I have gratitude today for...
* finding a few cute tops at EXPRESS for Key West. I'm wearing one tonight for NYE.
* Kevin, Jenn & Ashlyn arriving safely from Long Island. Ashlyn is so cute!
* a nice time catching up with drinks and apps while I made dinner.
* a really nice NYE dinner. I made chicken picatta, green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and a salad. Andy was a big help with cooking and did all of the dishes.
* the fun NYE hats, tierras and noise makers I bought for tonight. We all wore them and had fun listening to music, talking, laughing, watching the NYE coverage on TV and of course had a bunch of drinks to celebrate 2013's arrival.
* learning that we don't need a big party or big plans to have an awesome NYE. Last year we decided we'd stay home from now on and invite friends/family over. Whoever takes us up on the offer is who we celebrate with--it worked perfectly this year. We loved having the Burke's here with us. Ashlyn was a party animal and stayed up past midnight with us!

I have gratitude today for...
* Jess trying to help find the Philly DMB poster I've been looking for.
* watching some football this afternoon and posting a bunch of pictures from this month. I didn't really care about the game but it was Andy Reid's last game so we had to watch.
* Andy agreeing to join Conshohocken Health & Fitness with me this year. I really liked the trainer we met and plan on buying some sessions to get started. I am looking forward to Andy & I doing this together.

I have gratitude today for...
* taking Jeffrey & James to Arnold's Family Fun Center. I was a little nervous driving there in the snow but Andy got us all there and back safe and sound. We had so much fun with them! We did bowling, bumper cards, mini-golf arcade games and video games. The cannonball game was a favorite for everyone! The adventure was a part of Jeffrey's Christmas present (James benefited too)! I love DOING things with them rather than just adding another toy to the pile (we did that too but it was small.)
* a great get together at Jeff & Megan's with the Miners and Roth's. There was lots of good food, drinks, conversation and laughs.
* watching some more HIMYM Season 7.
* finding TED Talks: Chew on This on Netflix. Andy had fallen asleep and I was looking for something to watch. It's a series of lectures from all different food experts. I liked hearing what they had to say and it helped me start thinking of "healthy eating" again. Lots of goals for 2013!

I have gratitude today for...
* talking with Debbie about something that was bothering me from the day of the Philly show, and then having the courage to address it with the person even though I was extremely uncomfortable.
* feeling well enough to go to KOP tonight. The CT Roth's arrived this afternoon for the weekend. Alison & Kyle came by and so did Jeff w/the kids. We had pizzas and cheesesteaks and did gifts with the kids. It was a really nice night. Chris & Kem gave us a beautiful bamboo cutting board with an engraved "R".

I have gratitude today for...
* the message from Uncle John thanking me for the new hat he bought with his birthday gift card. :-)
* being able to take it easy today. I'm feeling worse than yesterday---very tired, achy, no appetite, weak, etc. Like other times I've been sick, I am so thankful for my overall health. I can't imagine REALLY being sick with something like cancer or another horrible disease.
* watching HIMYM episodes with Andy tonight.

I have gratitude today for...
* the fact that I work from home. I woke up feeling awful this morning and it took everything for me to get out of bed and turn on my laptop. I spent most of my day prospecting and preparing for our sales meeting on 1/7. I'm hoping whatever I have doesn't last long.
* being able to rearrange our flights so we can fly out of Ft. Lauderdale. Now we don't have to drive from Key West back to Orlando.
* the lady from VonG Art emailing me about the keychains. I'm so bummed--she said they arrived and the quality is so poor she refuses to send them out. She offered a refund and I'll use it towards one of the 26 acts of kindness I plan on doing over the next few months. I was excited to surprise a few good friends with them--oh well.
* finding The Lumineers and Phillip Phillips albums on Amazon for $3.99. They're both really good!

