many miles

hnl-sea (honolulu-seattle)
sea-msp (seattle-minneapolis)

after almost 12 hours of travel time, i made it back to minnesota. home.

have you ever taken a red eye flight and thought it would be easy to sleep since it's an overnight flight? i had high hopes for my flight from honolulu to seattle since i didn't leave until 9:40pm. i even had a window seat so i thought i'd be able to get comfortable enough to sleep most of the flight. things started off well - i was out before we left the ground. but about 10 mins into the flight i woke up and couldn't fall back asleep.. was wide awake. i started thinking about how tired i should feel and realized something. was there caffeine in that strawberries and creme frappuccino i had at starbucks?? that would explain my inability to sleep. i thought for sure that's what kept me awake, but to satisfy my theory, i just looked up the nutritional data on the frappuccino and it actually does not have caffeine, it's just strawberries and milk. hm. guess i just wasn't tired. so i watched 2 episodes of parenthood and eventually dozed off. we landed in seattle at 6:15am, just enough time for me to deplane, use the bathroom in the airport, and board my 7am flight to minneapolis.

during the 10 mins i was in seattle, i had flashbacks to the last time i flew home from hawaii. i was with grandma and anita, grandma and i flew on standby and got stuck in seattle for hours and hours. every 2 hours another flight would leave for minneapolis and because we were "non rev" we kept getting bumped. finally, at 11pm we got a hotel room near the airport and tried again the next morning. thanks to deanna, we got on a mid morning flight home. thankfully that didn't happen this time because i was ready to be home.

mom picked me up from the airport, we stopped to see grandma and grandpa's new place in burnsville, stopped by blue ox, split a sandwich and headed home.

sheba was happy to see me.

i was happy to see rob. :) during the past several weeks, he kept me company by phone and this picture, but seeing him in person is much preferred. he came over after work, we went on a walk around the neighborhood and went to the chart house for dinner. we lucked out and had our favorite waitress, brittany. she didn't even have to fight for us this time (one of the last times we were there, she traded tables with another waitress so she could be our person)! the turkey club was just as good as we'd hoped and we left very satisfied.

happy to be home,
jill

soaking up the sun

it's my last day in hawaii. my plan for the afternoon was to shop a little, sit by the hotel pool, soak up some sun (not that i really need more at this point) and then walk over to the ala moana beach to watch the sunset. those who know me well, know that i love sunsets and it was bugging me that i'd been in hawaii for a couple days and, because of my work schedule, i hadn't seen the sunset over the pacific ocean. what do they say about the best laid plans? it's raining. i know it's pretty common in honolulu to sprinkle a little every day, but you should see the clouds out there right now. it looks ominous and, even though there probably won't be a downpour, it's unlikely the sun will be making an appearance before sinking below the horizon. i'm trying not to be bummed. i am in hawaii after all. but i'm disappointed. i normally hate the phrase/idea of killing time (thanks to jenny h.), but honestly today i've been doing just that since checking out of my hotel at 1pm. if the weather had been better, i'd have been happy to sit by the pool or beach until heading to the airport for my 9:40pm flight.

let me tell you about the rest of my time in hawaii because most of it was spectacular.

i got here on monday evening, which i talked about in a post a couple days ago. tuesday i visited 3 high schools where i saw a total of 5 kids (all of which were at the first hs), talked to several hs counselors, met the aunt of our basketball coach, and interviewed 3 students who are passionate about sto. the third hs i visited was on the other side of the island so i got to see more of the island scenery.

later, during the interviews one student said he has a "crush" on sto, another said she gets butterflies in her stomach when she thinks about being an ole. i was so excited to talk with students who are familiar with sto and feel so strongly about the place! after cutting off the third student (don't judge, he had already talked for an hour and fifteen minutes!) i walked over to the mall again. a guy at the front desk of the hotel recommended the nordstrom cafe for dinner so i ventured there and had a wonderfully well balanced meal of chicken and roasted veggies. during travel season it's difficult to eat well balanced, healthy meals so when i saw the healthy variety nordstrom offered, i was happy. because of the 5 hour time difference, by the time 9pm rolled around i was exhausted.

wednesday i had less work related activities during the day, but i woke up at 6:30am (my body clock is really messed up) and started the day with coffee at starbucks (thank goodness for the ala moana mall). i visited a high school where i met with a young woman who plans on applying early decision to sto. maybe i shouldn't be surprised at the enthusiasm for sto in hawaii, but i am. makes me feel justified in spending this much time here. after that, i had nothing scheduled until the pre college fair dinner at 4pm so i headed for the beach. there's a very quiet, non touristy beach within walking distance of my hotel so that's where i spent the next 2 hours. i practically sprinted to get there, i was so excited to finally see the ocean and soak up the sun.

at 4pm a colleague from another college picked me up and we headed to the hs for the college fair. you're going to get sick of hearing me say this, but man, students were excited about sto! i talked the entire time and just about ran out of materials. on the way back, we stopped at a local drug store and stocked up on souvenirs including coffee, macadamia nuts, chocolate, etc.

guess what time i woke up this morning. yep. 6:30am. i did some work in the morning and went to my last hs visit of the trip where i talked to 15 senior girls. don't get the wrong idea, these 15 had never heard of sto. i was presenting to a college counseling class, which is about the most annoying type of hs visit, second only to lunchroom visits. on my way back to the ala moana, i stopped by yogurtland where i had breakfast and lunch in the form of a frozen yogurt treat. thought about taking a picture to share, but decided against it. maybe i'm starting to feel guilty about all the frozen treats i've consumed in the past couple months. what? jill feeling guilty about food she's eaten? never.

