Really?

It is currently 4:16am. I'm on my way to the airport (SLC). I'm drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper and singing Moulin Rouge with two very kind women who are driving me to the airport. Oh wow.

In 6 hours I'll be having breakfast with Sam and Walter. Money.**

**My apologies for this posts lingo- been awake for 36 hours and slightly delirious.
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Packing, the NEW Olympic Sport

I feel pretty confident in proclaiming myself as the individual who singlehandedly made shopping an Olympic sport. And yes, although the IOC has yet to take my suggestion seriously, I will continue to compete myself and encourage others to compete at the same level as myself- c’mon people, let’s pull outta this recession by showing off our purchasing power and brand new, just for fall, brown suede pumps and black leather boots!*

Anyway, seeing as Salt Lake City was the home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, I felt it extremely appropriate to share my Gold Medal Olympic-level shopping skills with the community. On a night off in the downtown area, I perused the shops, admired the new fall lines and, as my dear cousin would say, was drawn to all the sparkling things like a crow. Needless to say, I made a handful of purchases and was equally pleased and exhausted by the end of my run.

Three days have passed since then, and my next Olympic feat was looming in the future…. I had to pack it all in two suitcases! Typically, I travel in my long trouser jeans, a black tank top and my yellow cardigan, along with a pair of high-heeled black sandals. Well today, I went against my better judgment and traveled in a thin dress, black flats and a light cardigan. Therefore, the clunky items I usually travel in were taking up extra space in my luggage today. So with that extra challenge in mind, I had to fit my new purchases in my bag with less space than what I started with. Ready- set- GO!

One hour and 37 minutes later, and a 45-minute extended check-out time approved by the front desk, my bags were both bulging at the seams, but everything was in! I can’t believe that I’m admitting this, but I sort of wish I hadn’t made all of those cute purchases- what was I thinking? Luckily, my handy packing cubes saved the day, and I have a week to get to a post office and ship some of this crap, I mean lovely things, home so I don’t have to pay a large chunk of my life savings to the airline overweight baggage fee.

Best Practice Methodology I SHOULD be using: buy something new, get rid of something old. I have a tough time with goodbyes though, so this is just something I’m gonna have to work up to…. Perhaps I took the Bronze in packing this time around….

*That's for you Ms. Klotzbach.

Smiling at the Light

Today was a marvelous day- a big change from the rest of the week where I had been battling some type of crazy flu and was trying to get off of my “week off” schedule (ie. sleeping in was not an option this week). The women here in Utah excelled in their recruitment process and set the record high for next year’s standards. I’m so proud of them and they worked so hard. It was a true mark of their success this morning when I read their returns.

The rest of the day was spent celebrating and getting to know their newest members. We drove up to the mountains above Salt Lake City and had dinner at a gorgeous house. While the Utah Civil War football game was on (ie. University of UT vs, UT State), I took myself outside to see the view, which was, as per post below, absolutely wonderful. I spent the hour catching up on work calls and absorbing the scenery while lounging on the grass and watching the sunset over the west- they are just so much prettier when you’re actually in the west, by the way. The light is brighter and more vibrant, I swear.

The women joined me outside shortly after sunset and sat in a circle for a special ceremony. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on the faces of the new members in the last light of the day- they were so happy and you could tell how special they really felt. Seeing this reminded me of last January, when I saw the happiest faces walk through the door at MY house, where we were welcoming OUR newest members. A special face in particular came to mind- not sure if it was the sunset, or the cool summer breeze coming over the mountains that made me feel this way, but I was immediately reminded of Milena. I felt like she was sitting there with me, smiling at the new faces in the crowd with me and sharing in the moment. Even though she didn’t know these women like I did, she was proud of them just like I was, and happy to be called their sister. Despite her lost battle, her darling, memorable smile will always be the thing that people remember the most. I also fondly think of her loyalty and kind heart, her ability to make a crowd burst into laughter and her eternal drive to make the most of her life. I wish people would not get caught in the monotonous day to day struggles, and instead thrive on living the life they wanted to live. They too would be happy like Milena was. Like Milena is. They’d probably look like everyone else in the circle looked- joyful, with bright, smiling faces.

Reason # 7 why I love my job

Sunset over Salt Lake. Breathtaking.

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Huzzah! Color is the new black!

Just so you know... I'm slowly moving out of my "wear all black all the time" mantra, and stepping into some brighter shades. As evidenced by my working wardrobe this week, I thought those of you who know I primarily live in a uniform of all black or jeans and a white tee would be proud of my colorful efforts.

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Water World

So, I've traveled to a fair amount of places so far and feel like now I can finally post this observation...

In doing this job so far, I have found that there are three things that help get you through the day:
1.) morning cup of coffee- often times, multiple cups are best
2.) afternoon Diet Coke- a necessity. No Diet Coke = grouchy consultant
3.) refillable water bottle- stay hydrated, stay healthy

This morning I took a swig from my refillable water bottle (from Target- $9.99- totally cute!) and immediately spit out the water. It was disgusting. The lats time I had filled it was yesterday afternoon. Perhaps it had gone bad? Doubtful. I emptied it out, cleaned the bottle regardless, and refilled it. I took a cautious swig and again, the water was disgusting. It was almost brassy, or tasted like pennies had been resting in the bottom of my bottle. I looked- no pennies.

Each city I've traveled to has had different tasting water- which is weird in and of itself because water is relatively tasteless, it just quenches your thirst. Anyway, I've been waiting to blog about this- I know, water, not exciting- but have been jotting notes about the water I've been tasting in various cities.

Los Angeles, CA- very mineral-ey, smooth finish though. Likely due to my home filtration system.
Indianapolis, IN- sandy and stale tasting, floating particles make it a particular sight!
Lawrence, KS- metalic aftertaste, but always cold. Not good at all when combine dwith Crystal Light.
Boulder, CO- the best I've had so far- literally tasted like it came right from a mountain spring. Ice cold and fresh.
Warrenton, VA- tinny, like you have tinfoil in your mouth.

Believe it or not, there are organizations that give out awards for the best tasting water.... it's like wine tasting for non-drinkers. I talked to some of the girls that I'm working with in Utah and they all agreed with me surprisingly- meaning I'm not completely crazy. They said they all came from different states to come here and like the water in Utah over their hometowns. Interesting. I'm gonna stick with Boulder's water for now.

Back on the Grid

I think that posting at least one time during my week off is going to be my goal, seeing as I do not use my computer or my phone very much when I'm off the grid. That feeling of being unreachable is glorious. I also did a lot of wine tasting while in Virginia so my postings would have been overly loquacious, repetitive and geared primarily at wine lovers- not my target audience as of now.


So, back on the road again today- look what I saw while flying in to the Great Salt Lake. If you know me, you know that I freaked out and got really excited when I saw this.


This is the smallest group I've worked with as of yet, however they are not short on enthusiasm. Looking forward to a great, yet very busy week. Goals for myself while visiting Salt Lake:


- visit the Mormon Temple- I'm here and I feel like I have to or else I might get struck down by lightening or something
- excerciseeeeee. Gah.
- explore the University of Utah- it is beautiful here!


Must polish my patent pumps for this week! More updates to come....