I have gratitude today for...
* feeling thankful for all of the great people and fortunes I have in my life. There has been so much sadness in our world lately.
* our breakfast and gift exchange with Mrs. Roth this morning. Today felt much more relaxing compared to the insanity yesterday.
* Mom, Dad, Kelly & Alex arriving safely this afternoon. We put out a bunch of apps and had some drinks and hung out for a while before our Secret Santa exchange.
* a fun time doing our gift exchange. We each buy a $50 gift for one person and take turns giving and opening. I loved all of the thoughtful things Kelly gave me and I think she liked what I gave her too.
* making snowflakes for Sandy Hook as a family. We made 20 snowflakes, one for each little angel that was so senselessly killed on 12/14.
* the crock-pot ham coming out so well. We also had roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, baked beans, carrots and salad. Everything was great!
* relaxing after dinner---we had dessert, tea & coffee and spent some more time talking about Kelly's teaching and wedding.
* Andy & I exchanging gifts with each other after everyone left. We kept things pretty simple this year but still managed to find thoughtful and needed things to give each other. My favorite was the cooking class he got for me---he knows I'd never spend the $$ on something like that. I'm going to use it for a knife skills class. He also bought me two more knives to add to our set.
* making it this long before getting sick. I started feeling a sore throat coming on this afternoon and I'm pretty sure it's a cold coming on.

I have gratitude today for...
* firefighters, police and other first responders that help keep us safe. Although it's easy to get annoyed when we get speeding tickets (especially as often as I have recently), it's important to remember how much they are risking everytime they put on their uniform or respond to a call. I'm speechless about the shootings of the firefighters this morning. Senseless acts of violence like this are happening too often. What is going on in our crazy world?
* getting out early. I went to the mall and found a cut sweater dress to wear for tonight, stopped at Old Navy to exchange a few things and went to Produce Junction. I luckily had a spare $10 bill in my car because I forgot my cash at home. I barely had enough to buy the flowers I wanted for the tables but I used change and had 10 cents to spare, haha.
* the speakers Andy set up in the kitchen-it made working in the kitchen all day more fun.
* my love of cooking. I spent all day (10-5) in the kitchen making bread, pasta primavera, chicken marsala, baked ziti, spinach dip, salsa, guacamole, bruschetta and zucchini bites. It was A TON of work but I felt very proud to serve a fantastic meal tonight as we celebrated Christmas Eve.
* a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner in our cozy little home. The trees were up, candles were lit in all of our windows and Christmas music played throughout the house. The kids were great and Santa even came on the fire engine outside! Everyone seemed to like dinner and we had a huge display of desserts as well.

I have gratitude today for...
* Chipotle for lunch with Andy.
* deciding to go to Key West for a few days when we're in FL. We booked a hotel today and got a pretty decent rate.
* making two salad dressings from scratch and dough for two loaves of bread for tomorrow night's dinner.
* Andy's help with cleaning up the house and getting everything set up for Christmas Eve & Christmas dinner. We are excited to host both families this year. The Roth's on Christmas Eve and McTague's on Christmas Day.

I have gratitude today for...
*remembering Dad Roth today. It's so hard to believe it's been 4 years
since he passed away.
* watching Ellen this morning on DVR- it was her first recording since the shooting in Newtown, CT. It was also the first time I broke down and cried and really let myself experience the overwhelming sadness this horrible tragedy brings to all of us. I loved what she said, she is always so genuine.

"Today we’re taping our first show since the events that took place in Connecticut. My goal for this show every day is to make you happy and make you feel good for an hour. I want it to be a safe zone. I want it to be light and filled with joy.I want you to know that you can watch with your family. It won’t be mean or sad. I want it to be uplifting and I want to celebrate all that’s good in life. We’re holding you in our hearts, and today’s show is dedicated to you."

* Matt & Christa giving us a ride down to the stadium.
* fun times pre-gaming at Victory Beer Hall with: Julie, Greg, Josh,
Ben, Matt & Christa, Brad & Mindy, Scott & Michelle, Tash Laura, Jeff
and a few other people I don't know that well.
* going in early to see The Lumineers. Love them!
* getting a great spot about 1/4 way back on the floor.
* DMB putting on an awesome show! Loved Pig and so many others. It was
probably the best show I've seen since June. I had fun dancing and
singing with Andy, Josh, Ben, Michelle, Melissa & Tash.

I have gratitude today for...
* finally filling out my Camellia Network profile.
* finding out The Killers have rescheduled for May 19th!
* going to Totaro's for the last time tonight for dinner. We saw
Andrew and got to thank him for all of our fantastic meals there. So
sad it's closing.
* experimenting with the Vita-Mix tonight; I made peanut butter
cookies with homemade peanut butter. They took forever to make but
came out great.
* making birthday cupcakes for John. We bought a mini muffin pan
tonight and they came out so cute!