despite the cloudy, drizzly last day, i had a good time in hawaii. i won't lie, though. i'm looking forward to being home for more than a few days in a row.

aloha!
jill

aloha!

anc-hnl (anchorage-honolulu)

did you know that "aloha" has many meanings? included are: hello, goodbye, and i love you.

i survived the 6 hour flight from anchorage to honolulu. the "portable inflight entertainment device" that i rented for $8 was a lifesaver! i watched 2 movies and was starting a third when they announced that we only had 45 mins left of the flight. piece of cake. the complimentary mai tai helped make the long flight more enjoyable. i'd recommend ak air for long flights anytime.

i haven't done much exploring yet... it was 7:15pm by the time i go to the hotel, but i walked to the neighboring mall just to check out my surroundings. i haven't seen the ocean, but i can definitely smell it in the air! can't wait to open my curtains tomorrow morning to see the view. i'll add a picture, if you're interested. :)

i've been to hawaii before - about 10 years ago with anita and grandma. it's unlikely i'll go parasailing during this trip, but it'll be fun to reminisce about our adventures as i make my way around the island.

can't wait to smell the plumerias, see the ocean and enjoy fresh pineapple.
jill

back at the captain cook

msp-anc (minneapolis-anchorage)

i have no idea how long i’ve been on this flight to alaska. at least long enough to fall asleep before the plane even left the ground, watch a movie (x-men first class) and watch 2 episodes of parenthood. oh wait. i just remembered i have a watch in my purse. it’s 10:50pm in mn, we’re scheduled to land at 8:30pm in ak, which would make it 11:30pm at home. this is the first of three very long flights this week. i’ve got a college fair in anchorage sunday and monday. monday afternoon, i’ll hop on an ak air flight to honolulu, which is another 5+ hour flight. according to jim from beloit we’ll get to honolulu just in time for a mai tai on the beach. thursday night i’ll take a red eye flight back to minneapolis with a layover in seattle. i know you have no sympathy for me. i’m not looking for any, just wanted to list out my week ahead.

guess what. rob and friends left wyoming on friday morning, they got home at 11:00pm, so i got to see him last night and all day today before my 5:30pm flight! i am one happy girl. if i had taken a picture of his cute (and a little scruffy) face, it would be right here. i was definitely sad to say goodbye again, but i’m grateful for the short time spent with him and thankful we didn’t have to go the full three weeks without seeing each other. i feel for all those long distant relationships out there. i don’t know how you do it.

it's now sunday night - i just got back to the captain cook hotel after having dinner at the mcgownd's (parents of a current sophomore at sto). they've given me a standing invitation for dinner when i'm in town, so we can officially call it a tradition. they're wonderful people... very friendly and accommodating. earlier today i slept in, went for a walk around anchorage before most stores opened, had coffee and then brunch at the snow city cafe (a local hot spot that i'd never been to!), interviewed the younger brother of a current student, and stood through a slow 4 hour college fair. tomorrow is day 2 of the college fair and then off to hawaii!

my body clock is telling me it's 1:30am so i better get some sleep.

jill

tell the world i'm coming home

last night sarah, her friend, kristy, and i went out for dinner at a tasty indian restaurant in denver. we sat in a platform booth that reminded me of jeannie's bottle in i dream of jeannie... a space that i would have loved as a kid. truth be told, i sort of loved it last night. :) there was a canopy over the table, curtains that we closed and pillows for our seats and backs. i always love spending time with sarah... she's like a little sister to me.

today i visited 5 high schools in fort collins, then drove back to denver for my last college fair of this trip. i didn't see any students at the first 3 schools and wondered if i drove all that way just to see an ole friend, scott, who teaches at one of the schools. in the end, i saw two great seniors at my 4th visit and 25 kids at the last school, so i guess my time was justified.

something positive about my last fair is that my friend (and former ole), martina, helped me! it was so good see her and to have company at the fair. i was her admissions counselor years and years ago, so it was fun to see her recruit future oles.


another positive experience on my last night in denver... one more pinkberry! this is the last week for the peanut butter flavored pinkberry, so i'm especially happy i had it one more time.

sadly, i still have another week and a half until i see rob (he's hunting in wyoming), which makes going home a little less exciting. maybe sheba's enthusiasm will make up for it. and if sheba isn't excited, i know my friends next door (young and not-as-young) will greet me with hugs. can't wait to see them. :)

by the time i drop my nissan altima off at the airport tomorrow morning, i'll have driven over 1400 miles throughout the beautiful state of colorado. (sheila, that's only 200 miles less than what we put on suzi the subi in alaska!) during all that travel time i listened to my ipod and the cd our staff put together at the beginning of travel season. the music has definitely kept me awake and positive. however, when "coming home" (courtesy of derek) came on as i entered the parking garage before my last fair i just about started crying. i'm ready to be home. it certainly doesn't help that i'm super tired - this morning i woke up at 5:30am, well before my alarm went off. at the time i felt well rested, but the early morning is catching up with me.

overall, i've had a great time in colorado - it was good to see all my admissions friends, to meet amazing young people who are interested in sto, i loved my time spent with my colorado friends, seeing a musical was an unexpected highlight and i enjoyed hiking in rocky mountain national park. truthfully, i have no complaints about my trip. that said, i'm ready to go home for a few days.

