Way Up North

Anchorage & Fairbanks, Alaska

One of my favorite parts of my job is that I get to meet some pretty amazing people along the way, many of whom I'm still in contact with years after they leave St. Olaf. In order to become close to people, it's necessary to take social risks. Three years ago, the McG family invited me to dinner at their house during my visit to Anchorage. I said yes, which started the annual tradition where Patrick picks me up after the college fair and takes me to their house, we have a delicious home cooked meal, drink some wine and and have great conversation. This year they surprised me by inviting 2 other Oles to dinner, Elizabeth and Caitlin, both of whom I worked with through their admission process to StO. Such a fun surprise!! This is me with Elizabeth:

In the Fall of 2004, the Johnson family invited me to stay with them when my travels take me to Fairbanks. I took a risk, said yes, and have been staying with them every year since! They've become a 2nd family and our traditions include an annual bonfire where we roast marshmallows (sometimes we eat them before they make it to the stick) and watch for satellites moving across the Alaskan sky. Here's a picture of the sunrise taken this morning at 9:15am from the Johnson's sunroom:

At this time of the year, the sun doesn't get much higher in the sky than this, which was taken two hours later:

Life on the road isn't so bad,

Jill

2 More Sleeps

Today's my 14th day away from home. So far I've completed 16 high school visits, 12 interviews, and 6 college fairs ... only 1 college fair to go. I admit, it's been a great trip ... I've fit in time to see friends, to work out every day and to enhance my wardrobe.

It's rare that I give Brian Watters advanced warning of my Colorado travels, and this time was no different. Between my high school visits in Boulder, I stopped by his hotel, chatted and did some work.

You won't be surprised that I stopped by Pinkberry yesterday afternoon. They have a new app... have you seen it? :) It's really only worth downloading if you have one in your neighborhood.... or if you're obsessed with their peanut butter frozen yogurt. Mmmmm peanut butter.....

For whatever reason, it has felt like an absolute treat to fit in time at Life Time Fitness during my work travels. I've officially gone to LTF more in Colorado this week than I did at home all last month. The atmosphere is so peaceful and calming, exactly what I've needed. Tonight I went to a hot yoga class, which, ironically, is the first time I've gone to an LTF yoga class. There's something deeply moving and calming about yoga and tonight was no different. I admit that I didn't love every moment of the class, but I did tear up a little at the end. The theme of the class was "happy." For example, instead of grumbling when someone cuts you off while driving, be happy, give them the space they need. Easier said than done, but certainly worth a shot.

I had another delicious dinner from Whole Foods tonight (and lunch earlier today!). The one across from my hotel has homemade gelato, so I had a sample of the chocolate pretzel tonight. According to the woman working, it was my lucky day -- they had a pint that had to be given away and it happened to be the chocolate pretzel! I shouldn't have taken it, especially because I'm only here 2 more nights, but I caved and accepted the gift. I'm gonna go through WF withdrawal when I get home!

See you soon!!

Jilli

It's Love

Here are a few of the things I love about travel:

Maple pecan cranberry feta salad from Whole Foods. I've had it 4 times in the past week and I'm sure I'll have it again before I leave on Sunday.

                                      

Sight seeing between high school visits. My last hs visit today was at Air Academy HS. Since I had a few hours before the college fair, I took time to visit the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. Even though I saw the same thing last year, it was wonderful to have a few moments today to sit in peace.

                                

Returning to my hotel room after a 13 hour day to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me. (I may have jumped up and down like a little girl when I saw them....) My boyfriend is incredible. I love you too, babe. :)

                                              
Grateful for today,
Jill

The Best Things In Life Are Three

Denver, CO

The last three days at the NACAC conference were full of admissions sessions, running into old friends, and attending receptions...lots of receptions.

I shared a room with 2 beautiful girls, Desi and Maggie.

