Be Thankful

Tuesday, 10/6/10
11:30pm

So tonight as I go to sleep on a comforter cover and wet pillow case, I challenge you to be very thankful for your washer and dryer. That's right, your washer and dryer. The modern convenience of these two items in your home that is within walking distance that you do not share with neighbors you do not know.

Yes, tonight I decided that it was time to do laundry. Just a "quick" white load of towels and linens. Mind you, my usual laundry session includes a trip to the Gap for new jeans and t-shirts and a quick run to Target for socks. Tonight I thought I'd change things up and try the real laundry method of actually washing clothes that I own. The wash went well and worked like a charm. 30 minutes later, I had wet clean clothes. Now on to the dryer. I inputted my $2.25 to dry my items. 45 minutes later I return down five flights of stairs to soaking wet laundry. Apparently this dryer didn't work. So, I moved my items into a different dryer and paid another $2.25. 45 minutes later I return down five elevator floors to my laundry with the dryer door opened. Apparently a genius neighbor of mine decided to pull a quick one on me and open the door of my dryer that had 30 minutes remaining. So now, three hours later, my clothes are soaking wet and it is 45 minutes past my bed time (you see, I had this all timed out originally). Tonight I am sleeping on a mattress cover with wet pillow cases and a blanket. My sheets are air drying in the living room where I have selected my kitchen table and bike handles as appropriate drying racks. Oh well, at least I have blankets and a roof over my head tonight. There's always tomorrow for a better laundry session.

A Weekend Escape

This weekend's travels took me to the Outer Banks with my sister and her husband. Below is glimpse into just some of the highlights:

• It's never a trip without a minor (or major) adventure. As if the 45 min security line wasn't enough fun. I sprinted to McDonald's for a quick Happy Meal (my airport go-to meal) and made it to the terminal just three minutes prior to boarding time. We got on the plane only to sit there for an hour and a half thanks to our great President needing a Chicago weekend vacation. Luck was on my side and I had my latest Netflix on board with me, My Life in Ruins. I think I was the only person on the plane laughing for that hour and a half. Have to find some joy in the unexpected delays I suppose.
  
• Chick Fil-A is a new obsession. Thank goodness my travels take me to the South for their grilled chicken sandwich goodness. Their diet lemonade is out of this world.
  
• Seeing my big sister's pregnant belly. Can't wait to meet the little guy in September.
  
• Laughing until we cried. My sister and I were at the dinner table discussing who knows what. We both burst into laughter and couldn't stop. There's a certain bond of sisterhood that makes these moments so wonderful and unforgettable.
  
• Morning runs on the ocean. This was my moment of "me time" throughout the weekend. I was determined to see dolphins during our time at the beach and hadn't yet during my runs or laying on the beach all day. I got up from our daily beach "camp site" on day one and apparently during those few minutes a pod of dolphins swam by. The disappointment made me more eager to see the darn mammals. On the final morning there, I hit the beach for my morning run and to my amazement saw a large pod of dolphins swimming along the shore playing in the waves. We paced alongside each other for about a mile until they headed off into the distance. It was spectacular.
• Throwing the football on the beach. I admit it, I throw like a girl. I have not shame in getting out there and tossing around the football though. My touchdown dance probably makes me worth drafting on the team. Although my brother-in-law's dance is a sight to see...
  
• Waking up peacefully to the sound of the waves of the ocean crashing.
  
• Eating ice cream everyday. There's something so wonderful about this frozen deliciousness. My new favorite is the McDonald's McFlurry Reese's snack-size treat. Really quite delicious.
• An evening photo shoot. I insisted that we take a photo of us after our final night's dinner on the beach. We'll never forget trying to get the perfect photos in the dark.
  
• People watching. This is especially a great time at the beach. No explanation needed.

I am truly blessed to be able to go on weekend adventures like these with my family. Time away like this with relatives helps to put life back into perspective, eases the stresses of life and emphasizes the joys.

Domino's Delivers

Domino's? Yes, the pizza place. You might ask why with all of the pizza places in Chicago I might choose a chain delivery place. The answer is the Pizza Tracker. That's right, the only reason why I ordered from Domino's Pizza was so that I could watch my pizza order's progress go from being placed>hand tossed>baked>assessed for quality>delivered. Yes, right from my living room I watched as it took Chef Joseph three minutes to prepare my custom pizza order. Then I knew to watched out my window when the Tracker alerted me when Jarvis when it was out for delivery with my pizza. It's quite ingenious. Before I had no interest in Domino's pizza, but the Pizza Tracker hooked me. I must add that the pizza was really quite tasty. The garlic crust is what takes this pizza from ok to actually being good. Next time I'm home again on a Friday night, Domino's Pizza Tracker will be about all the excitement that I need. Maybe I'll go crazy and get breadsticks. It's the little things in life.

The Chase

Let's try this again. So, I'm back. After enough people highly encouraging that my current life adventures were enough to make a comedic film, I thought I might as well at least share the stories with someone.

The latest story. I got chased up MI Ave last night. Yes, this man demanded that I buy him a car. After several blocks of taunting, I decided that I was really over the excitement of being both run after and yelled at. Let's face it buddy, I need to buy myself a car before I'm giving you four wheels. I slowed and quickened my pace, and still couldn't lose him. Everyone around me just stopped and stared. Being the city savvy girl I am, I decided to duck into the revolving doors of Macy's thinking that he would surely continue his way up MI Ave instead. As luck would have it, he needed to go to Macy's too. And well apparently the cosmetics department was calling his name as well. I dodged in and out of the counters and he continued to follow. Well, thank goodness for Lush and their fruity soaps, chasing man got so distracted that I escaped up the escalator and got lost in the shoe department (not a bad spot to get lost). Nothing like a good scare after a 13 hour work day. Until next time...

26.2?!

That's right, 26.2 miles. Yes, I registered for the Chicago Marathon on Monday. With the click of a button, and a decent amount on my debit card, I have now committed to many months of training for a four hour run on 10.10.10.

I have received the question of "why?" from several people. Why in the world would I set out to achieve running 26.2 miles? The only response that I have is that this is something that I have to do.

During my time of traveling for 16 weeks on a mobile marketing tour that will remain nameless, I made a life list. This list includes many tasks and adventures that I hope to achieve in my lifetime. Think, "Bucket List." One of the top tasks to accomplish on the list was to run a marathon.

So, off I go. I will start training for the 2010 Chicago Marathon in June and I can hardly wait. One more thing to cross off my life list of adventures.

Where The Locals Eat

I came across a new site today, Where The Locals Eat - www.wherethelocalseat.com. I travel a lot for work, so while I am gone I try to get to the local spots rather than at the Applebee's/Olive Garden/Waffle House/Chili's/Red Lobster chains (ick!) typically next to my hotel. I am thinking this Where The Locals Eat site might come in handy. Don't worry, it will not replace Yelp (slightly obsessed); but instead will be supplemental material. Check it out before your next trip!

Yep, that’s me. I dragged my co-worker to the Pizza Palace in Knoxville while traveling for work. It's a drive-in pizza place that is absolutely delicious. Be sure to go here if you are ever in the Knoxville area. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, so I knew it just had to be good!

My Week In Photos