goodbye until november, colorado.
jill

route 66

den-abq (denver-albuquerque)

hopefully no one was watching me as i made my way through the albuquerque airport this morning. i might be able to blame it on my lack of sleep (got up at 5:30am this morning to catch my 8am flight), but whatever the cause, it was ridiculous.

i landed at about 9:15am and went directly to the frontier ticketing line where i checked in for my 5pm flight. the college fair doesn’t start til noon so i had plenty of time to get my rental car and make my way downtown albuquerque for the fair. i hopped on the rental car shuttle bus and as i waited in line at enterprise, i realized that the convention center is only 4.5 miles from the airport and it would probably cost the same to take a cab as it would be to rent a car and pay for parking downtown. not to mention the fact that it would be easier than navigating my way around the city. so i got back on the rental car shuttle bus and headed back to the airport. once at the airport i followed the signs for taxis, but there were none cabs to be found anywhere. finally, just as i walked back into the airport to ask someone, a taxi pulled up. i hurried back outside in time to catch the guy. guess what, they don’t take credit cards. would he wait for me if i went back inside to the atm? sure. i rush back in and upstairs to the wells fargo atm and as i’m pulling my card out of my wallet, all of my cards fall to the ground and scatter across the floor. really? is it gonna be that kind of day? i’m sure you’re not surprised that i when i got back outside the guy who said he’d wait wasn’t there. thankfully, another cab had pulled up and i hopped in, crisp twenties in my wallet.

i made it to the convention center, set up my table and walked a few blocks to central ave, which is also route 66, where i found a local diner called lindy’s. 

as i write this i’m enjoying a cup of diner coffee with cream and sugar (i'm trying to cut down on all the cream, so this is the first non black coffee of the week) and a delicious egg sandwich.

get your kicks,

jill

ps the college fair was super busy - i almost ran out of materials - definitely worth the trip. it was strange to land in denver and drive out of the airport as if i was "home." honestly, i'm happy to be at my home-away-from-home, but i'm ready to actually be home.

age of aquarius

it's become tradition / habit for me to text brian w. when i land in denver to let him know i'm in town and find out a time when we can see each other. he wasn't able to join me in aspen this year (one year i picked him up on my way and have invited him ever since) and when i asked if he could do dinner the following saturday (tonight) he invited me to join him and lisa at Hair. heck yes! so i met up with brian, joe, lisa and lisa's mom for dinner at bang! after which the 4 of us (joe didn't come along) headed downtown for the musical. what an amazing production! the music was fantastic, costumes were vibrant and there was much more crowd participation than i expected. i'd been looking forward to tonight since i got to denver a week ago.

this week has been incredibly draining. i haven't been going to bed early enough so by the end of the 4 hour fair today, i was exhausted. thankfully, i was able to sneak in a quick nap before meeting up for dinner. i had intended to turn in relatively early last night, but met up with jess r. for dinner, a couple glasses of wine and some shopping and didn't turn in until midnight. jess and i had a great time! she recently got engaged so was full of stories and excitement about the proposal and wedding. it might have been the wine, but i slept terribly so the nap this afternoon was especially appreciated. also, i need to rest up for my next mini adventure, which includes flying to and from albuquerque tomorrow for a 12-3 college fair. if all goes according to plan, i'll be back in denver by 6:15 tomorrow night.

let the sun shine in,
jill

plum ...

... is my color of the season. in less than a week, i have purchased 4 plum colored items: 1 shirt, 1 sweater, 1 dress and 1 necklace. oh and the lip gloss i bought tonight could also be considered plum even though the official color is amethyst. oh my gosh, i just realized i purchased another plum colored shirt when i was in new orleans a few weeks ago. and as i write this post, i'm wearing a plum hoodie. and i had a plum for breakfast this morning. stop the plumness!! :)

i was reminded that last year i had to borrow a duffle bag to get my travel purchases home. i might have what's called fall travel season shopping addiction (FTSSA). FTSSA occurs when admissions officers have an hour or two between appointments and happen to be near a mall. clearly, there isn't enough time to get any work done, so the addict makes a quick stop at their favorite store (sometimes it's not even their favorite store, but any store on the way to or near their next appointment) to check on the latest fashion or deals. she makes fast friends with the sales people because she's starved for adult interaction and will carry on a conversation with just about anyone... especially someone who tells her the charcoal gray pants fit perfectly and would go very well with the plum top she just tried on. oh and don't forget about the accessories they have near the front of the store. one affected by FTSSA may try to justify their purchases by saying they never have a chance to shop at home, they're saving money by not buying groceries for six weeks, the straps on their shoes broke so obviously they need a new pair for the upcoming college fairs, the perfect pair of pants probably won't be available at the same store at home, etc. like most addictions, FTSSA is costly and can give the addict a false sense of comfort while they're away from family and friends.

but they sure look great at that high school visit.

your favorite fall travel season shopaholic,
jill

change in altitude

i promise i tried to set up high school visits for wednesday, but since so many colleges are in town this week, high schools were booked for the day. last week i looked at my calendar for the month of oct and realized that i will have worked every day (weekend days included) from oct 2 through oct 28. once i realized that, i felt less guilty having a day without hs visits. i'm sure you'll agree that it still counts as a work day because of the evening college fair. what did i do with my day, you ask? i spent the day with 3 other college reps hiking in rocky mountain national park.

