I’m thankful for what it was, and hopeful for 2010. 

Here’s to a fresh start.

Today I am thankful for:

1.) Sleep.  Sweet, uninterupted sleep.  It’s ironic that I had to go onsite to get it, but I’m so glad it’s got

2.) My sweet pupper, and so very thankful that the new meds are kicking pnemonia’s butt!!  Take that sickies!

3.) So very thankful for my Vet Dr. Hall who is just a rockstar.  He is so patient with me, and he actually cares.  As the boy said, he took one look at Archie and how sick he was and took on the challenge with gusto!

4.) My husband.  I’m often thankful for him but espeically this first week with Archie boy.  I know there was some talk about if I’d be on my own (which is for a later post) but let me just be the first to tell you how amazing he has been. 

5.) My cat Tea.  Just b/c she’s been so good at adjusting bless her little heart.

ARCHIE NEWS

So our boy went from a bad case of Kennel cough to pnemonia.  Thank goodness we took him back to the vet “just in case” (aka b/c I’m an OCD worrier who wanted to make sure he was on the mend before leaving for Tucson) only to find out that his temp had gone back up (though not quite as high) and he had pnemonia.  No Good.  Dr. Hall gave us a different antibiotic plus something to help with lung expansion, and kept him on the cough supressant. 

According to the boy, our little guy is on the mend now even going so far as to say he’s a bit “hyper”, and apparently a pig since he ate 2 bowls of dinner   Then the next thought entered my mind.  Everyone has been telling us that we haven’t seen the “real Archie” b/c A.) he’s sick and B.) he hasn’t settled in yet.  So last night I also asked Matt if he was “fun hyper” or “oh holy crap hyper”.  Apparently he hasn’t suddenly turned into Satan’s dog so we’re still good.

Meanwhile…
I’m in Tucson for the week with one of my group’s.  It’s blessedly small and easy to work with and is the perfect summer relief.  It’s hot here, but it’s Arizona so what do you expect?  The JW Marriott Starpass is breathtaking and has the signature JW service, so I cannot complain.  Plus they have a kick butt terrace with firepits and the yummiest margaritas!  Oh, and did I mention that every day at 5:30pm they have a tequila toast?  Oh yea

On other fronts, my friend Erin is due on July 22nd and is anxiously awaiting the baby’s “evacuation of it’s incubator” (she’s a scientist, can you tell? )  As am I–Erin and I don’t talk or see eachother nearly enough, but she will forever hold a very special place in my heart and I am so excited for them.  Plus, one the kid gets here I’ll know what the monogram needs to be.

My work friend Jenny is also onsite this week in Denver, and then she head’s off to Italy and London to bring her sweet boyfriend home perminently!  Brett’s been living and working in London and will finally be residing back in the States, now going to get his MBA at UVA.  While I’m terribly excited for them, Jenny will be leaving our office to work from C’Ville.  It’s of course the best decision for them, but I’ll miss her terribly.  However, we’re alreayd wroking on plans for the boy and I to come down for a football game-SWEET!

On a less than stellar note, my dear friend Andi’s uncle finally passed this morning.  So (as she says) if you’re the praying type I know they would welcome the prayers.

Otherwise I’m trying to get some work done today.  It’s hard to believe that at this show last year I was counting down the days until the wedding…crazy wild.

I entered the month of May as I do most things when there is a lot to accomplish, head down and ready to charge.  But I also want to enjoy the fun times, of which there were a lot to be had.  I reconcilled myself to knowing that May 4-June 4 would just basically be a whirlwind and God willing I would enjoy the ride. 

And so I present to you 30 lessons in 30 days…or somwhere around there.

