Starting at the Beginning

Having just arrived in Jackson, "Papa, is that you? What the heck are you doing here?"

Are we sure we want to go on this thing?

Eek! I'm scared! Don't look down, don't look down!

Woah! The breeze was, let's say, um, refreshing. Yeah, that's it.

Hmmm...maybe refreshing wasn't the right word...

But the view of the Tetons? Spectacular. Even if it was below freezing.

Those smart Jacksonians even serve beer at the top, which couldn't have tasted better!

Heading back down, you pass the other tram heading back up at exactly halfway down the mountain.

We even saw a moose from the tram. She had a calf and was just hanging out eating.

I was really lucky to have Alex to sit next to me on the ride down. I was pretty freaked out.

Dear Wyoming,

I honestly knew nothing about you until I arrived two weeks ago. The flight into Jackson is pretty hairy, so I was unsure what to expect. But I have to say, the view from your tiny, tiny airport was breathtaking. Your roads are amazingly well taken care of, you seem to have snow fences in all the correct places. Your museums were superb, and your landscape was unreal. Add to that a very friendly population, even whilst driving, and I can't imagine a better place to vacation. I'm not too sure why people see Wyoming as a not so interesting place to visit, but I was smitten. And still am. And I am looking forward to a return visit.
with love,
ceedee

This is Colorado

Taken as we were eating lunch next to a stream.

Vacation Pics

Seriously, the best thing about the end of the meeting I attended in Albuquerque? The aquarium. So cool!

Alex and I climbed a mountain in Colorado. Can you tell I am scared here? I was terrified because the rock just dropped off into oblivion right past where I am sitting.

King of the World!

Toadstool! I had never seen one before!

Alex and his niece Kaitlyn, playing on the playground!

Random Commentary

• I went to Colorado and I didn't want to come back. I am really, really ready to get out of Philly and move on with my career / life!
• We rode our bikes out to Conshohocken - 30 miles roundtrip. What a godforsaken place of strip malls and suburbia. Holy cow - it was pretty bad. I was glad to be able to check out REI, but pretty glad to get home too!
• I bought rain pants. They are plastic pants that will keep me dry whilst biking in during a rainstorm. I also got new pedals for my bike and new handgrips. It's the little things in life!
• I have recently discovered the wonderful world of Etsy. Especially the holiday decorations part. I am a little obsessed. I love holidays and decorations. Makes everything special. I am definitely turning into my mother.
• Alex and I set a date for the wedding! October 1, 2011. 10-01-11. We'll be having it in Ventura, CA, right on the beach, so it should be pretty nice. Now, I just have to figure out the rest of the details. Like, food, cake, dress, DJ, photographer, rehearsal dinner and god knows what else - feels like a daunting process!
  
• I will try to post some pics of my trips sometime this week. Hopefully sooner than later. Ha!
• I am going on another vacation in two weeks! Yellowstone, here we come!

Random Snippets

• Got back from a conference in Albuquerque, NM and a trip to Colorado Springs, CO on Saturday.
  
• New Mexico has some of the best salsa I have ever tasted.
  
• Albuquerque is not really a "city", per se, but the public transportation was awesome. $1 to ride, bus runs every 10 mins - better than Philly!
• I breathe better when there is no humidity.
• I am prone to altitude sickness.
• People in the western US just seem happier than people in the eastern US. I am not sure if they hide it better, or if they are genuinely happier, but they are much more pleasant to deal with.
• There are a lot of white people in Santa Fe, NM.
• I bought a ring from a Native American woman in Santa Fe. I'm not sure what to do with the unreasonable poverty and lack of education pervasive on Reservations. Because I am so far removed, I don't know how to approach and think about it. And I'm still not sure how I feel about the casinos, either.
  
• I like the mountains. I miss seeing them.
• Flying into Dallas is not fun. The heat and humidity makes for a rough ride landing.
  
• Flying out of Philadelphia at 6am is a good time to go. Even if it is 6am.
• Colorado Springs is not a good airport to fly out of. They're not too sure what they're doing. My computer had to be re-screened several times.
• One nice thing at Colorado Springs, is they let the families of soldiers accompany them to the gate to see them off. I was crying, just watching the interaction. I sometimes wish there was no need for military and good-byes.
• Ugggghhhh, it's humid.....
  

Where have I been? Part 2

A stop at the Madonna Inn. This is their bathroom. For those of you looking for a weekend honeymoon getaway {ahem, Randi, ahem}, you should go here. It's so ridiculous, it's amazing. And also where my parents spent part of their honeymoon.

Eating lobster in Maine. Too much lobster....

Watching the sunrise atop Cadillac mountain, the highest peak on the East Coast, and the first place to see the sunlight in the US. Oh, yeah, this was taken around 4:59am. Whew!

Bah Habah.

Sand Beach, Acadia National Forest. 5:45am

Love.

Where have I been? Part 1

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, and I love nothing more than sitting and watching the sea lions bark and play with each other. I was there for a conference in which I gave my first talk to a "national" audience. I actually remembered to breathe, which was good. And I'm glad to add it to my list of accomplishments.

Another thing to add to my list of accomplishments? Yorkshire pudding. Which came out exceptionally well, considering I was flying by the seat of my pants. Deeee-licious!

A little relaxin' in the yard with Randi and Husband. What a day, what a night.