we all met in estes park and ventured into the national park together. the first hike we did was bierstadt lake, a 2 mile hike up to a beautiful mountain lake. we started off super fast because one of the girls had to get back to fort collins for a hs visit by late morning. the pace was a little fast for me especially considering the uphill path and altitude, but i kept up. the destination reminded me a little of northern minnesota with the snow covered paths, tall pine trees and clear blue lake. the cool temperature and strong winds were also reminiscent of minnesota winters. thankfully i brought my little gloves, but i could have used another layer of clothing or a thicker jacket.

once we dropped amanda off at her car, amy, adam and i had lunch at a local bar in town. i had vegetable vegetable soup (the waiter made sure to say it was vegetable vegetable) and an elk burger, both of which were delicious! amy left after that, so adam and i were left with 4 hours before we had to leave town for the college fair back in the city. so we did what any pair of admissions reps would do, we played a $3 round of mini golf. i'm pretty sure i lost.

when we realized that amanda wasn't coming back to estes, we headed back into the national park to hike a longer trail called bear lake, which included hiking to several different lakes (nymph, dream, emerald and haiyaha lakes). there were more stairs and less switchbacks on the bear lake hike so we took it much slower than we had earlier in the day. i'm so glad we did the hike because the views were breathtaking! (I'll try to remember to add better pics from my camera when I get home.)

we took a scenic drive back to boulder where we grabbed a quick bite to eat, changed clothes and made it to the college fair just in time to set up the tables before families were allowed into the gym. i'm glad they had my registration information this year (it was lost last year and i wasn't able to attend the last 3 denver fairs) because i had a line of prospective students who wanted to hear about sto.

after the fair, i made my way back to my hotel... i was ready to wash my face and put on my pajamas. you can imagine my surprise when i got up to my room and saw a big, beautiful floral arrangement sitting outside of my door. courtesy of rob. you're the best, sweets. :)

it doesn't get much better than that.
heart you,
jill

let the week begin

my long week away from home is well on its way! sunday included the college fair in aspen, which was very well attended! i didn't have a line in front of my table like stanford next to me, but i had engaging conversations with bright high school students. one kid, daniel, was so excited about sto he came back to the table twice after the first conversation we had. :) good kid. after the fair, i booked it down to denver for dinner with the woolums. when there's no traffic or snowstorm the drive is only 3hrs 15mins. a beautiful drive too, so much more enjoyable than the drive into the mountains the day before.

i was invited to enjoy dinner with the woolums sunday night ... robin made a delicious meal (don't forget to send me the recipe, r!) and we spent time catching up on personal lives and sto events. ooh i can't forget about the peppermint ice cream to top off the evening. spending time with friends makes time away from home so much more enjoyable. i left their house and headed for the embassy suites, my home away from home, where i unpacked all my belongings, hung up my clothes, arranged my 6 pair of shoes, etc.

monday morning i had a hs visit at one of the largest schools in the area. my plan had been to get up, eat breakfast, and stop for coffee on my way to the school. well, i dilly dallied around for too long and had to go to the hs without coffee {gasp!}. not sure i should admit this, but i survived. i even think i gave one of my better "presentations". of course, i didn't want to risk being sluggish later in the day, so i stopped for a big cup of joe on my way to my next stop. have i mentioned that i have a hard time passing up the mini vanilla bean scones at starbucks during travel season?? well i do. i can't seem to come out of a starbucks in the fall without one. maybe because they're so small. and only $.95. and oh so tasty. so i'm not proud of the fact (but not surprised either) that i bought one yesterday morning. i am proud of the fact that i didn't put any cream or sugar in my coffee. maybe a new beginning...?

on my way to colorado springs, i stopped by the outlet mall where i spent too much money at the ann taylor loft store. i know i know. but everything in the store was 30% off! and i made some new friends while shopping. i kept her busy, but gabby was especially helpful to me as i was deciding between a few pair of pants.

and then off to air academy high school where i met with a girl who could have been my little sister - dark hair, dark eyes, freckles. her name was jill. after that, i had time before meeting nancy (parent of current sto student) for dinner, so i drove around the air force academy, shopped in the visitor center and experienced a few peaceful moments in the chapel. i've been there before, but there's something to be said for having a few minutes of reflection in a beautiful setting with no one else around.

nancy and i met at bj's for an early dinner before the college fair. again, i appreciated the personal interaction with an ole parent turned friend. the fair probably wasn't busy enough where i needed her there, but her presence and perspective were certainly appreciated by the families and by me. after that, i drove the hour back to my "home" in denver and talked to rob for over 2 hours (we didn't hang up until after midnight in mn). who does that? sometimes we're like middle schoolers. i love it. :)

this morning i didn't allow myself to putz around the room. i knew i wanted coffee for a few reasons. 1) i like it. 2) i didn't get quite as much sleep as the night before. 3) my first hs visit was at a school where they turn the day into a "college day" and have several colleges present each hour to a classroom full of students. not something i wanted to go into without caffeine. i left the hotel around 8:30 and planned to swing into the starbucks that's on the way to the interstate (a mile down the road from my hotel). would you believe that they were closed?? yellow police tape on both driveways into the store. two staff members were standing outside telling customers that there was "an incident" earlier in the morning, they wouldn't be opening until 10am. i have no idea what happened but it would have been interesting to count the number of customers they turned away. every time i go to that location, i'm struck by how many people go through the drive through and come into the store in a short period of time. that location should never close. anyway. fear not, i found a starbucks in a grocery store a few miles down the road so i was well caffeinated for my presentation. i know you were worried.