Here we are on our first night... at a social event:

                                             

Here's the bear outside of the Colorado Convention Center:

 

We may have taken a pedi-cab to one of our receptions (don't judge.... it was cold out!):

What I learned while in Denver... The best things in life are three:

Three nights in Denver for NACAC 2012

Three lovely ladies sharing a room

Three glasses of wine each night

Three early morning jogs

Three new clothing items (are you surprised we went shopping?)
Three trips to Pinkberry (!!)
                                                        

                                                  

Love you girls!!

Since starting this post, I went to Aspen where the air is thin (11,000 ft above sea level!), the sun is warm and the kids are resilient. :) I drove to Denver last night, checked into my home-away-from-home (for the next week anyway) and bought a tasty salad from Whole Foods.

Off to my high school visits,

Jill

One Down

ABQ-DEN (Albuquerque-Denver)

I'm saying goodbye to New Mexico for another year. Don't get me wrong, it turned out to be a good trip... I saw some beautiful scenery, met wonderful students and counselors and had some delicious New Mexican food. The only reason I wish I could have stayed longer is that the Albuquerque hot air balloon festival starts this weekend! I'm adding that to my travel wish list.

Even though I try not to wish my time away, I'm happy to be moving on to the next phase of the trip.... Denver. The next 3 days will be spent at the NACAC conference with thousands of other admission and high school professionals. Included will be many friends, so my social interactions will improve dramatically from my time in NM. :)

Adios Albuquerque,
Jill

The Castle

Montezuma, New Mexico

This morning, after enjoying my free Plaza Hotel breakfast, I headed up to the UWC-USA.

                                            

Over the course of 4 hours, I interviewed 12 students who were from countries including Zimbabwe, Ghana, Swaziland, Norway, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Nigeria, The Netherlands and Indonesia. AMAZING young people! The application process for students to get into the 12 UWC schools around the world is incredibly competitive and intense. Of the 800 American students who apply, only 50 will be accepted and placed into UWC schools around the world. Most other countries admit even fewer students. If you have an interest in learning more about the schools, check out the website:

http://www.uwc.org/

I'm back in Albuquerque, just finished an interview and heading for Whole Foods for some dinner.

G'night,
Jill

Back in Time

Las Vegas, New Mexico

My alarm went off at 5am this morning. After an early morning jog in the hotel fitness center, I headed for Los Alamos, NM. What a beautiful 2 hour drive! In addition to seeing 5 hot air balloons on my way out of Albuquerque, I wove my way through some mountainous terrain, stopping only for a refill on my Starbucks coffee. At the high school, I met with 5 girls and headed back through Santa Fe, where I stopped for some delicious tortilla soup before visiting an independent school, and continued on to Las Vegas, NM. I exited I-25 only to follow historic Route 66 for a few miles. I find that route to be intriguing and should do a little research on it to better understand its history.

                                               

I arrived in Las Vegas and followed the signs for the historic old town plaza where I knew I'd find the Plaza Hotel. Jenny warned me that the hotel is straight out of Little House on the Prairie and man she wasn't kidding.

                                      

As I was waiting for the slow moving elevator, I started talking with Mike, a man who is going to grad school at the local university. He's in Las Vegas, NM a couple days a week and was telling me about the hotel, bar downstairs (the local hang out in the evening), and the town in general. I explained that I'd never been here before, but I'm here for work, going to Montezuma later tonight to recruit kids for my college in Minnesota. He said, "Minnesota? You must be from St. Olaf." I'm sure my surprise was clear as I said, "Wait.. did I say that?" No. He just guessed. Said he had a hs friend who went to StO. Small world.

Off to the UWC, which I hear is breathtakingly beautiful.

Jill

Green Chili

MSP-ABQ (Minneapolis-Albuquerque)

It was a comfy flight to Albuquerque... I was upgraded to first class!

