- Those stupid key cards - on a three week trip, I go through about five keys. Either my phone deactivates them, I lose them or I lock them in my room.
- Crappy hotel TV. Thank god most have HGTV
- Undoing the hospital corners of my bedding. I HAVE to be able to poke my feet out!
- Having to unplug a bed-side lamp to plug in my phone charger. And the hotels that have the nifty lamps with the built-in outlet? The outlet is in a funny position and won't work for my blackberry or iPad/iPod charger.
Last year, I stayed at the Marriott in Alpharetta, Georgia where I saw this beauty and I wondered why I didn't think of that - more specifically, why every hotel doesn't have this!
Here's a more detailed pic:
The end of the entertainment unit had two outlets, plus hook-ups for just about every type of video input. No fussing with the back of the TV! They even made it pretty fool-proof by adding a button next to the input slots so you don't have to find the corresponding channel with the remote. So if you want to hook up your computer for a video conference, just plug it in at the VGA spot and press the button next to it! Same for HDMI or the old school red/white/yellow input. Oh, and aux input too.
The connections were easy to access and super handy as a place to charge my phone and iPod. It was super convenient solution to a problem or annoyance I just thought I had to deal with.
Why didn't I think of that?
Friday, March 30, 2012
- Those stupid key cards - on a three week trip, I go through about five keys. Either my phone deactivates them, I lose them or I lock them in my room.
- Crappy hotel TV. Thank god most have HGTV
- Undoing the hospital corners of my bedding. I HAVE to be able to poke my feet out!
- Having to unplug a bed-side lamp to plug in my phone charger. And the hotels that have the nifty lamps with the built-in outlet? The outlet is in a funny position and won't work for my blackberry or iPad/iPod charger.
Last year, I stayed at the Marriott in Alpharetta, Georgia where I saw this beauty and I wondered why I didn't think of that - more specifically, why every hotel doesn't have this!
Here's a more detailed pic:
The end of the entertainment unit had two outlets, plus hook-ups for just about every type of video input. No fussing with the back of the TV! They even made it pretty fool-proof by adding a button next to the input slots so you don't have to find the corresponding channel with the remote. So if you want to hook up your computer for a video conference, just plug it in at the VGA spot and press the button next to it! Same for HDMI or the old school red/white/yellow input. Oh, and aux input too.
The connections were easy to access and super handy as a place to charge my phone and iPod. It was super convenient solution to a problem or annoyance I just thought I had to deal with.
Maybe it is the unusually spring-like weather, but I’ve been feeling really inspired lately. I’ve been motivated at work by some pretty cool projects and my photography business is keeping me busy and helped me save for a new camera. I’ve been inspired by other blogs to improve my travel blog;
Young House Love – I love their optimistic
and positive outlook on life. They are
full-time bloggers raising their first child and renovating their second home. I'm really looking forward to their book that comes out this fall.
Bower Power Blog – Part home, part
lifestyle blog, this adorable southern lady doesn’t hold much back. Plus, she loves bacon (a girl after my own
heart)
Slugs on the Refrigerator – A
fantastic photographer, craft-er and mother; Kat keeps things real from her home
in Scotland. Not every post is rainbows
and sunshine, and it always sounds like she has a million projects; but you can
tell she wouldn’t want it any other way.
My good friend Melissa’s blog about
living abroad – their life may seem like a fairytale, but Melissa keeps it real
with stories of bugs, travel nightmares and other third-world surprises as she
documents life in Nigeria.
Journey with Judah – a high school
friend, former journalist and current law student documents her life with her
two year old son, Judah, who suffered severe brain damage at birth. Powerful topic, great insight and incredibly
well written (its almost like she's a journalist or something...)
The Bloggess - Her tagline is "Like Mother Theresa, only better." and I couldn't say it better myself. For an introduction to her awesome-ness, check out this post. If you didn't laugh out loud, then we probably can't be friends in real life.
The Bloggess - Her tagline is "Like Mother Theresa, only better." and I couldn't say it better myself. For an introduction to her awesome-ness, check out this post. If you didn't laugh out loud, then we probably can't be friends in real life.
All five blogs are written by talented, creative people with
so much to say and exceptional writing skills.
