Change in All Things is Sweet

-Aristotle

For those who know me well, you know how much I love change. I used to cry at the end of each grade in elementary school because I didn't want to progress on to the next grade level. Could it have been the fear of a new teacher? It certainly wasn't fear of new classmates -- we had the same 11 kids in our class from 1st through 6th grade. Whatever it was, I didn't like the change. I'd like to believe that I've learned how to handle change better than when I was in 3rd grade.

Here's an example of how I've evolved .... I moved out of my town home into Rob's house earlier this month. :) A colossal change in my everyday life.

I packed up my home, loaded it into a trailer and headed to the country.

In the month that I've lived in Webster, I've seen several deer in the backyard.

Witnessed beautiful winter sunrises.

Watched hot air balloons take off in the neighboring air park.

And decorated a new home for Christmas.

Change has never felt so good!

Loving life in our new home,

Jill

Diverted to Omaha

MSP-DEN (Minneapolis-Denver) .... 2 hours delayed due to snow in Minneapolis

DEN-MSP ... wait ... DEN-OMA ??? (Denver-Minneap... Omaha ???)

My last trip of travel season 2012 was supposed to be quick and easy and more fun than a normal trip because I had three colleagues traveling with me. We were headed to Denver for an Interview Event at the Inverness, a beautiful hotel, conference center and golf club. High school seniors were invited to do interviews with our staff so we were scheduled to meet with 18 students throughout the day and we had a strong group of volunteers (StO alumni and parents of current students) to visit with the prospective parents. Side note: I love these types of events in Denver because not only do we meet great prospective students, I get to see some of my favorite StO families and alumni. The event itself went well -- the space was great, students were interesting, and parents and alumni were enthusiastic! Travel to and from Denver was another story.

Friday afternoon it started snowing in Minneapolis. As we were driving to the airport, we watched a jeep swerve back and forth across southbound 35E, hit the guardrail which ripped apart their tire, spin around and end up in the ditch. If that guardrail hadn't been there, the jeep would have been in our lane and I'm not sure we would have made it. Thankfully that didn't happen... we made it safely to the airport only to find out that the plane we were supposed to take was delayed getting to Mpls due to weather. We finally made it out of Mpls about 2 hours late. Once we got to Denver, we hopped in our boat of a rental car (Chrysler 300M), stopped for a delicious mexican dinner at Las Brisas (mmmm SALSA) and headed for the Inverness.

The next morning we fueled up with a tasty buffet breakfast in preparation for our 8+ hour day of interviewing prospective students.

A couple students cancelled at the last minute and we had one no show, but overall I thought the event was a success! To reward ourselves for a day well done, we enjoyed steak and 2 bottles of wine (Tusen Tak, Dan!) at Earls.

By the end of dinner, it was snowing like crazy but do you think that stopped us from driving 10 miles, white knuckled, to the nearest Pinkberry?! Thanks to the sturdy 300M and the resilience of my friends I enjoyed chocolate hazelnut Pinkberry.

I might be drunk on Pinkberry. :)

Completely satiated, I would have been perfectly content to go back to the hotel and climb into bed. However, we were traveling with our beer-loving, Wisconsin born friend who insisted that we go to the Spotted Dog for a post dinner cocktail. I'm certain the three of us "young" folks (me for sure!) could have easily been out-partied by Dan! We played a couple games of shuffleboard (or something like that?) and watched the fancy hotel guests play pool (you should have seen the heels on some of the women!).

The weather forecast for Mpls was snow snow and more snow and as early as Saturday, we were talking about the possibility of our flight being delayed due to weather conditions. So we went into the day with this knowledge, hoping for the best. Our flight was scheduled for 9am, so we left the hotel by 6:45am, taking our time on the icy roads. The airport was quiet, we made it through security in record time, it was looking like a smooth ending to a great weekend. Not so lucky. Just as we started our descent into Minneapolis, the pilot (or flight attendant, I can't remember) explained that we were heading to Omaha, NE. What?!

We landed in Omaha and were told to sit tight until they had more information to share. One of the flight attendants told a passenger near me that she figured we'd sit on the plane until the weather cleared up in Mpls. Which we did for awhile, until the pilot explained that there was a mechanical problem with some instrumentation needed to land in conditions with low visibility. Since it was snowing in Mpls, he didn't feel comfortable landing so they diverted us to the nearest city with good weather conditions. Omaha, Nebraska. We got off the plane, stood in a line for a $6 food voucher, stood in another line for food at the only "restaurant" in our concourse, and waited. After the mechanics looked at the plane, they decided it wasn't safe for us to fly that particular one so we waited for a plane to arrive from Mpls to take us home. Of course, this wasn't as easy as it sounds. Since there was a snowstorm in Minneapolis, the plane had to be de-iced and was delayed at least two hours.

What "diverted to Omaha" looks like.

Seven hours after landing in Omaha, a plane finally arrived to take us home ... or so we thought. Shortly after the gate agent told us that the plane had arrived, he explained that there were ground delays in Minneapolis and we'd be lucky to leave Omaha before 10pm. At that point, Brad got on the phone with Delta to book us on a flight the next morning, I got online to find us a place to stay for the night and Maggie started looking into rental cars. Less than 15 minutes later, the gate agent came on again (poor guy) to tell us that they lifted the ground delay for us, that they were going to get us on the plane as quickly as possible and start the flight home. You should have seen how quickly people started lining up at the gate!

De-icer and fuel truck outside my window.

That was the last announcement and we were on our way home. Surprisingly, the flight wasn't too turbulent and the landing was relatively painless. Now we had to get in the car and drive. Thinking that we'd be landing at noon and since my home is now in Webster, I had offered to take Dan and Brad home to Northfield and Dundas. It was a slow drive down 35, but we made it. Rob met us as the Big Steer to keep me company on the drive into town, so that helped make the long commute a little less stressful. I finally got home at 11pm.

It's unfortunate travel season 2012 had to end this way, but thankfully I wasn't alone. In the end, we had a great weekend!

Happy to be home,
Jill

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