it's no secret that i don't love giving presentations to big groups. but apparently, i'm not as bad at it as i think. there were close to 20 students, a teacher and 2 counselors in the room during my 40 min presentation. at the end of the period, one of the counselors helped me gather my materials and said that it was obvious i'm comfortable in front of groups because i did a great job. !!!!! she totally made my day. ask rob. i called him exclaiming about the compliment. :) the next high school visit had about as many students and i think i rocked that presentation too. maybe this truly is lucky 13.

i just enjoyed a delicious salad at a great restaurant called cafe vino. i was a little bummed that i wasn't going to have time to swing downtown fort collins for a dish of gelato before the college fair (which i did last year on this same night), but the waitress just informed me that they have a trio of gelato on their dessert menu. can my day get any better??

off to change some lives,
jilli

12 days in colorado

msp-den (minneapolis-denver)

for the first time ever, i packed two nights before my departure date in order to have more time with rob the night before my flight. as a result i wasn't stressed the night before my trip! amazing concept, right? it's a tactic i should use more frequently. rob dropped me off at the airport this morning ... i won't see him again until oct 29 (3 weeks from now) due to our overlapping trips. :(

my flight this morning was uneventful. i finished one book and started another, took a little nap because i can't seem to stay awake on flights anymore, and actually ate the biscoff cookies, which i normally "save for later" and as a result have at least 8 packages in my cupboards at home. as soon as i landed the trip got a little more exciting. i knew today was going to be cooler than the rest of the week, but didn't realize there was a possibility of snow! while friends and family at home were enjoying temps of 80+ degrees, i was freezing my tail off in denver, trudging through rain and snow. thankfully i brought layers and my little cheapo gloves. i picked up my rental car, a nissan altima, met an enterprise rep named tim lynch, and started the drive to aspen, stopping at whole foods along the way. the snow slowed traffic so the trip took much longer than normal. but i made it.

just as i was opening the door to my room at the aspen square, the door across the hall opened and out walked peter s (worked in admissions as a student, now an admissions rep for augsburg). what a day brightener! if i hadn't run into him, i would have skipped the counselor reception at the limelight. instead, after getting settled into my room, i realized i was hungry and decided to venture out to the reception where i chatted with some of my college rep friends and enjoyed a little dinner and 2 beers. just enough social time.

even though this week is going to be long, i have some fun things to look forward to. tomorrow night i'll have dinner at the woolums. and on saturday night i'm going to Hair with brian and lisa! i love when random stuff works out like that.

12 days is a long time to be away, but it should be a good week.
off to bed,
jill

ps it's been my tradition for the past 6 or 7 years to get up early and walk to the paradise bakery for a cup of coffee before the 3 hour college fair. mmmm coffee....

also, here's a piece of artwork in my aspen condo:

probably not what i would choose for my home, but interesting nonetheless.

quick trip

msp-den (minneapolis-denver)

my trip to denver was so short, i kept forgetting about it! i flew in on a tuesday afternoon in late september for an admissions alumni event that evening and flew home the next morning. unfortunately, there weren't many people in attendance, so i pretty much got to hang out with my sto friends at the wynkoop brewery. those in attendance are in support of helping admissions with our recruitment efforts, so in that sense the event was a success.

i'm writing this a week and a half after the trip, so i'm having a hard time remembering anything noteworthy. that and i wasn't there for 24 hours so not much happened. i did have a super tasty salad at the yard house. rob thinks the front desk worker was hitting on me when he said i had a nice smile in my drivers license picture. he then proceeded to pull out his drivers license and showed me his picture. he's apparently quite proud of his smile. rob also thinks the waiter at the wynkoop was hitting on me when, at the end of the event, he asked if he could buy me a drink. i turned him down. on the way home, i sat next to a slightly crazy woman. i shouldn't call her crazy.. she wasn't crazy. i could tell that if i wasn't reading a book, she would have talked my ear off the whole flight. thankfully i was reading. she borrowed my tray to set her drink on ... and asked if i had an extra tampon she could have. i did. :)

i'm a fan of the quick trips. i didn't check luggage, parked at the airport, and didn't have to worry about sheba.

one more trip down, several more to go.
jill

coffee & beignets

msp-msy (minneapolis-new orleans)

this year’s annual conference was held in new orleans. having never been to LA i was excited to check out a new city, especially in the company of 5 of my colleagues. derek, desiree, brian, miriam, michael and i ventured down to NOLA last wednesday night. the long weekend was filled with meetings, sessions, socials, southern meals and meeting up with old friends.

the weather was warm (80 degrees and humid) and the convention center was huge. our hotel was near the convention center, but you’d never know it based on the length of the walk. thankfully they offered shuttle rides every several minutes. in the end, i only took advantage of the shuttle a couple times. in fact, one time we had boarded the bus at the hotel and i actually got off the bus remembering that the starbucks was halfway through the convention center and i definitely needed coffee before the long day.

during our time there, we attended a social at an oyster house and the hard rock café. i often wonder how much money is spent on those socials – they feed us well and the drinks flow freely. derek, brian and i wandered down bourbon street two of the nights, stopping one night at pat o’briens for one of their famous drinks, the hurricane. bourban street was absolutely ridiculous. people walking around with open bottles, men chucking beads at women (who were not exposing themselves!) and dancers standing on the curb enticing people to go into their establishment. after that, we also made our way to jackson square where we had new orleans famous beignets and coffee and chicory at a well known establishment, café du monde.