                                          
Have I mentioned that it's going to be just about a month until I see Rob again? I'm gone for the next 2 weeks, he's hunting the week I'm home, and before he gets home, I leave for Alaska. As Mom pointed out, at least the trip has begun. It's true. I'm not worried about the time apart, I know we'll talk every day ... I'm just going to miss him. Maybe that's why I felt incredibly lonely my first night in New Mexico. Most of my trips are to Colorado, my 2nd home. I know the area well, have several friends who I try to see while there, etc. As I was driving to Santa Fe yesterday afternoon, I realized I don't know anyone here. Add that to my emotional state and I was lonely.

Rather than wallow in sadness, I explored the charming, artsy city of Santa Fe. There was some sort of festival (wine tasting / chili roasting contest) so the town was packed with visitors. I checked out the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (probably should have gone to the 5:15pm service that was starting as I got there), 

                                             
wandered through some of the jewelry and clothing stores and ended up at a restaurant called the Blue Corn Cafe. While enjoying dinner, the man (and his wife) at the next table struck up a conversation with me - he asked me what part of the east I was from. When I said Minnesota, he explained that with my dark hair and dark features, he assumed I was from New York ... and Jewish. Have to say that's the first time I've been mistaken for Jewish. :) The family at the next table over joined in the conversation, turns out that woman's mother was born in MN so they have been there several times. Also, while waiting for the bathroom, that same woman was talking to me about St. Olaf and yet another woman said, "Oh you guys have that wonderful choir, right? My daughter's friend went to St. Olaf." Of course they did. Gotta love the small world in which we live.

Today I had a college fair at the convention center downtown Albuquerque. While I was setting up my table, I heard my friend Jen's laughter from behind my table. Turns out we were back-to-back... and I'm not so alone after all. We weren't able to spend time together after the fair, but it was comforting knowing I wasn't so alone. She recommended Sadie's for dinner - they're a highly rated authentic New Mexican restaurant, which is exactly what I was looking for. Each of their dishes is served with a side of green or red chili that can be poured over the top of the meal. My shredded beef brisket enchilada was excellent!!

                                              
Not so lonely today,
Jill

Oh deer....

JAL-RJS (Jill's house-Rob's house)

Apparently, I don't have to go far to have travel adventures. Monday night, on my way to Rob's house, I hit a deer. Driving on a 2 lane road about a mile from Rob's, I rounded the curve, saw a deer in the ditch trying to decide if he should run in front of me or go back into the ditch. He went for it. By that time, I had slowed down but it was too late. The deer ran in front of me and I pretty much t-boned him. He sat in the middle of my lane, staring at me, as if he was too tired to make it across the street. While I waited for Rob, the deer struggled to stand up... his front legs were useless. Eventually, he moved to the center of the east bound lane and sat down again. I pulled forward with the intention of turning around so cars coming from the other direction wouldn't hit the poor guy, but that spooked him and he hobbled into the ditch.

When Rob got there, he consulted with his friend Randy about what they should do with the deer who, by this point, had moved farther up the ditch away from the road. They decided to put him out of his misery, but soon realized the deer wasn't actually dying. His front leg was broken. They chased him for a few minutes, but knew the deer wouldn't die because of the accident... he may eventually heal. So they left him in the field. I didn't see him on my way to work the next day, but I heard from Rob (and his uncle, Pat, who lives next to the field where the deer sat) that he was sitting in the same spot. Rob called the game warden, but apparently the deer was in the same spot when Pat got home yesterday afternoon. He called the sheriff and shot the deer. Rob informed me that the deer is now at Pat's meat market in Lonsdale (where Rob's dad also works). I knew Webster was a small town, but this takes the cake. :)

My car is driveable, but will need front end work.

Sorry deer,
Jill

Sheebs

DEN-MSP (Denver-Minneapolis)

Not sure I have anything noteworthy to mention about my travels today, other than the fact that I'm looking forward to being home for a week. I was reading through my last post of last year's travel season... saw the picture of Sheba and got a little teary. I love that picture of him. So white and furry... such a princess. I'm sad to admit that most days I don't think of him much, but there are still moments when he crosses my mind. Like when I'm packing and my suitcase is open on my bed - he used to climb in and make himself comfortable.

