Holy Colee!

So, I had decided I was going to not talk about food for a while, but unfortunately, when you're on a work trip, there's not a lot else to talk about. So, prepare...

Wednesday night I spent a lovely evening with Curtis and Amy. It was nice to sit down to a home cooked meal and even better that I didn't have to cook it. They are on a healthy eating kick too, so that was even better. I am very fortunate to be spending the week with a coworker I like. Let's face it, we've all worked with people we wouldn't hang out with outside of the office. And either Curtis and Amy feel the same way, or they are just really good fakers because they invited me over to dinner on Friday too.

Friday we went to a place called "The World Grill." The food was amazing. I have never been to one of those places where the food was so pretty you were afraid to eat it, until now. I took a few pictures. The waiter seemed to be getting a kick out of me... maybe I should get out more.




Today I drove down to St Augustine. St Augustine is the oldest continuously populated community in the US. It is just over 440 years old. I know that's an infant when compared with Europe and Asia, but for America, it was pretty cool. I took the Big Red Train tour. It was fun. I learned lots about the settlement and history of the city including too much about H. Flagler who turned it into the tourist town it is today, the fort and the many british and french invasions, and even saw The Fountain of Youth. I got off the tour and went thru the original Ripley's Believe it or Not (the one they film the tv show from) as well as the Old Florida Museum.



After that I went down to the walking only part of town and had lunch at the Florida Cracker Cafe. I decided to give the Gator Tails another try, as my previous attempt at eating alligator was somewhat tainted by the cajun pepper seasoning. This time they were battered and fried. To be honest, the cliche really is true... it does taste just like chicken.


I spent a little more time on St George Street before deciding to come back to the hotel. I did a little shopping on the way home and now I think I am going to hang out in the pool until the sun goes down or maybe not... I've just heard a very loud game of Marco Polo being played... Maybe it's just a Saturday away from home, but it's a pretty good one if you ask me! :)

So….. I missed the first 20 minutes… stupid time change, but I got there just in time for the part I could have felt good about missing…..

Sanjaya – Did he sing? Would it have mattered? After the hair, I completely shut him out.

Haley – She’s still boring. I don’t care how short her skirt gets.

Phil – Was actually pretty tonight. His backup singers were off. His big eyes still twig me out, but thank heavens for his eyebrow guy

Melinda – Weird song, but who cares. Love her.

Blake – Really good tonight. Pleasant for sure.

Jordin – I like her. I did not like her song choice. It really did nothing to show off her vocal ability.

Chris – Meh


Ok, so that out of the way :) Florida is lovely this week. I spoke to some folks at home and they are preparing for snow tonight. ICKY. I'll take the low 80s thank you very much. Work is going well. I am learning a lot, even though we haven't really had the time to focus much. Tomorrow I get to work with WFM and Thursday we're playing in the Command Center. It's like coming home to the mother ship ;)

Table size bean dip. Need I say more?

Never let it be said that Mormons don't know how to have fun ;) A monster bean dip and a karaoke machine. Now that's how to spend your Friday night ;)

But today is Monday, and today I am in Jacksonville Florida. My flights yesterday were pretty uneventful. I tried to sleep the whole way, but it didn't really work out that way. Have I mentioned I really like flying Continental? Especially vs Delta. The service is better, the lines are shorter, and the treats are better ;) For breakfast, they actually served breakfast, Cheerios, milk, banana, a proper meal I say!

I got in last night a bit after 5 and to the hotel about 6. At which time the real purpose of my trip was fulfilled (shh, don't tell Jeremy) but I FINALLY got to meet one of my favorite people in the entire world. Brian and I worked together when I first got my current job for about a year before he moved on to bigger and better. He was my sanity check, or insanity check depending on how you want to look at it. It was fabulous to finally put a face with the voice. I also got to meet his wife and daughter. Liz is great and Macy is adorable. It was a very pleasant evening indeed. We drove around a little (more because Brian was lost than anything else, really), and then I came back to the hotel and crashed.

I am actually excited to go to work today. It will be nice to have people around me and to get to do some new things. Plus, it will be a week full of putting faces with names so, YAY.

Yep, that's right it means tomorrow is Friday!

Ok, so this week has been a little bit of a struggle for me to get through. Work is chaos, my room is chaos, though the rest of the house is suprisingly clean (Thanks Mon), and things in my personal life are a changing a little more than usual (in a very good way... if you need more information than that you're going to have to ask). And to top it all, I was out of town last week, and will be out of town for the next 2 weeks, so I am just trying to get everything done between.

Anyway... Chaos and supremely tired - but ecstatic all at the same time.

Tonight was bowling night. My second game is nothing to report, BUT my first game, there was a miracle. I bowled a 132, which for me, is freakin awesome, but the cool part was that Barry was having an off game, so I beat Barry :D that never - ever- ever - happens. While I recognize that it really was just a coincidence, I am going to gloat anyway. And like I said, the second game I really made up for it. I don't even think I broke a 70...