Sometimes I get down on myself, I have lots of room for
improvement in my own writing. Ugh, I
read through some of my older posts and cringe.
I do the same for photography, constantly doubting my ability; yet after
every shoot, I am pleased with the work I’ve created. I think we all go through these phases where
we question our ability and it motivates our desire to improve.
I remember sitting on a plane for my first business trip,
feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had just received
the biggest promotion in my career and on the first day in my new role, I was
flying to Texas. As I listened to my
iPod, a song from The Frey came on, a line from the chorus sings “Everyone
knows I’m in over my head, over my head.” and I chuckled. I totally felt like I was in over my head,
but soon I was doing quite well in my new position, everyday learning more and
more.
Yesterday I booked travel for El Paso, Texas and I am
shocked that it’s been two years since my last visit to the Lone Star state. I started thinking about how much of my life
has changed in the last two years and how much I’ve grown in my professional
career. I didn’t mention this before,
but I’m currently in a pilot promotional position as an Associate Performance
Consultant, and I hope this role become permanent in July. I’m in the driver’s seat for some pretty fun
projects with all eyes from the Senior Leadership Team on me. Pressures on and I love it!
I can only hope for the grace and talent of the blogs I
follow, and try to do my very best. Life
is too short to let fear hold anyone back.
I’m adding a “Blogs I Follow” link on the right hand side –
what other blogs should I check out?
Inspiration
Monday, March 26, 2012
Maybe it is the unusually spring-like weather, but I’ve been feeling really inspired lately. I’ve been motivated at work by some pretty cool projects and my photography business is keeping me busy and helped me save for a new camera. I’ve been inspired by other blogs to improve my travel blog;
Young House Love – I love their optimistic
and positive outlook on life. They are
full-time bloggers raising their first child and renovating their second home. I'm really looking forward to their book that comes out this fall.
Bower Power Blog – Part home, part
lifestyle blog, this adorable southern lady doesn’t hold much back. Plus, she loves bacon (a girl after my own
heart)
Slugs on the Refrigerator – A
fantastic photographer, craft-er and mother; Kat keeps things real from her home
in Scotland. Not every post is rainbows
and sunshine, and it always sounds like she has a million projects; but you can
tell she wouldn’t want it any other way.
My good friend Melissa’s blog about
living abroad – their life may seem like a fairytale, but Melissa keeps it real
with stories of bugs, travel nightmares and other third-world surprises as she
documents life in Nigeria.
Journey with Judah – a high school
friend, former journalist and current law student documents her life with her
two year old son, Judah, who suffered severe brain damage at birth. Powerful topic, great insight and incredibly
well written (its almost like she's a journalist or something...)
The Bloggess - Her tagline is "Like Mother Theresa, only better." and I couldn't say it better myself. For an introduction to her awesome-ness, check out this post. If you didn't laugh out loud, then we probably can't be friends in real life.
The Bloggess - Her tagline is "Like Mother Theresa, only better." and I couldn't say it better myself. For an introduction to her awesome-ness, check out this post. If you didn't laugh out loud, then we probably can't be friends in real life.
All five blogs are written by talented, creative people with
so much to say and exceptional writing skills.
Sometimes I get down on myself, I have lots of room for
improvement in my own writing. Ugh, I
read through some of my older posts and cringe.
I do the same for photography, constantly doubting my ability; yet after
every shoot, I am pleased with the work I’ve created. I think we all go through these phases where
we question our ability and it motivates our desire to improve.
I remember sitting on a plane for my first business trip,
feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had just received
the biggest promotion in my career and on the first day in my new role, I was
flying to Texas. As I listened to my
iPod, a song from The Frey came on, a line from the chorus sings “Everyone
knows I’m in over my head, over my head.” and I chuckled. I totally felt like I was in over my head,
but soon I was doing quite well in my new position, everyday learning more and
more.
Yesterday I booked travel for El Paso, Texas and I am
shocked that it’s been two years since my last visit to the Lone Star state. I started thinking about how much of my life
has changed in the last two years and how much I’ve grown in my professional
career. I didn’t mention this before,
but I’m currently in a pilot promotional position as an Associate Performance
Consultant, and I hope this role become permanent in July. I’m in the driver’s seat for some pretty fun
projects with all eyes from the Senior Leadership Team on me. Pressures on and I love it!