I have gratitude today for...
* Tony A's pizza for dinner. I was out running around and it was the
easiest thing since we had nothing planned.
* making appointments to go look at dresses for Kelly's wedding on 12/28!
* the beautiful dove key chains I bought from Von G Art. She had them
made to support Sandy Hook rebuilding efforts (for their new school).
They were $10 each--I bought 5 to give to Debbie, Megan, Jillian,
Kelly and me. :-)

I have gratitude today for...
* finally emailing Dan (from Aruba). We wanted to make sure we stayed
in touch with them.
* making a reservation at the Victory Beer Hall for Sat. before the
DMB show in Philly.

I have gratitude today for...
* getting lots done for work and around the house today.
* creating a new email address for when I change my name. :-)
* figuring out airfare (again) for our FL trip.
* lunch at OOKA with Ian & Cathy Gicker. It was great to see them both!
* a great girls night with Lori, Viki, Lorin and Jane! I made our
Christmas dinner (split pea soup & garlic chicken pasta primavera). We of course went through a few bottles of wine and had great laughs and conversation. The "Favorite Things" exchange was a
hit and we had a lot of fun with it.

I have gratitude today for...
* excellent service at Infiniti of Ardmore. I brought the car there
for an oil change this morning. They were very friendly and took my
coupon. :-)
* going with Megan to the gym. She showed me some of what she does
with weights and we did the elliptical for 45 minutes.
* finding out we earned the Discover $500 Cashback bonus for this
year. Woohoo! I was worried because we were short on the spending
minimum one month.
* having a BJ's Wholesale Club so close by. It's so convenient and I
love being able to get money saving "staples" there.

I have gratitude today for...
* a yum breakfast at the hotel again this morning.
* the sweet email Dave sent us after he left this morning. I love
having friends visit, especially from this group!
* our visit with the Roth's in Haymarket on our way home. We picked up
a few pizzas and hung out with John, Jillian & the kids. We found out
Lily has a crush on Andy! Jillian texted me tonight and said "she's
walking around with a 'pretend Andy'.
* finally ordering our photobooks from '08, '09 and '10.
* an easy drive home even though it was long and I was very tired. Too many 2am nights in a row for this old lady. :-)

I have gratitude today for...
* chatting with Debbie for a bit this morning.
* getting a reservation for dinner tonight in town.
* a great breakfast in the hotel dining room. It was nice to have
breakfast included--I really enjoyed the fruit.
* having stores close by to the hotel. We ran out this morning and
picked up an SD card for the camera since I left both of ours at home.
* lunch with Andy, Dave & Ben at Chipotle (yes, again). See reasons
listed yesterday as to why we go there so much.
* visiting Blenheim Vineyards this afternoon. Of course we were hoping
Dave would make an appearance. We tasted a handful of wines, bought
t-shirts and took a few pictures of the land. It was beautiful.
* John & Jillian having an easy trip to C'Ville and for them picking
us up at the hotel so we didn't have to take 2 cars.
* a great time at Michael's Bistro in Charlottesville. We created our
own "beer tasting" and ordered a bucket of all different beers.
Everyone loved their food and it was a nice atmosphere. Glad to have
picked a winner.
* another awesome show tonight. It was so much fun to all be
together-Andy, Dave, Ben, John, Jillian, Ian, Ashley and me.
Highlights were Best of What's Around, Nancies, Granny & Rapunzel!
* the sea of people waiting outside of our hotel. Boyd was doing a
meet and greet there, it was crazy! We went straight to our room and
ordered pizzas. It was fun to hang out again after the show listening
to music.

I have gratitude today for...

* making breakfast when we got up in the morning. French toast, bacon,
scrambled eggs and English muffins.
* having help packing the car with all of our crap for this weekend. Usually I'm doing it all myself.

                      ***Thoughts about Sandy Hook Elementary***

As we were on our way to pick up Andy from his office Ben mentioned there had been a shooting at an elementary school in CT. My first thoughts were of our nieces and nephew in Greenwich but I quickly learned the shooting did not take place in Greenwich. Then I thought to myself "are little kids bringing guns to school and shooting each other? That can't be possible." followed by "this was an adult, this was some psychotic adult that barged into a school and started shooting. Maybe it was a parent gone mad?" It's amazing how many thoughts you can have running through your mind in so little time.

 

We learned bits and pieces of what happened as time went on---some of the information initially reported was incorrect. It didn't matter. 20 children, 5 teachers and 1 principal were killed...senselessly, for no reason at all. I just can't imagine. It's numbing, it made me feel sick inside. We are all feeling the same way.