1. Threatening a union worker is never smart, and usually leads to the head union guy coming to the planner (yours truly) to put everyone in “timeout”.
2. Even when it rains fun can be had.  Who says you can’t ride on an open top tour bus in a drizzle?
3. South Street is MUCH farther from the Marriott than it looks when walking back after a long day and a full belly.  That requires stopping along the way at a bar and trying your first Guiness.
4. Guiness (at least I’m told when poured badly) has an aftertaste like blood.
5. As it turns out, PETA is now running the Shennandoah National Campground horsetrails.
6. And yes, that crazy old coot will actually bring out the scale and have you stand on it to see if you are 235lbs or less FULLY CLOTHED.
7. Nothing makes Big Girl want to eat (or drink) like a little humilation.
8. Aunt Sharon gave us the WORLD’S BEST WATERPROOF tent for our wedding!  YAY for mountain-folk!
9. You can still have fun camping when it’s raining, but as it turns out rain on your tent “roof” sounds more like an ambush than something spa-like.
10. Bear poop is HUGE.
11. Blue Moon with an orange is the most deliciousness EVER.  I <3 it.
12. My husband knows me well, and sees me better than I see myself.  I know I mentioned this in yesterday’s post but it’s still true.  Not a day goes by when I’m not thanful for him.
13. Sometimes you just need to turn to your boss, tears in your eyes, and admit that if your schedule stays as crazy as it is you will simply not be able to keep up.  And you need to realize that that is ok to admit.
14. My sister and brother in law are what relaxes me.  I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s as if their presence centers me.
15. They also happen to be very decorator savvy.  I had no idea how cute my front porch could be unti they got their hands on it.
16. As it turns out, one of my favorite places now is my front porch with some good friends, family and beer (apparently LOTS of beer if you saw our trashcan).
17. Finding out you are still over 600 hours over “fully billable” after already having one meeting removed from your calendar is not nearly as glamorous as it sounds and causes you to refer to #13 above.
18. “Sweet little Allie” will in fact bold face lie to the guy, IN THE FACE, who asks if she knows the way to the White House tour when threatened with bodily injury to keep it a secret from SK and Trey by her husband.
19. Karma is also a b*tch and said guy and his wife (who you tried to apologize to) end up following you around every tourist attration in greater DC, giving you the skank eye all the way.
20. Beer is good-especially on my front porch-did I mention that?
21. Having your husband come onsite with you to a meeting is nice in theory, but as it turns out I snap right into work mode. 
22. That state right over the bridge?  Yea, still don’t like it.  Even if it is only 7 mins from my front door. 
23. A reception at the Congressional Visitors Center, while it sounds glamourous, is really a logistical nightmare and much sexier in theory than practice.  Add rain to that and you end up with one wet planner.
24. Apparently it takes house guests to get us to finish our house….but boy is it getting cute!
25. You never know just HOW much like your mother you are until you see her for the first time in 7 months.
26. It’s worse than originally thought-I’m actually a combination of BOTH of my parents!!!  RUN FOR IT!
27. There’s something special about cooking your parents dinner on their 35th wedding anniversary with your husband at your new house.   Makes you wish you were closer to family.
28. My parents still leave me money in random places when they visit.  $20 bucks in the fruit bowl-score!  Somehow it never ceases to make me smile.
29. You never realize how old you are until you go to dinner and a movie with friends at the Tysons mall for an 11:20pm showing and are in the food court.  Oh.My.Gosh. 
30. I am blessed with some amazing friends and family.  But you already knew that didn’t you?

So I’ve survived the month.  Crazy as it was, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Last night when the boy got here he was in less than a stellar mood.  He reconginzed it and we both tried to get him out of said mood so we could have  fun night.  At one point rather early on he asked me if “I was in work mode”.  My initial reaction was absultely not–I was releaxed, why would I be in work mode?

Of course, by that evening I realized how wrong I was.  Actually it wasn’t so much that night as 4:30 this morning when I work up thinking about space grids and where the press room was going to go and and and.

This morning I woke up early (I had to be at work downstairs after all), looked at my husband and felt a little dissapointed.  I passed out the night before somewhere around 10pm.  I remember him watching ESPN –must’ve passed out shortly thereafter. 

I have come to realize that I am the type of person who thinks ahead.  This can be a good thing, and it certainly isn’t a surprise to anyone who knows me.  But the catch is when you can’t turn it off.  I have been known to not be able to enjoy a Sunday afternoon b/c I’m constantly thinking about what I have to do Monday morning, or when we had just finished a fun weekend of camping and the drive home I’m plotting out the cleanup. 

The fact is, sometimes thinking ahead means you miss the present. 

So that’s not terribly profound I realize.  The question is-how do you turn it off?

This evening I was able to, for 80 sweet minuets.  I finally was able to use the spa certificate that was giving to me in March and oh was it sweet.  I’m not sure if I was asleep or in some freakish zen mode, but whatever is I want more.  Now, the quesiton is how to get one iota of that in your regular life b/c I certainly can’t afford THAT every week!

Obviously this is a rambling sort of blog tonight.  Such are my thoughts I suppose.   But it’s either this or one blog a week

I’ll be honest, I was super sad to see him leave.  It’s odd, I realize, but better I suppose than the opposite…you know, me ushering him out of the door.  He wasn’t even gone before the poo started to hit the fan.  Just another day in paradise around here. I suppose I’m lucky though, my floor even manager was a third party planner like me until about 6 weeks ago so hopefully we speak the same language.

The weekend was a lot of fun, and we did a LOT.  It’s funny to me to be back here where it all began for my family.  The convention center is litterally over the old train station…the same train my parents met on.  And I’m blocks from Jefferson Hospital where she worked, and I can see good ole William Penn like we used to when we’d go into work with my dad at night.

The boy and I got into the “what if” discussion again.  I’m so often drawn to the idea of the smallest change in decisions and how they would change your life as a whole.  What if…

My parents never left Philly

I chose a different unviersity than ECU

I stayed in Harrisonburg

No right or wrong, just the fact that even the little choices change the course of your life.  The boy tells me I’m nostalgic.  I say, yes thank you I am.

Just a walk down memory lane.

Anyway, it’s my first onsite of the year…well, for my standard clients.  Sadly one of my shows this spring was cancelled due to that ponzi scheme.  It’s always hard getting back into the swing of things.  Not to mention that apparently at some point the client was promised something called “continuous web registration” but there was a discconect with programming, so reg closed yesterday.  Sadly the originally reg coordinator is no longer with us due to downsizing, so there was a lot of searching through old e-mails to figure out what was going on.