I can only hope for the grace and talent of the blogs I
follow, and try to do my very best. Life
is too short to let fear hold anyone back.
I’m adding a “Blogs I Follow” link on the right hand side –
what other blogs should I check out?
I think I've been to Augusta, Georgia about twenty-five times or so. Always for work, but always managing to have fun along the way. On my last trip to Augusta, my sweet boyfriend flew down for a long weekend together in Augusta and Atlanta. His journey to Augusta was interesting... but I'll save that for a later post.
Having a visitor in town allowed me to explore Augusta and Atlanta in ways I haven't in a long time. It was especially enjoyable to spend time with my friend David who is moving from Augusta to the Atlanta area soon. Future trips to Augusta won't be the same without him.
Augusta is known for hosting the Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, but they don't let just anyone walk in their gate.
After brunch, we set off towards Atlanta and dropped David off at his Aunt & Uncle's house. We cruised on over to The Varsity. Can you believe, in the 25+ years I've been visiting Atlanta, I'd never been? Well, I can't say the food was worth writing home about, but we split a chili dog, some fries and a Frosted Orange for a treat.
We took our time and cruised through Atlanta en route to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Darcy's house south of town. It was a beautiful day to take our time around the city.
It was kind of windy, so we didn't explore Underground Atlanta as planned, but instead enjoyed homemade dinner with my family before checking in at the Westin. Sunday we had brunch and went to Ikea (I'm addicted) and hung out before his flight home.
Seeing Atlanta and Augusta through the eyes of a new tourist kind of made me wonder what sights I take for granted in Des Moines. I used to joke with a friend that we could spend a week being tourists in our own city for a change. Maybe its time to plan a stay-cation?
Having a visitor in town allowed me to explore Augusta and Atlanta in ways I haven't in a long time. It was especially enjoyable to spend time with my friend David who is moving from Augusta to the Atlanta area soon. Future trips to Augusta won't be the same without him.
Augusta is known for hosting the Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, but they don't let just anyone walk in their gate.
 |
| The main gate |
 |
| David and me in front of the sign |
After brunch, we set off towards Atlanta and dropped David off at his Aunt & Uncle's house. We cruised on over to The Varsity. Can you believe, in the 25+ years I've been visiting Atlanta, I'd never been? Well, I can't say the food was worth writing home about, but we split a chili dog, some fries and a Frosted Orange for a treat.
We took our time and cruised through Atlanta en route to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Darcy's house south of town. It was a beautiful day to take our time around the city.
 |
| Home of the 1996 Summer Olympics |
 |
| Turner Field |
Seeing Atlanta and Augusta through the eyes of a new tourist kind of made me wonder what sights I take for granted in Des Moines. I used to joke with a friend that we could spend a week being tourists in our own city for a change. Maybe its time to plan a stay-cation?
Sightseeing in Augusta & Atlanta
Thursday, March 22, 2012
I think I've been to Augusta, Georgia about twenty-five times or so. Always for work, but always managing to have fun along the way. On my last trip to Augusta, my sweet boyfriend flew down for a long weekend together in Augusta and Atlanta. His journey to Augusta was interesting... but I'll save that for a later post.
Having a visitor in town allowed me to explore Augusta and Atlanta in ways I haven't in a long time. It was especially enjoyable to spend time with my friend David who is moving from Augusta to the Atlanta area soon. Future trips to Augusta won't be the same without him.
Augusta is known for hosting the Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, but they don't let just anyone walk in their gate.
After brunch, we set off towards Atlanta and dropped David off at his Aunt & Uncle's house. We cruised on over to The Varsity. Can you believe, in the 25+ years I've been visiting Atlanta, I'd never been? Well, I can't say the food was worth writing home about, but we split a chili dog, some fries and a Frosted Orange for a treat.
We took our time and cruised through Atlanta en route to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Darcy's house south of town. It was a beautiful day to take our time around the city.