       





des and i spent quality time together before the saturday night social. we went shopping at the river walk mall, gambled at harrah's until our hair and clothes smelled like smoke (about 15 mins) and ate ice cream at pinkberry. the final social event was held at the mardi gras mansion (warehouse) which held all of the giant mardi gras floats.

super cool space right on the mississippi river. the greatest thing about the space was the patio outside of the mansion. i was duped the first time i walked outside.. thought i was actually outside but it turns out they had painted and decorated the ceiling to look like the night sky! super cool.

by the end of the 4 days i was ready to go home. i score as an extrovert on the myers briggs personality test, but it's trips like this one that remind me of how much i appreciate (and need) my alone time.

overall, i had a good time, learned a few things from the conference, saw parts of the french quarter (mostly just bourbon street at night), ate delicious southern food, experienced a bit of southern hospitality and spent quality time with friends.

jill

lucky 13

msp-sfo (minneapolis-san francisco)
sfo-stl-iah (san francisco-salt lake city-houston)
iah-msp (houston-minneapolis)

travel season #13 has begun. lucky #13. i’m traveling more this year than in recent years, but i brought it upon myself as i volunteered to pick up a couple extra fairs throughout the fall. i anticipate many adventures in the upcoming months.

already i’ve made new friends. at each of the fairs i just completed, my table was between two canadian schools, university of st. thomas and st. mary’s university. ryan and kristen have been friends for years and quickly included me in their conversations and plans. last night ended with 5 of us in one of the girl’s room sharing a giant piece of chocolate cake they took to go from maggiano’s. i drove kristen and another fast friend, terra, to the airport this morning in my rental car – a sporty kia soul. we enjoyed a cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich at fuddruckers before boarding our planes. they live in nova scotia and encouraged me to plan a trip to canada to visit them.

simple pleasures:

1. fitting in a 4.5 mile run on the hotel treadmill before last night’s college fair. even though it wasn’t the easiest, i’m grateful for the time and ability to keep running while traveling.

2. as i handed the gate agent my boarding pass, he handed me a new one explaining that he moved me to another seat, still an aisle seat but no one next to me. so here i sit with my laptop on one tray, my full can of ginger ale and extra cookies on the other.

3. my generous flight attendant, steve, just gave me the whole can of ginger ale and, after i told him that my friends save the delta cookies for me, he gave me an extra package of cookies.

4. talking to rob each night before bed.

i’ll be home for one night. tomorrow night i head to new orleans for a 4 day conference with my friends/coworkers, desi, brian, mirm and derek.

here's to the start of another exciting travel season,
jilli

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for (in no particular order) ....

amazing friends - old and new

family who are sometimes more like close friends

my new boyfriend :)

a close relationship with my brother

neighbors who have become some of my best friends

my comfy/cozy house

parents who are proud of me and love me unconditionally

sheba

my new sister-in-law

a secure job that i enjoy

my mini suv that gives me security when driving through snow

out-of-state friends who have become my family

sunrises and sunsets

my new/first godson

coffee

yoga

the ability to run 1/2 marathons

my health and the health of those around me

good music

morning coffee with my neighbors

work travels that allow me to meet new people & see old friends

trail mix

holidays with family, no matter how drama-filled

life.

1:59:03

I can hardly believe that 6 months has passed since my last entry. In case you're wondering, I still love my new car. It's slightly less necessary to have a small SUV in the summer and the lower gas mileage has taken some getting used to, but overall I love driving the little CRV.

Almost a month ago, I completed my third half marathon! Not only did I feel great through the entire race, I beat my goal time by 57 seconds and came in under 2 hours at 1:59:03. The weather was beautiful, my running mates were spectacular (thanks Kevin & JennyP!) and I was proud of the outcome of the event. Even though I was cursing them during the training, the interval training runs Sarah L and I completed leading up to our races must have helped!

JennyP & Jill proudly wearing our race medals

Now that I'm done with half marathon training, I've moved right into training for the breast cancer 3 day walk which is the weekend of August 20. Since I jumped into the middle of the training schedule, the weekend walks are already really long. Last weekend I walked 15 miles on Saturday (which took about 3 hrs and 45 mins) and 11 miles on Sunday. Needless to say, I was pooped by the end of the weekend. For the most part, I love the training walks. Not only do they keep me in shape, I spend a ton of time outside, I enjoy listening to podcasts and it gives me the opportunity to spend some time with friends.

Still proud of my run,

jill

Out With The Old

Happy New Year!

Have I mentioned that I'm excited about 2010? Good things are in store for me this year... maybe not exactly what I have in mind, but I'm confident it's going to be a great year.

Last Monday I tentatively walked into the Honda dealer near my home, having very little intention of buying a new car anytime soon. A former art teacher who graduated from Luther, my sales person was a young guy who never came across as a typical car sales person, which made me feel incredibly comfortable with the process. When I told him I was considering the CR-V and RAV4 he asked if I'd be interested in driving both types of SUVs that day. Since the Honda dealership in Burnsville and Toyota in Bloomington are both Walser dealers, we were able to drive up to Bloomington and test drive the RAV4 without going through the intro process all over again. I told Brian that, while the experience meeting him had been enjoyable, I'd rather not go through that at another dealer, so we drove up to Bloomington. He assured me we'd be good friends by the time the day was done. Both Brian and James (the Toyota sales person) rode along during the test drive, which turned out to be a pretty funny experience. Both of them are relatively young (mid-late 20s) and were playing off each other and their knowledge of their own brand. James mentioned that the Toyota rode a little more smooth than the Honda, he said Hondas tend to be a little rougher than Toyotas. Brian piped up from the backseat, "We wouldn't say the Hondas are 'rough'...." We were all laughing by the end of the test drive. On the way back to Burnsville, Brian and I bonded over The Current (alternative public radio station in Mpls) and the private college experience. By the time I left, I had been at Honda or on the test drives for 3 hours!