 

How can I say there was anything good about this day? How can I when 20 sets of parents lost their babies this morning? How can I be excited about a road trip to C'Ville with friends to see our favorite band? That I get to work from home and I was able to work while being in the car on our way to a really fun weekend?

 

I wasn't sure what I was going to write today for my gratitude entry. But I guess the whole point is finding the good in our days, even when they are dark. Being thankful for every happy moment we have and knowing it can all end in an instant. Appreciating time with friends & family and having the means to do things like travel and go to concerts. My gratitude blog is to record what I am grateful for---the little things that happen every day that remind me there is always good somewhere out there.

 

My heart is crushed for the families and friends of those that were killed. I ache for their community and our society as a whole. There is too much that is broken and we need to help heal each other. I don't know what else to say right now, and I know this will weigh on me indefinitely, as it will so many others. 

 

Below are the things I was grateful for today after we heard about the shooting. Some of them are silly like a great hoagie for lunch. I am always grateful for the people in my life that love and support me, and bring fun and light to my days.

* Primos for lunch
* hitting minimal traffic during our drive to Charlottesville.
* having some time to relax before we left for dinner/show. I was
tired all day from staying up so late the last two nights.
* Chipotle---quick, fresh, easy, inexpensive and so good!
* a great time at the show! Loved the set and had a great time with
Andy, Dave, Ben, Ian and Ashley.

* Dave mentioning the shooting before playing Mercy. That song gets to me on so many levels. I wrote about it when Hurricane Sandy was happening and it seems to hit home even more after what happened today in CT. I think we all felt comforted when he acknowledged what had happened---it was a very weird feeling to be having such a good time knowing there are so many people grieving tonight.
* hanging out after the show in our hotel room--listening to music and
eating junk food (those calories don't count after midnight, right?)

I have gratitude today for...
* not feeling too disappointed when we found out The Killers show was
postponed. I felt bad Dave came all the way here for the show and now
it's pushed back to an unknown date. I came up with a few ideas for
tonight though.
* going to LA Fitness with Dave. I only did the elliptical and
abs/stretching but it felt good to exercise.
* the candles Mrs. Roth gave us to try out for our windows. They're
battery operated but look really nice!
* lunch at Plaza Azteca with Dave. I love that place, it's fun to take
people there.
* dinner at Nectar with Dave & Ben. I'm really going to miss gift
cards once I completely run out. We had a nice bottle of wine---they
had sushi and rice bowls and I had veggie spring rolls and filet
mignon.
* good times at Falls Taproom to see Popejoy play. Andrea was there
and we had a great time drinking beers and listening to music. We
stayed until the bar closed. Thankful for Ben driving us home too.
* leftover Mexican after-the-bar food!

I have gratitude today for...
* a great session with Hannelore today. I really felt like I was able
to relax and zone out a bit. I decided we'll give Dad a session for
Christmas!
* a nice time visiting with the Ft. Washington office. I crashed their
Christmas party since I was missing the Chicago office's party. They
had lunch catered by an Italian restaurant and we did the Yankee Swap
gift exchange. I ended up with a Target gift card---can never go wrong
with that.
* Dave arriving to PHL on time. It worked out great, dropping Casey
off and picking Dave up.
* a fun night at our place. Ben came over and we had some drinks,
apps, and I made a chicken parm bake for dinner. We watched the
12-12-12 concert (and almost made it to the very end.)

I have gratitude today for...
* remembering our 2 year engagement anniversary. I still say that was the best night of my life.
* going to Totaro's for dinner with Andy. They are closing on NYE and
we are totally bummed. We talked with his cousin Jackie (she's been
there forever and I never knew she was a part of the family). She was
so nice and is into holistic health and Reiki!
* making the brownies for tomorrow's office Christmas party and the
chicken for tomorrow night's dinner when we got home.

I have gratitude today for...
* finally getting the extra DMB tickets sold. It was a big pain in the
ass and took way too much time but it's finally done. I was able to
sell the N2 C'Ville tix on Stubhub for face value. I wish I would have
thought of doing that a couple of weeks ago. We're not going to get
anything for the N1's.
* finally redeeming the Prancing Peacock Living Social deal I bought.
Now I have until mid-Feb to go 5x. Yeah right.
* going to Weis and picking up stuff to make dinners later this week
and the Christmas ham.

I have gratitude today for...
* online shopping--shopped for some Christmas gifts today
* finding a cool recipe for the ham using a crockpot. I'm going to try
it on Christmas day!