It was kind of windy, so we didn't explore Underground Atlanta as planned, but instead enjoyed homemade dinner with my family before checking in at the Westin. Sunday we had brunch and went to Ikea (I'm addicted) and hung out before his flight home.
Seeing Atlanta and Augusta through the eyes of a new tourist kind of made me wonder what sights I take for granted in Des Moines. I used to joke with a friend that we could spend a week being tourists in our own city for a change. Maybe its time to plan a stay-cation?
Having a visitor in town allowed me to explore Augusta and Atlanta in ways I haven't in a long time. It was especially enjoyable to spend time with my friend David who is moving from Augusta to the Atlanta area soon. Future trips to Augusta won't be the same without him.
Augusta is known for hosting the Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, but they don't let just anyone walk in their gate.
|
| The main gate |
|
| David and me in front of the sign |
After brunch, we set off towards Atlanta and dropped David off at his Aunt & Uncle's house. We cruised on over to The Varsity. Can you believe, in the 25+ years I've been visiting Atlanta, I'd never been? Well, I can't say the food was worth writing home about, but we split a chili dog, some fries and a Frosted Orange for a treat.
We took our time and cruised through Atlanta en route to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Darcy's house south of town. It was a beautiful day to take our time around the city.
|
| Home of the 1996 Summer Olympics |
|
| Turner Field |
Seeing Atlanta and Augusta through the eyes of a new tourist kind of made me wonder what sights I take for granted in Des Moines. I used to joke with a friend that we could spend a week being tourists in our own city for a change. Maybe its time to plan a stay-cation?
We flew every couple of years throughout my childhood - spring break in Phoenix was always a favorite. I romanticized flying, dreaming of 1960s air travel that I had never even experienced. When I was 18 or 19, I promised myself that I would take a trip by plane at least every other year. Ha! If I only knew then my career would leave me less than thrilled at the idea of waiting in an airport.
A few years ago, I temporarily relocated to El Paso, Texas and made the 21 hour drive by myself. I spent 13½ hours on Saturday and another 7½ hours on Sunday. I’m not going to lie, rolling into town that Super Bowl Sunday was a pretty proud accomplishment. Thankfully, I convinced my sister to fly to Texas and drive with me back to Iowa when it was time to return.
Most of my road trips now are along I-20 in Georgia from the Atlanta Airport to Augusta for business; a fairly easy two hour drive. This last year, I’ve started to appreciate road trips little by little. A quick weekend getaway to Minneapolis? Relaxing and easy. When my bestie Lauren Rapp got married in Saint Louis, my date and I loaded up my little hybrid car for the eight hour trek.
Here is my formula for a good road trip – these might not be up your alley, but they work for me.
- Music – Driving across the Midwest, it is difficult to keep a good radio signal for very long (unless you have satellite). My car has a hook up for my iPod and nearly every rental car I get has an AUX input jack. So I always make sure to download a couple of new songs for a trip, make some playlists and recently, I started downloading podcasts. Some of my favorites are NPR’s “Wait, wait, don’t tell me,” “This American Life,” and “Car Talk.”
- Refreshments – Road trip food is not the healthiest, so when planning a drive for over 5 hours, I try to take a couple of snacks. I have an awesome cooler from 31 Gifts that fits easily in the front or back seat, and takes up little room when empty. Throw in a cold pack, a bottle of water or two, and apple, and some licorice or beef jerky – stuff that is easy to consume in the car and doesn’t leave much mess. I’ve even packed a sandwich for lunch to save time and money.
- Plan your stops – I never realized how much time a “quick stop” effected my travel time until I drove to El Paso. With every stop, it seemed like my GPS would add 30 minutes on to my arrival time. I had to get past the idea of a “quick stop” actually being quick. Using my GPS and watching road signs, I try to multi-task my stops. Stopping just for gas or just for the restroom wasn’t practical on my timeline. On more than one occasion, I found myself paying a few cents more per gallon of gas to stop at a place clean enough to use the restroom and near food.
- Plan time for fun – No matter what route you take, there will always be some roadside attraction that sounds intriguing. If you have the time, go check it out! Did you know there is a Swedish Heritage Museum in Swedesburg, Iowa? Been there! White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico? Go sledding in the middle of summer! Heck, even stopping to buy fireworks in Missouri is fun. Time spent out of the car means you can stretch your legs, wake up a little and can help make the trip more bearable – especially if traveling with companions.