Now, considering all that’s going on in the world, it’s really not THAT big of a deal.  But it’s just one more fun hurdle to conquor.  Luckily I set days like this aside for the eminent choas that occurs when people remember the 7200 things they forgot to do over the course of the last few weeks.  Product of being human and all.

Meanwhile, I have to admit that I’m nervous about this onsite.  Not just b/c I have been dormant for a whopping 2 weeks either.  I tend to watch a lot of news as it pertains to scares of any sort.  What can I say, I’m a drama queen and the news media certainly helps me fulfill that quotent.  Normally I’m not really all that concerned about whatever catastrophe of the week they are reporting on, but I cannot lie, this swine flu thing has gotten to me.

I was in Texas when I first really heard about it, and when they started reported about it coming over the boarder from Mexico.  I need not remind you of the proximity of Mexico to Texas.  On my return trip there were people in masks in the airport…a little too close for comfort.

And now?  Well, now it’s spread through out fine country.  New York has the largest outbreak in the US, which let’s face it is not surprising concidering that mass amounts of people that come through that state/city on an hourly basis.

Tuesday morning I will be faced with 1400 registered attendees from all over the country.  Attendees who are executives that travel all over the world themselves.  I’ve taken to washing my hands and carrying my Purell, but none the less, I have an uneasy feeling. Perhap b/c it is basically a convulted flu and not SARS or the Bird Flu or something. 

I suppose the fact that I’m a rather healthy individual should calm my nerves, knowing that while the flu would suck beyond all suckiness, I’d be ok.  And if not ok, I live in a major city with some good hospitals.  And beyond that, I have a friend whose husband does medical research, so I’m pretty well connected

Perhaps what really got me though, was the mass industry e-mails that came through on Monday about the effects of this on my industry, or the fact that by Monday night my company had created literature on how to deal with the swine flu as it pertians to events, planning and the like…literature that I have printed out in my binder.

It’s uneasy I suppose.  In reality I’m sure I’ll be fine, but in truth I’m nervous.  And Lord help any single person, VIP attendee or not, who has the sniffles and comes around me.  I may just have to sic the union on them.

Now, off to cross the border…err, uhh, Mason Dixon line.

I just went to donate blood, b/c I’m a good person like that. They ask you the normal questions and I answer honestly. I tell them about the cruise and ask if I went to the ruins in Cozumel. No, I tell them. We really weren’t in any place more than 8 hours either.

Then she says, “Ummm, where were you in Haiti?”

“On a private Island owned by Royal Caribbean International, called Labadee” I tell her, thinking, no biggie.

She gets quiet, reaches for her humongous infectious places binder and there on pg 3 is a memo stating that as of August 2007 Labadee is know to have outbreaks of Malaria. Not only does that mean I cannot donate for 1 year (understandably) but what really chaps me is that Royal Caribbean NEVER mentioned this. Not one word.

As you may recall I got sick when we came home. I joked that I had “the SARS” and the boy thought I was being silly. Good thing I didn’t know about this then

Stupid cruise line. I’m not even gettin’ PAID!

I have met a lot of people, constructed a pretty kick a** bridge with people I didn’t previously know, and tried to get energized. There is just one problem, I can’t possibly have one more sip of “kool aid”-I just can’t do it.

I’ve been at this job for about a year and a half. Then I come here, and it’s like I’m smack dab new again. I don’t so much mind that though, it’s just slightly frustrating.

But I got stuck at another hotel for reasons I’m not even certain about anymore, meaning that NO ONE from my office is here (i.e., I know/knew no one) and generally, I just don’t know that I can drink any more of it in, or that I want to.

And I’ve tried, and I WANT to, I swear I have and I do. But despite all of my efforts, I cannot shake the fact that I still don’t feel like I fit in with my company-or at least my office. And it’s frustrating. And I’m tired. And because I’m at this outcast hotel, it’s pretty lonely. And the truth is, I’m not sure I want to fit in with my office….maybe the Boston office will adopt me.

The things I learned while on our cruise:

1. I am still, in fact, subject to motion sickness.
2. Haiti is friggin’ HOT. Consequently the boy tends to fry like a greased fish burn in those spots where he neglected to put sunscreen.
3. I wish whoever designed our cabin would have had a say in our apartment – we actually had MORE space in the cabin.
4. There is a reason that they put hard bottoms in the base of the inner tubes…
5. Mexicans seem to think that white, middle-aged Americans on a catamaran want to listen to Jimmy Buffet and do line dances… and they would be correct . They are also quite the margarita slingers
6. Speaking of which, apparently Margaritaville’s not only an American commodity
7. Safety ALWAYS comes first…even above fashion.
8. Cigars are okay, because you don’t inhale…
9. The floors of the elevators changed every night at midnight to tell you the current day…you know, in case you drink so much you forget what day it is…(they really DO think of everything!)
10. Enough Said…

Welcome Home!