And now you know *

Haley – if you can’t sing and move at the same time, STAND STILL

Chris Richardson – pretty song, but it was pretty easy to forget

Stephanie – The only problem I have at all is the dress she was wearing

Blake – he’s growing on me

Lakisha – She should have gone with the other song…

Phil – not all that, but not all that bad either

Jordin – she really is just amazing

Sanjaya – he officially creeps me out, and he can’t sing…. Let him go, just let him go

Gina – interesting choice…good but not a great night

Chris Sligh – the dancing was wretched. The shirt was cool. The performance was, well… ok.

Melinda – Consistency. Amazing. One of my favorite songs ever, and now my favorite version of it.

So, we went dancing last Thursday night after we got back from Camp Joy. We went to a place called Arnies, at Newport on the Levee.It was great fun. I was SUPER impressed with the guys that went with us. For a couple of reasons. 1- BJ, a boy from Utah, actually had rythm, and yes that boy can dance. 2- I was impressed with how they looked out for us, even though we were barely more than strangers. There were a couple of punk kids who tried to break in and get a little inappropriate with our circle of girls, and it didn't take more than 3 seconds for BJ and CJ (easy names eh) to pull the alphamale and force the extras back out where they belonged. It was great, really. I've not felt so well protected in a long time.

Go Boys :)

I am in Cincinnati this week. I am here participating in the Future Leaders Program. It's been a pretty interesting experience. As a facilitator this year I am seeing it from a completely different perspective. I must admit, it's validating to see some of the same mistakes we made get made again. It just goes to prove that somethings we really do just have to try for ourselves.

My team is going to be good this year. There are some very strong personalities, and some interesting views on some key things... like timliness.

Today is presentation day. Tomorrow we get to go to Camp Joy. I've not gotten bed before 1:00 and we've been in meetings by 7:30 every morning. I know for many of you, that's plenty of sleep, but *I* am a sleeper. Anything less than 8 and I have to work pretty hard to stay as happy as I need to be :)

Enough whining. I am really having a good time. I've gotten to put a few faces with voices, and I am getting to learn/relearn a lot of good things. As well as continuing to build a network of new and fantastic people.

Besides, tonight we're going to dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boat House. I refuse to count points. PERIOD. :)

So, my happy news for today is that I bought new pants... Now I can not look like a slop at my conference next week.

The girls were - as usual - an entirely different show this week.

Jordin – What can I say more? I love this girl. She’s awesome and her performance tonight was great :)

Sabrina – the song was boring, and her hair is atrocious. I understand natural curl, but do something with it…

Antonella – I am afraid I stand with the Frenchie supporters… if Frenchie had to leave, Antonella should too… of course with tonight’s performance maybe she’s trying to bow out gracefully.

Haley – If I was tone deaf, I might have still had issues with this song…..

Stephanie – I was sitting right here, but I was so bored I didn’t really even hear it. She looks very nice though.

Lakisha – I need her to smile…. But the girl can sing. There’s no disputing that one. Is it wrong if I want to buy her invisalign?

Gina – I actually liked this one better than the original. She’s the singer season 1 Nikki thought she was.

Melinda – She’s more OCD than I am… that’s points for her. The fact that she is freaking amazing is the bigger point giver…. Her song choice was awesome. If she doesn’t win, she will still make an album, and I will definitely still buy it.

So, first things first. I am super excited about the trip I FINALLY got to book today. I am going to Jacksonville to do some training with my counterpart, get some training from another group, and visit with my WFM team :D YAY!!! 10 days in Florida. The only sad part is that the friend I was hoping to meet there has a business trip taking him OUT of town that weekend. So, I am thinking Disney World is probably out, but does anyone know anything else that is fun to do is Jacksonville?

Ok then, here's my run down on AI tonight...

Beat Box – I really like listening to him, but I do not see him as the winner. A short dose is penty.

Sanjaya – Finally someone else is making fun of his hair, really, it’s about time.

Sundance – Sundance is growing on me. He’s actually slightly amusing. That is a plus

Chris – He just doesn’t do it for me.

Jared – sorry, I missed most of it. But he’s still pretty.

Brandon – Meh. I wasn’t all that impressed. I am pretty sure the whole song had only 4 notes in it.

Phil – painful, really really painful

Chris Sligh – I have only 2 problems with him this week The hair and the lisp… His performance was not all that bad.

It's been a lovely weekend, here in the frozen world I call home. It was -21 F when I was getting ready this morning... I will never be sure how you actually get ready to go outside knowing full well when you take your first outside breath your nostrils will freeze shut, but you do it anyway.

I officially have too much to do when I come home to just be here for 2 1/2 days...It's crazy beans. Friday night we had dinner with Kelly and Justin's family as well as Lynn and Lorna and Cordell.

Today I spent the afternoon with my sisters and nephew. That is always fun. I am pretty sure we played 1/2 of the board games in the closet.

For lunch, Mom and I went to the new place in town, "Timbers." It was actually pretty tasty. It's a steak house in the evening, but for lunch it's just burgers and sandwiches. I love a good French Dip :)

Oh, I've decided that I might be broken. I turned down an Angee Caramel. Who in their right mind turns down an Angee Caramel??? I may need serious help.