So what road trip advice do you have?
Road Trip!
Monday, March 19, 2012
We flew every couple of years throughout my childhood - spring break in Phoenix was always a favorite. I romanticized flying, dreaming of 1960s air travel that I had never even experienced. When I was 18 or 19, I promised myself that I would take a trip by plane at least every other year. Ha! If I only knew then my career would leave me less than thrilled at the idea of waiting in an airport.
A few years ago, I temporarily relocated to El Paso, Texas and made the 21 hour drive by myself. I spent 13½ hours on Saturday and another 7½ hours on Sunday. I’m not going to lie, rolling into town that Super Bowl Sunday was a pretty proud accomplishment. Thankfully, I convinced my sister to fly to Texas and drive with me back to Iowa when it was time to return.
Most of my road trips now are along I-20 in Georgia from the Atlanta Airport to Augusta for business; a fairly easy two hour drive. This last year, I’ve started to appreciate road trips little by little. A quick weekend getaway to Minneapolis? Relaxing and easy. When my bestie Lauren Rapp got married in Saint Louis, my date and I loaded up my little hybrid car for the eight hour trek.
Here is my formula for a good road trip – these might not be up your alley, but they work for me.
- Music – Driving across the Midwest, it is difficult to keep a good radio signal for very long (unless you have satellite). My car has a hook up for my iPod and nearly every rental car I get has an AUX input jack. So I always make sure to download a couple of new songs for a trip, make some playlists and recently, I started downloading podcasts. Some of my favorites are NPR’s “Wait, wait, don’t tell me,” “This American Life,” and “Car Talk.”
- Refreshments – Road trip food is not the healthiest, so when planning a drive for over 5 hours, I try to take a couple of snacks. I have an awesome cooler from 31 Gifts that fits easily in the front or back seat, and takes up little room when empty. Throw in a cold pack, a bottle of water or two, and apple, and some licorice or beef jerky – stuff that is easy to consume in the car and doesn’t leave much mess. I’ve even packed a sandwich for lunch to save time and money.
- Plan your stops – I never realized how much time a “quick stop” effected my travel time until I drove to El Paso. With every stop, it seemed like my GPS would add 30 minutes on to my arrival time. I had to get past the idea of a “quick stop” actually being quick. Using my GPS and watching road signs, I try to multi-task my stops. Stopping just for gas or just for the restroom wasn’t practical on my timeline. On more than one occasion, I found myself paying a few cents more per gallon of gas to stop at a place clean enough to use the restroom and near food.
- Plan time for fun – No matter what route you take, there will always be some roadside attraction that sounds intriguing. If you have the time, go check it out! Did you know there is a Swedish Heritage Museum in Swedesburg, Iowa? Been there! White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico? Go sledding in the middle of summer! Heck, even stopping to buy fireworks in Missouri is fun. Time spent out of the car means you can stretch your legs, wake up a little and can help make the trip more bearable – especially if traveling with companions.
So what road trip advice do you have?
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a bit of a planner. More like an obsessive planner. I want to know all the details of where I’m going, where I’m staying, how I’m getting there, etc. I’ve been known to type up an itinerary for personal travel too. Which day are we going to Disney World and which day to the beach? What are the rental car hotel and airline confirmation numbers? I’m also not a big fan of when plans change unexpectedly…
Just ask my sister about her visit to me in El Paso a few years back, I had typed up two pages for how to navigate the Dallas airport on her own. Make fun all you want, but the details count when something goes wrong - like when my passport was stolen in Italy; I had a copy of everything in every bag, didn't have to scramble to get the details I needed.
My life of planning means that there are few surprises; but when I am surprised, I am floored. Two weeks ago, I got an awesome surprise. But let’s rewind…
I had scheduled a trip to the Chicago area for business meetings for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The formula of a deep resistance towards all things O’Hare & TSA related plus my hybrid car equaled the decision to drive. At a little over 5½ hours, it would be easy to drive over Monday and return home Friday without another run in with the rent-a-cops at TSA. Nor a delay from United Airlines.