Over the next few days, my mind was reeling. Of course there were all sorts of year end deals and incentives, making me feel that I had to make a decision much more quickly. I had consulted many friends and family over those few days... some of the most rational advice came from Deanna. I knew she'd be a good one for me to consult as she knows me well, knows my financial situation, my passions and lifestyle. Because of Deanna, I will open another savings account and call it a "spirit/soul fund". Maybe a little corny, but it helped me think about my finances in a more organized way.

Even though I knew there would be deals over the next few weeks/months, I didn't sleep much the night of the 30th. After spending 2+ hours discussing the decision with Mom and Curt the night before, we met at Honda the morning of the 31st. Another 4 hours at Honda and I finally drove away with my urban titanium 2010 CR-V EX!!

I feel a little spoiled but have been assured by several people, including my friend/neighbor, Jason, that I've put in my time with older cars. I've been driving a 1999 Saturn for 4.5 years and a 1994 Saturn for 2 years before that. Each of those cars were reliable and very inexpensive to drive, but it was time to move on. Hopefully I'll feel the same after a few months of car payments!

Goodbye Saturn, you enabled me to do some pretty amazing things over the past several years. I'll miss you.

Another exciting change this weekend ... with the help of my friend, Brian, I painted my kitchen. Instead of white, it's now "asparagus". I love love love it!

Here's to 2010!

Jill

Fall Travel Highlights (at long last)

Baltimore for National Conference

Drive from Denver to Aspen - listened to iPod with new converter cable

Sky Hotel in Aspen

Wine at check in, zebra and leopard print robes

Quick Drive to Vail - beautiful scenery and good college fair

Lutheran College Fair in Denver with Robin & Jessica

Old Chicago w/ Jessica

Colorado College Fair Week

Dinner at College Fair w/ Will

Over zealous student commented on my looks

Alaska

Bonfire w/ The Johnsons - Marshmallows!

Long walk w/ Ted

Morning Mochas by Becca

Glacier Brewhouse - Twins Game & Matt from Valdez

Urban Greens (suggested by Mr. McGownd)

Dinner w/ Megan from Gustavus

Paul from StO on Denver Flight

Cheesecake Factory w/ Brian & Joe

StO Brunch at Grand Hyatt Denver

Lunch w/ Robin

Sarah's Recital & Drinks

Dinner @ The Island w/ Brian

Black Pearl w/ Sarah

Christmas Fest

Apparently I can't get enough Christmas Festival! I was fortunate enough to attend Christmas Fest on Thursday night... we had floor seats, on the end, so that when the students were processing in or recessing out of the auditorium they were right next to us. As the woman on MPR just described, when the students are singing all around you it feels like a giant hug. But attending the performance on Thursday wasn't enough. The Sunday afternoon performance is broadcast live on MPR, which I had completely forgotten until perusing FaceBook. Thank goodness someone reminded me to listen to it live! I caught the last 50 minutes of the Fest (the best 50 mins if you ask me) from the comfort of my home. Would you consider me a giant dork if I told you I turned off all my lights except for the Christmas tree and laid on the couch listening to the 5 choirs and orchestra? I even had the program in front of me so when the congregation was invited to sing, I sang along. In my house. By myself.

Sometimes music moves me to the point of tears, especially Christmas Fest. A couple songs in particular this year - Praise to the Lord (a hymn from the 17th century) and, of course, Beautiful Savior. Both of those songs had me in tears. Another highlight was the Viking Chorus performing Oba Se Je, a Nigerian folk song. And then of course there's the orchestra - this year they performed a piece called Rejoice!, recently written by Steven Amundson (the director of the StO Orchestra). I loved being able to picture the StO musicians on stage, performing their pieces. If you're interested in listening to the broadcast, see the following website for more information:

http://www.stolaf.edu/christmasfest/broadcast.html

Enjoy!

I know I did... twice.

Jill

Serious

I love days like today.

I slept over 7 hours and woke up at 8am ready for the day. After enjoying mochas, Julie, Carson and I went for a walk in the crisp November morning weather.

As much as I enjoyed my time with my neighbors, it can't compare to the time spent with Kevin, George and Anna. Kevin and I went to the Lagoon and saw A Serious Man, which was filmed in part at St. Olaf. It was exciting to see the lecture halls of the old science center. I know we had a few students who were extras in the film, but we never saw them in the movie.

Leave it to the Coen Bros to leave you hanging. Kevin and I talked at length about the premise of the movie - the movie is not at all sensationalized and left me feeling connected to the main charachter, Larry, whose life is not easy and is filled with complications. There isn't a typical Hollywood ending with everything wrapped up nicely, but leaves you wondering what happens... I wanted at least one more scene to help explain what happens to Larry and his family, but that's not the point. The point is that life doesn't have a simple, happy ending, but we're always dealing with questions and uncertainties.

That wasn't even the best part of my night! Kevin and I went over to George and Anna's for dinner after the movie. I haven't seen them since their wedding in August, so it was so fantastic to catch up with them, debrief about their wedding and hear about their lives.

Spending time with those three (Kevin, George and Anna) I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have such amazing friends in my life. After dinner, Kevin and I had great discussions about dating, travel and our place in life. I appreciate that Kevin is a deep thinker and relates well to my place in life - he thinks about ways to better his life and to appreciate his place in this world. I'm not articulating well enough how important these relationships and conversations are to me, but my heart is full after spending time with those guys. It seems that Kevin and I frequently have meaningful conversations that leave me feeling incredibly fortunate and appreciative of our relationship. And something that makes me happy is that I think he enjoys our time together just as much as I do.