Or when I'm drying my hair in the morning - without fail, every day he'd come into the bathroom, rub up against my legs and eventually jump up on the tub. Or when I return from a trip and round the corner to go upstairs - he was usually sitting in his bed at the top of the stairs and I could just barely see the tips of his little ears. 

Or when I'm hanging out downstairs - he'd come down the stairs and poke his head through the railing.

I can sleep with the bedroom door open at night - he used to lay on my pillow, practically on top of my head, kneading my neck, making  mess of my hair, and purring so loudly Rob could hear it on the other end of a phone call.

Sometimes when I'd take a nap on the couch - he'd end up either on the pillow next to my head or curled up next to me, spooning.

I loved the times when I'd pull into my driveway and he'd be sitting in one of the windows, just waiting for me to get home. One day, the week Sheba died, I pulled into my driveway and out of habit looked up to the 2nd bedroom window. Instead of Sheba, Rob was smiling at me from the window. :) I love that guy.

Grateful for almost 9 years with the prettiest male cat you've ever seen,

Jill

Fort Collins

DFW-SLC (Dallas-Fort Worth-Salt Lake City)

SLC-DEN (Salt Lake City-Denver)

Guess what - I didn't sleep once on either one of the last 2 flights. It's becoming more rare for me NOT to sleep on flights. For some reason, the steady hum of the engine and the not-so-comfortable seats create an environment of comfort. I start the flight reading, my eyelids get heavy, I put the book down and my head back and I'm out, mouth open and all. It's hot, I'm sure. My Silver Medallion status paid off as I was upgraded on my flight from Salt Lake City to Denver... a pleasant surprise. Thankfully the man sitting next to me was not social so I was able to read throughout the entire flight.

I'm reading this book, In the Woods, that has my complete and undivided attention... I can't put it down. In fact, right now I'm waiting for a student in a Dazbog Coffee shop in Fort Collins and I kicked myself when I realized my book is in my car. If you like mysteries, I highly recommend this one. Do you ever get nervous that you're nearing the end of a book? If it's a good one, I definitely get a little anxious toward the end as I don't like to be without a good book. To prevent this from happening, I stopped by B&N yesterday and bought the next book by the same author. :)

My time in Fort Collins has been relatively productive... it's hard to believe this is my 14th year visiting high schools and attending college fairs! In addition to meeting 13 students at high school visits yesterday and today, I had time between appointments to do a little shopping (I know you're surprised). Yesterday I wandered around Charming Charlie (talk about an overwhelming accessory store!) and just before getting to Dazbog I stopped by DSW and bought a new pair of black flats (cross that off my list of "needs").

But the highlight of my trip has to be dinner with Brian W. In typical Jill travel fashion, I considered calling Brian as I was on my way to an early dinner. No advanced warning. Not because I didn't want to see him, but I didn't expect to have time to get together, especially considering I'm in Fort Collins rather than Denver. However, it was only 4pm and I realized Fort Collins isn't that far from Denver ...  maybe we could meet somewhere in the middle. So I called him and was pleasantly surprised that he didn't have plans. Sometimes I think we do better with last minute than advanced planning. Two hours later, we met at Rock Bottom Brewery and caught up on our lives. He's one of my faves.

One more college fair tonight... home tomorrow,

Jill

The Stars At Night

MSP-DFW (Minneapolis-Dallas-Fort Worth)

First official trip of the fall has me in Dallas for a private school fair. I stayed at the Westin which is attached to the Galleria, a fancy mall with an ice skating rink on the lower level! Side note, did you know the Westin has a "signature scent"? Not only is it the scent of their shampoo, conditioner and lotion...they pump it through their ventilation system so the lobby has a strong aroma of Westin White Tea. What will they think of next?

I arrived late on Friday night, was hungry but not particularly interested in going out for dinner so I ordered a salad to go from the hotel restaurant. Thankfully the fair wasn't until early afternoon on Saturday so I slept in, took my time getting ready and went shopping. Probably not a good idea.

