New (and Improved) View

Our old balcony overlooked the back entrances of the shops of a strip mall, with the conciliation of mountains in the distant background.

Now, we face a creek, with trees and an unobstructed blue sky. This is one of my favorite things about our new home.

Quality Friday: Calm Before the Storm

On Monday and Tuesday, we took a break from the craziness of our lives and enjoy a short little trip to Monterey Bay. I had to do a little bit of work there, and love that Mark had both days off to join me on the drive down California's famous Coastal Highway.

We enjoyed some lovely meals, got a chance to walk around Monterey's wharf, and especially appreciated this ocean view from our hotel room.


That, and the fact that the room was tidy and neat, quite unlike the disaster zone that our home has become. Why, you ask? What has taken over our lives, and turned our apartment upside down?

If you answered "Because You're Moving", then you guessed correctly! Seems that we can't resist the opportunity to pick up and move more often than we say put:)

Funny think because I actually hate moving. HATE IT. But as much as I fought the notion with every fiber of my being, I couldn't deny that this move will make a great deal of sense. Mark will only have to travel 10 minutes to school each day, rather than the hour plus (80 miles round trip) commute that he suffered through last year. Imagine the gas that we'll be saving!

Yes, my commute to the airport(s) will take a little longer than they do now, but the reality is that only make the trip once or twice a week, not every day. Plus, I drive a company car with my fuel paid for. The rest of the time I work from home.

In addition to the gas savings, our rent will decrease significantly, another huge bonus. We'll be living nearer to the coast in the heart of Sonoma wine country, in a cute town, with bookstores. Which is significant because we currently have to drive 15 miles to a Borders or Barnes and Noble, since our town only has an adult bookstore. Classy. But I digress.....

Right now, I may or may not be starting to panic about Just How MUCH needs to get done before we move TOMORROW. Which is why I'm going to take a deep breath and remind myself of the peaceful ocean view we enjoyed just a few days ago.

Happy Quality Friday! Back to work I go:)

Quality Friday: Sweet Home, Chicago

There is no doubt in my mind that Chicago is, and always will be, home.

Last weekend, Mark joined me on my business-trip back (as I promised he would!), and we enjoyed packing in every free moment of our six day visit spending time with family and friends. It was exactly the vacation that we needed, and our time spent with loved ones was refreshing and rejuvenating (though never quite long enough).

Even weather in Chicago was absolutely perfect, so similar to the amazing California weather that we enjoy on a daily basis. Last weekend almost made me forget that there are terribly cold winters and stifling hot summers to contend with:)

We were graciously hosted by Mark's dad, allowing the two of them to spend time quality time together while I worked on Monday and Tuesday. Here's a brief recap of our visit:

Friday afternoon, and after settling in and enjoying lunch with Mark's dad, headed out for an evening with my family at Brandon's girlfriend Shruti's parent's home. BJ and Nimmi prepared an amazing feast of Indian cuisine, which we enjoyed immensely, along with their warm hospitality.

Saturday afternoon, we met Mark's family at our traditional meeting spot, Carson's, where we got to spend a few hours enjoying their company. Afterward, we headed out for an evening of fun and games with Mark's poker buddies - a truly fantastic crew.

Sunday, we went to church in the morning, then to Brandon's for a quick lunch, to the Grafton for a few drinks, made a quick stop at Melissa and Steven's to give Mark a tour of their new home (and to meet Cosette) and finally to Orlando's for the rest of the evening.

Sadly, my camera only made its way out on two occasions, both on Sunday, so here are the few photos I have to share:

Daniel, all grown up at 18, and getting ready for his first year in college!

Grill-master, Brandon, whipping up lunch at his place.

Me and my Jonny. I can't tell you how much I love every one of my brothers.

Michael, Audrey, Kjersten, Melissa, Esther, Mark and Steven at The Grafton.

I love these ladies!

Monday night we enjoyed a huge dinner at Randy and Vivian's, and Tuesday, met up with Mark's cousins for dinner, drinks, and some outdoor Olympic viewing in Wicker Park. And on Wednesday we had lunch at our Greektown favorite with Mark's dad before spending our final afternoon and evening at my parent's house.

Just like every trip back, it was over far, far too soon. This Quality Friday, is dedicated to the the moments spent at home and the memories created with our favorite people on earth. WE LOVE YOU, CHICAGO!

Exhausted

Remember how I mentioned that I needed to find a way to stay awake when I'm fatigued beyond belief?

Soon after returning from that trip to Los Angeles, Mark brought home a case of Red Bull for me to carry in my car along with instructions that they should always sit in arm's reach just behind the passenger's seat. Waiting for me for nights like tonight.

Right now, I'm parked next to a power outlet on the floor of the Phoenix airport, wishing for a flight home.

Last night, Mark and I got in from a fantastic trip to Chicago (more on that later) at around midnight, making our way home by around 1am. The tricky thing with that situation is that I had a flight out again this morning at 6am. You may be asking why I didn't fly directly from Chicago to Phoenix. Great question, since it would have made a LOT more sense! Unfortunately, I had already purchased both sets of tickets before we decided to extend our Chicago visit by an extra day, getting us home on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Thus the back to back flights.

At around 1:30am, after prepping for this morning, I finally crawled into bed. Need I say that I wanted to cry when the alarm went off at 3:45am? I had grand plans of sleeping on the plane, but even the best made plans can easily be deterred. My flight out to Phoenix was delayed by 2-hours this morning. By the time we made it onto the plane, I had managed to make a few phone calls and answer pending e-mails, allowing the caffeine to fully kick in and prevent my morning nap.

Ridiculously that the reason that US Airways gave for the delay was "needing the plane to be in a condition to withstand de-icing". Did I mention that I was flying from San Francisco to Phoenix? Need I remind you that it is the month of August? It was 100 degrees and sunny when I landed here at 10am. Not sure why de-icing was a concern.

And nearly 12 hours later as I sit here and type, I'm delayed again (on United this time) heading home. I've been at the airport since 3:45pm waiting for my 7:37pm flight. There were no earlier flights to standby on my air carrier. I resisted the urge to buy a completely new ticket just to leave a little early. I may or may not regret that decision.

At 6:45pm, the sunny day transformed into a tremendous rainstorm that literally shut down the entire airport. At 7:07pm, in lieu of starting to board the plane as my boarding pass promised, we learned that the in-coming aircraft had been re-routed to Tuscon.

As of 9:09pm, the plane was just leaving Tuscon, expected to land here in a half hour. Best case, I'll get into San Francisco at midnight for the second night in a row.

Which is why the Red Bull will be making its debut in a few hours. Here's to hoping that it, along with a much-needed nap in seat 5F, will make all the difference.