Kitty thinks she lives in a jungle. Very predator -like.

A Black&Tan with Dad at the local bar.

more to follow....

Dear Oxnard Haiku Friday

Dear Oxnard, could it
be any nicer here? I
don't want to go home.

***

No humidity,
cool breeze, warm sunshine, a
bit of fog at night

***

Sometimes you have to
leave a place before you know
how nice it can be.

The Month of May...

During this month, I have:

• visited four states
• stayed in three hotels
  
• rented two cars
• driven a stick shift for the first time since 2002
• attended three weddings
• been a bridesmaid in two weddings
  
• thrown a rehearsal dinner
• gave a 15 minute talk at the regional meeting
• fell in love with people from Michigan
• had a mini high school reunion, and yes, we all pretty much look the same!
• got two mani/pedis and did not bite my nails at all!
• walked the dog
• ate more tri-tip than I thought humanly possible
• wore a feather boa and a pin with Randi's face on it
  
• decided to make friends with the people on the plane
• circled PHL no less than five times
• was removed from and re-screened for my flight to LAX due to Jersey douchebaggery
• took a field trip to the Channel Islands National Park
• watched my Dad and my boyfriend bond
• attended a Phillies v. Dodgers game and a Dance Celebration show at the Annenberg
• played a bit of Rock Band - don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I did get 100% on "Give it Away"
• attended one graduation
• overall, had a blast seeing old friends, making new ones, and hanging out on a mother-fucking boat

Now, time for a nap.....

Notes from Chicago

• Perhaps the cleanest American city I have been to; also the friendliest (which tended to throw us hardened Easterners off track a bit)

• it was not windy, as it's nickname suggests
• many of the sidewalks are covered, which is very nice when it's raining (or snowing, I would imagine)

• The bean is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen in a park.

• I still love museums. Especially the Field Museum, which is the Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Something about seeing Sue the T. Rex up close made me happy.
• People seem to have a lot less anger in Chicago. But the weather is worse. Go figure.
  
• the suburbs where we stayed had some of the largest houses I have ever seen
• if you can stay at a Doubletree hotel, you should. It was so nice. Free wireless, beautiful rooms, comfy beds. And a chocolate chip cookie when you check in!
• Wyndams are not nice hotels. Don't stay there.
• Prom is funny when you're not in high school.
• Getting your hair/makeup done while sitting on a toilet is also funny.
  
• I am convinced that my hair can do anything if enough bobby pins and hairspray is involved.
• Weddings are stressful, even if you are not the one getting married.
  
• The bridal party needs food at all times. Someone should get on that. Champagne on an empty stomach is not so good.
  
• Walking around a garden in high heels to get your pictures taken kinda sucks.
• A four hour "break" between the wedding and the reception is too long.

• Chicago deep dish style pizza is not very good. It mostly involves flaky crust, several pounds of cheese, and pizza sauce on top. Oh, and it takes a long time to cook.
• Hangovers are the worst things to have when you are staying in a hotel. Especially if you have to leave that day to get on a plane.
  
• Sometimes McDonald's Coke is the best Coke I've ever tasted. I think they put crack in it.
• Poor Alex became the "errand running boy" this wedding. I hope that doesn't happen again.
• I can now see the virtues of hiring a wedding planner and paying a little bit extra. That way, you don't have to worry about getting the party favors to the reception hall the day of the wedding.
• Flying while hungover also sucks. Don't do it. However, the flight from ORD to PHL is super short. Thank god for that.
• Belgian priests with Peruvian accents are probably not the best ones to perform a wedding ceremony. Nobody understood a word.
  
• Coming back to work is hard....
  

My Trip to The Daily Show

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Intro - Dread
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Yesterday, Alex and I went to catch a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, one of our favorite shows on TV (even though we don't have cable - HULU is the best!). We've both been watching this show for several years, and we love Jon Stewart's humor. I can remember seeing him on old MTV shows (thinking Rock n' Jock or something of the sort. I signed up for these free ticket months ago, and we've been looking forward to it ever since. The biggest thing that sucks is the wait. You need to get there several hours in advance and then you pretty much do nothing but wait. I understand the point (getting the audience together, making sure everyone goes through the metal detector, etc.) but it was a long wait. I think it would have been fine if the weather hadn't been so crappy (hello, spring? can you come now?). ANYways, once we were in the studio, we had a blast. BTW, the studio is soooo tiny. I guess I'm used to the big-ass ones in LA, but this was super small. The warm up guy was not so great, but that's OK. Jon Stewart was phenomenal. He let the audience ask him some questions (no doubt, looking for new material or a challenge). Sometimes, people are so stupid, though. Seriously, who asks Jon Stewart where agood restaurant in NYC is? How dumb is that? First of all, you can afford to eat there (or even get in for that matter) and secondly, it's not like he can just go to ANY restaurant. He goes to ones where he won't be interrupted while he's eating. DUH! He did the entire show in one take, (seriously, no messups! so awesome!). All the correspondents on last night's show were there in the studio, which was great. The staff was super professional and seemed to be having a blast (how much fun must it be to work on that show?). Altogether, we had a great time and would definitely do it again. The train ride home, on the other hand - yuck! Let me tell you, Trenton is the LAST place you want to get stuck for 1.5 hrs after midnight.