Monday morning, I ran a few errands and hit the road around noon. The drive was a bit boring, but the NPR podcasts on my iPod made the trip a breeze. Checked in to my hotel by 6pm and had dinner at one of my favorite Indian restaurants. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday days were full of meetings and in the evenings we enjoyed dinner and bonding together as our newly formed team.
After our last meeting Thursday, my teammate Sandy and I wanted to check out the Blick art supply store when my phone rang. It was my sweet boyfriend inquiring to what my plans were for the evening, and then he told me he had a surprise for me. He was in Chicago!
He rode the Megabus to Chicago, and then a train out to the suburbs where I was staying and then a local bus that put him about a mile from my hotel. He spent nearly 10 hours traveling to surprise me!
Sandy and I quickly found him and we got to spend the evening together, enjoying dinner at Cooper’s Hawk, a great restaurant and winery with my friend Judy from Nevada. It was nice to have an unexpected evening together – neither of us worried about work or commitments the following day.
Friday morning we went to breakfast with my teammates Greg & Sandy before taking Sandy to the airport for her long day of travel home to Idaho. We wandered around Ikea and an outlet mall before heading back to Des Moines. Of course, we stopped for White Castle cheeseburgers as we waited for the unexpected sleet to pass and took our time down 88 to I-80 through the snow, listening to more NPR and enjoying each other’s company.
I was truly surprised and delighted by his visit, appreciative of the plans he made and grateful that my plans of driving home alone on a Friday afternoon were bust.
Travel Surprise
Thursday, March 15, 2012
For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a bit of a planner. More like an obsessive planner. I want to know all the details of where I’m going, where I’m staying, how I’m getting there, etc. I’ve been known to type up an itinerary for personal travel too. Which day are we going to Disney World and which day to the beach? What are the rental car hotel and airline confirmation numbers? I’m also not a big fan of when plans change unexpectedly…
Just ask my sister about her visit to me in El Paso a few years back, I had typed up two pages for how to navigate the Dallas airport on her own. Make fun all you want, but the details count when something goes wrong - like when my passport was stolen in Italy; I had a copy of everything in every bag, didn't have to scramble to get the details I needed.
My life of planning means that there are few surprises; but when I am surprised, I am floored. Two weeks ago, I got an awesome surprise. But let’s rewind…
I had scheduled a trip to the Chicago area for business meetings for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The formula of a deep resistance towards all things O’Hare & TSA related plus my hybrid car equaled the decision to drive. At a little over 5½ hours, it would be easy to drive over Monday and return home Friday without another run in with the rent-a-cops at TSA. Nor a delay from United Airlines.
Monday morning, I ran a few errands and hit the road around noon. The drive was a bit boring, but the NPR podcasts on my iPod made the trip a breeze. Checked in to my hotel by 6pm and had dinner at one of my favorite Indian restaurants. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday days were full of meetings and in the evenings we enjoyed dinner and bonding together as our newly formed team.
After our last meeting Thursday, my teammate Sandy and I wanted to check out the Blick art supply store when my phone rang. It was my sweet boyfriend inquiring to what my plans were for the evening, and then he told me he had a surprise for me. He was in Chicago!
He rode the Megabus to Chicago, and then a train out to the suburbs where I was staying and then a local bus that put him about a mile from my hotel. He spent nearly 10 hours traveling to surprise me!
Sandy and I quickly found him and we got to spend the evening together, enjoying dinner at Cooper’s Hawk, a great restaurant and winery with my friend Judy from Nevada. It was nice to have an unexpected evening together – neither of us worried about work or commitments the following day.
Friday morning we went to breakfast with my teammates Greg & Sandy before taking Sandy to the airport for her long day of travel home to Idaho. We wandered around Ikea and an outlet mall before heading back to Des Moines. Of course, we stopped for White Castle cheeseburgers as we waited for the unexpected sleet to pass and took our time down 88 to I-80 through the snow, listening to more NPR and enjoying each other’s company.
I was truly surprised and delighted by his visit, appreciative of the plans he made and grateful that my plans of driving home alone on a Friday afternoon were bust.
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