I have gratitude today for...
* working on getting the house cleaned up and ready for Christmas decorations
* Bertucci's take out pizza for lunch
* finally ordering the book "The Touch of Healing" from Amazon.
Hannelore recommended it months ago.
* going to Ashley & Sean's engagement party in DE.
* stopping at Total Wine on the way home and picking up a case of wine
to have at the house.

I have gratitude today for...
* Starbuck's iced coffee---I've been loving it lately.
* spending a few hours in the office today catching up with case managers and getting to know them a little better.
* lunch at White Chocolate Grille with Lauren, Jim, Marty & Bernard. It was nice to talk with them outside the office and I feel like they got to know me a little better.
* talking with Lauren about DMB. She goes to Alpine every year and didn't know about the Chicago show. I wish I knew she wanted to go. We talked about all of their unreleased songs and the new album. I'm going to make her a CD with MP3's of the unreleased playlist I made.
* no traffic on the way to O'Hare. It seems every city I go to has horrendous traffic, I can't even choose a "worst traffic in the country" winner anymore. Every city is awful!
* the guy checking my bag letting me go when it was 52 lbs---2 lbs over the limit.
* Andy finding a way for me to pay for Silver status on US Air. It has saved hundreds of dollars in baggage fees, upgraded me twice to first class and probable saved me at least 30 minutes in the security line this afternoon. Well worth the $200, especially when I hit the 7,500 miles by mid-January. Then I will have Silver status until January 2014!
* an on time departure and early arrival in Philly.
* spending the night at home with Andy. We had Carrabba's takeout and watched the last couple episodes of Homeland. It was so good!

I have gratitude today for...
* the meet and greet going well with Sears-Sedgwick today. I think we have real potential to strengthen our relationship with this client and I'm already scheduling to go back in January.
* Bob allowing me to go straight to the hotel after the meeting. It was nice to settle in early, catch up on email and not be running around or driving for hours today.
* talking with Ian for a while about some work stuff (mainly our commissions) and how it will hopefully improve next year.
* an awesome dinner at . It's this little hole in the wall Mexican place in Lisle and it was so good.
* catching up on my personal emails, coming up with some fun Christmas gift ideas and watching Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, Nashville and Private Practice. Yes, I was a TV junkie tonight and it was wonderful.
* Royal Caribbean being flexible about possibly changing our cruise dates; we're still not sure what we're going to do but at least it's an option.
* finding the blog Single Dad Laughing---he's writing is incredible and he has a story that everyone should read. Maybe we'd all come away being a little less judgmental.
* all of Dad's emails with book suggestions and info on the do-it-yourself MBA. I've gotten into reading non-fiction, especially books like The Turning Point and Outliers. I am trying to focus on sharpening my skills, learning more about business in general and my specific industry/company/product. I have lots of goals for the coming year and I'm trying to lay a foundation over the next month so I can make 2013 a great year!

I have gratitude today for...
* feeling ok after only getting four hours sleep. I showered and was on the road by 8:15. Got to Champaign early so I stopped at Starbuck's and did some research on CN.
* a pretty good lunch meeting with Brad from CN and for Bob coming along.
* Jess deciding to buy our C'Ville N2 tickets. Happy she and John will be coming now!
* working hard to sell our Philly and C'Ville N1 extras---I think I worked out a deal with someone who is dying for the Philly GA's. I like when they go to people that really appreciate them.
* having pretty good luck with traffic and getting back to Chicago by 5.
* a fun time at Haymarket Brewery with Becker, Jon & Lori and Robin & Scott before the show. I tried their beer sampler and they were all pretty good.
* Robin giving us a ride to the show.
* Becker finding me a GA ticket for the show tonight---I tried to make the best of it even though I'm starting to really question the band's song selections. They just keep playing the same songs over and over and seem to have shelved much of their catalog. As a long time fan who loves going to several shows a tour, it's becoming extremely frustrating. I do try to appreciate each show, the company I'm with and acknowledge some day they won't be touring at all.
* leaving the floor for a few songs to hang out with Daniella and her friend Matt.
* talking with Becker for a while before we went to bed, and for him letting me crash at his place.