I love my friends.... You help me to appreciate my life more deeply.

Jill

Highlights of The Summer

Minneapolis Half Marathon

Celebrate Your Life Conference w/ Deanna & Anita

Taste of Minnesota

Jam w/ Grandma
Boating on the St. Croix

Boogie Wonderland at Babe's

Stanton Family Golf Tournament

Cirque du Soleil w/ Dad & Monica

The Lake

Denver

Send Off Picnic

Washington Park w/ The Woolums

Dinner w/ Sarah & The Lundstroms

Overnight w/ Sarah

Montana Trip w/ Kevin & Piotr

Yellowstone

Hot Springs

Golf

George & Anna's Wedding

Road Trip Home

Sexy, Formal, Stylish: 30th Birthday Party

Golf w/ Mom, Anita, Deanna & Sara

Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk

Minnesota State Fair

Rascal Flatts Concert w/ Deanna

Twins Game w/ Sibs

Little House (the musical) w/ Sandy

coming soon: highlights of fall travel

Oles are Everywhere

My flight to Denver was delayed on Friday night. While waiting the gate area, I noticed a student wearing a St. Olaf Choir fleece. I went over to the student and asked if he was heading to Denver for Fall Break. He looked at me with a little uncertainty and told me that he was, in fact, going to Denver. I introduced myself, told him I work at St. Olaf and the rest is history. Well not really, but Paul and I were fast friends. We talked for the next couple of hours while we waited for our plane to arrive. Turns out he's a junior from Chicago, roommates with one of our student workers and going to Denver to visit his friend (and my former student) Martina.

Our plane finally arrived but it turns out there was something wrong with it, so we needed to change gates to get on a different plane. When we got to the next grouping of gates, I saw there was a student with an um ya ya t-shirt waiting for his flight to Chicago. I asked Paul if he knew the student, he didn't but said we should sit by him anyway. I think we might have intimidated him with our outgoing personalities. Dan's a first year and was heading home to Chicago for break. Both of them are physics majors so they had a lot in common.

Another student came and sat down next to us and was listening with interest to Dan and Paul chat about physics and derivatives. I asked if he was connected to St. Olaf too. He said no, he's a junior in high school, but he visited campus this summer and his older brother looked at StO in his college search. Turns out I was his brother's admissions counselor!

Gotta love St. Olaf. Those types of interactions make me appreciate and love my job even more!

I was headed out to CO for an alumni/admissions event that was very successful! As an added bonus, I finally had time to meet up with Brian and Joe for dinner. Love those guys.

Jill

Captain Cook

I'm on the last leg of my trip - arrived in Anchorage earlier today, checked into the Hotel Captain Cook and went shopping.

In case you're wondering who Captain Cook was, check out the website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook. He traveled all over the world, but I'm not quite sure what his connection to Alaska is. If I find out, I'll let you know.

I went to the Glacier Brewhouse for dinner tonight - had the blackened Halibut, which was delicious! Thank you, Mr. Bartender, for the recommendation. It's likely that I'll get the same thing for dinner either tomorrow or Tuesday night... that's how tasty it was. Watched the end of the last post season Twins game and chatted with a couple of Alaskans. One guy lives in Valdez and is an RN, the other is an accountant in Anchorage. Both of them were very friendly .... the conversations made me appreciate sitting at the restaurant bar by myself. I went into dinner thinking I'd be in and out of there in a short period of time, but I stuck around to watch the Twins game and ended up having 3 beers ... very unlike me! After completing my first beer, I debated between another beer and a bowl of ice cream. I ended up choosing the beer. Twice. What would you have done?

I was so sad to leave the Johnsons this morning! We had such a good time together - watched a total of 3 movies (The Informant!, Chicago and Ghost of Girlfriends Past), went out for lunch at the Chowder House yesterday and drank mochas while watching the sunrise from their sunroom this morning. In addition, Ted and I went on a 6 mile walk near the university yesterday morning. The weather was awesome - it was well into the 50s both days!
I just love those guys and think of them as my second family.

I better go to bed before the most ridiculously long college fair tomorrow.

Thank you Ted & Becca! Love you guys.
Jill

I Still Heart Alaska

Made it to Fairbanks!

I'm pretty pleased to be here, especially to spend time with Ted & Becca. Last night, we sat by the bonfire for over 4 hours! Ted and I had great conversations about life, work, relationships, etc. Eventually, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We were on the lookout for satellites, but didn't have any luck as it became cloudier as the night wore on.

Apparently, the nights are the darkest at this time of year. In the dead of winter, even though the nights are long, the snow reflects light and makes for brighter nights. I'm pleasantly surprised with the warm temps here - it got up to 51 today!

Today I had a college fair from 9am - noon and I'm currently waiting in the Alaska Roasting Coffee House for the first of two student interviews. Tonight we're going to lay low ... the plan is to watch a blue ray movie on their 52 in tv (which hides behind their fireplace mantle. No big plans for tomorrow, which is perfectly fine with me.

On the way to the college fair this morning, the traffic report went something like this: Traffic is moving along pretty smoothly this morning. Other than the moose in the road over in ___ (can't remember the name of the town), there are no traffic issues. It might take awhile for that situation to clear up.

Gotta love Alaska.
heart,
Jilli