Have you heard of Teavana? I hadn't either until I was doing the CTCL fairs in the southeast in August. A couple of the hotels we stayed at w're also attached to malls (Atlanta and Birmingham) and because I didn't rent a car on that trip I spent most of my free time shopping. I guess I could consider that trip as my first travel of the season since that was the beginning of my fall shopping. I was sick during that trip which was incredibly unfortunate except for the fact that I discovered Teavana. You know how when you're sick with a sore throat and sinus infection you just want hot tea? Well I do anyway. So I stumbled upon this shop that sells high priced tea and all sorts of accessories to go with it. I was tempted by the teas and contraptions with which to brew it (not your standard tea kettles) in Atlanta and again in Birmingham but in each city I just purchased a cup of tea and went on my merry way (sore throat, clogged sinuses and all). Apparently I left my willpower at home during this trip. By the time I left the mall at 11:30am to get ready for the fair, I had spend $76 on a fancy travel mug where I can steep my tea anywhere at anytime, oolong tea (good for digestion!) and rock sugar!!! As I texted to a friend: welcome to travel season 2012. 

I hadn't put much thought into who would be at this fair so I was pleasantly surprised when I was following Philana into the HS gym. And excited again when I saw Kevin from St. Lawrence setting up his table around the corner from me. Kevin and I spent 5 days and 1000 miles riding in the backseat of a minivan last spring. We, along with 2 other college reps, drove from Raleigh to Charlotte to Atlanta to Nashville to Memphis spreading the joys of our colleges to HS students and college counselors. That trip should have been written about as it was quite an adventure.

After the fair, I jogged on a nice treadmill and met Kevin for dinner at the Grand Lux, which is pretty much the same as the Cheesecake Factory. We were tempted by the desserts in the menu, but as I was telling Kevin about Pinkberry (my favorite treat, as you know) I realized there may be one nearby. So I introduced Kevin to the deliciousness of Pinkberry and  had my fix for the weekend.

The fair yesterday was pretty much a bust, but at least I have my $76 travel mug and oolong tea to show for it. Please don't judge. :)

Deep in the heart of Texas,

Jill

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A text I received the morning of St. Paddy's Day:

Oh me good Lord how the days tend to flee.
Tis the morn when all folks wish that Irish they'd be.
But for lasses 'n lads tied by genes t' the Isle,
We can sip a cold Guinness, tell a tale, share a smile.
When the partyin's over, when all's said 'n done,
The whole world will say "gosh them Irish--they're fun!"

{my dad = Irish, a poet & my favorite dad.}

2011 highlights

sanibel island w/ sauber women
completing my 4th 1/2 marathon
surgery and a quick recovery - 1.25 lbs of fibroids gone!
in the darkness of tragedy, strong family presence and support
several mudding and 4 wheeling weekends with rob
the purchase of a camper to make those weekends more comfortable :)
tim mcgraw concert w/ rob
2 family vacations to northern mn (alexandria w/ rob's family and the lake w/ my fam)
star gazing in the middle of the road
our first official vacation - to colorado and rocky mountain national park
walking my third 3day - tenting w/ sara g ("so.. that pillow does it for you, huh?")
hiking in colorado with other admissions folks
being greeted by a large bouquet of flowers from rob during my 12 day trip to colorado
hair w/ brian w and lisa
dinner w/ the mcgownds in anchorage, ak
2 hours on the beach in honolulu, hi
gaining silver medallion status w/ delta
peanut butter pinkberry
gary allan concert w/ rob, steve and carrie
weekend up north w/ rob, despite the less-than-idyllic hotel
kicking butt bowling in duluth
music at christmas mass that brought me to tears
becoming a "regular" at the chart house / having brittany fight to be our server
one more thanksgiving and christmas at the farm
realizing i'm related to our temp at work
having a new running friend at work

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