I have gratitude today for...
* spending time working from the hotel this morning/early afternoon. They granted me a late check out and I got a ton of stuff done before leaving for Chicago.
* listening to the new Mumford & Sons album as well as some DMB. I LOVE the new Mumford & Sons album and can't wait to see them in Feb. My favorite song is Love of the Light. I also enjoyed listening to some classic DMB that I'm 99% certain I have no chance of hearing tomorrow.
* a great night with Lea. We talked for a while about both of our job situations for a while before heading out to a yoga class at her gym. It was a yoga stretch class--it was a little different but I enjoyed being exposed to something new. From there we grabbed some Mexican food for dinner and headed back to her house. We went through two bottles of wine and talked till 3:30am. I'll be regretting that tomorrow morning but it has been cool reconnecting with her and having so much to talk about.
* talking with Andy for a bit tonight and for him feeling a little better.
* being blessed with an amazing father. I know I've written this over and over again. I had another friend tell me about the struggle she has had with her father. I can't imagine not hearing "I love you" or "I'm proud of you". I share so much with my dad---love of music, nature, business, learning, writing, doing good for others---I can't imagine life without him.

I have gratitude today for...
* no delays flying from Orlando to Detroit or from Detroit to Madison. The fog was really bad in Detroit and I was afraid we were going to have to wait for it to clear out.
* memories of Rachel & I traveling together to the University of Illinois. Running through the airport with our bags trying not to miss our connecting flight. It's hard to believe that was 9 years ago!
* not getting upset when I traveled to WI for no reason due to the client canceling our meeting. I was disappointed because I lost the opportunity to present GlobalOptions (for now). I respectfully made it clear I flew in for our meeting, and that it wasn't just a 10 minute drive. It didn't seem to matter and there was nothing I could do about it. Sometimes I feel people in business have no regard for other people's time, but it's part of the game. I feel fortunate this is the first time it's happened since I started with GO.
* a nice dinner at . The food was very good and I spent some time writing my Don't Judge blog post about dining alone (often.)
* walking around the mall for a little bit and then stopping in to Target & Kohl's. For some reason I didn't pack a shirt to wear to the DMB show Wednesday night so I picked up one and bought the boots from Target (with no heels) I've been wanting.
* the girl at Origins giving me a few samples of the face wash I use since I forgot to bring mine. I don't like using bar soap on my face.

Don't Judge...

Disclaimer: This post is in no way meant to offend the wonderful friends of mine who are servers/bartenders. I know they would never treat people this way. Also, I was a server once too. :-)

I have gratitude today for...
* getting to the pool before 10am considering we were out last night until 3:30am (and I was up till almost 4.)
* a gorgeous day relaxing by the pool in sunny FL. I had thought about going to Downtown Disney or something else fun in the area but decided I just wanted to relax. I finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed and started Outliers.
* removing myself from the rude and annoying people that invaded my space at the pool today. I was the only one out there and had my iPad playing music real low. The rest of tables and chairs were available---for some reason they decided to sit right next to me and proceeded to start playing their own music. Couldn't quite understand that one. After a while I went to the other side of the pool because I couldn't even concentrate on my book anymore.
* soup and salad with chips & guac and salsa at Chili's for lunch. The selection of restaurants within walking distance from the hotel are all chains and I tried to make a decent choice.
* talking a walk around the lake near the hotel.
* catching up with Andy for a while, we'd hardly talked since I left on Fri.
* going to the gym and doing 45 minutes on the elliptical, a little bit of weights and yoga and then 10 minutes in the hot tub.
* an easy (and good!) dinner at Sonny's BBQ across the street from the hotel.

* everything I got out of our sales & ops meeting today. It was a long day---8:30-5:45, but I learned so much. There are lots of exciting things happening within our company and I think there is a lot of opportunity for growth. I was happy to see they used my flyer from last week as the holiday flyer for the entire company. It made me feel like I do in fact (somewhat) know what I'm doing.
* talking with Andy for a few minutes before dinner. I was worried because I hadn't heard from him all day. Turned out something was wrong with his phone and he wasn't feeling well.
* feeling good in the dress I bought yesterday for the party.
* a nice time at the Christmas dinner. I met some new people from the FL office---I was also happy John was with me for dinner because we lost out on seats at the table with everyone we're friends with.
* a fun time at the hotel bar after the party. It was a good opportunity to talk with people we don't get to see very often. A few of us closed it down, we were there until 2am or so.
* going to Denny's with Ian and John. I (of course) was hungry by the time we left the bar and there was nothing else open. I haven't been to a Denny's since the 2nd year of Memphis and it's always an interesting experience.