Home Sweet Home

I was SO darned happy to get home from my business trip, you have no idea!  I missed my husband, my bed, my shower...  Any my husband missed me, too.  So much so he put up a sign to welcome me home; I'll post a photo once I get it uploaded to my computer.

The trip home was tough - lots of turbulence.  It didn't make me sick, but apparently it really bothered my boss.  He commented the next day that he can handle turbulence that makes the plane rise and drop, but that side to side movement at the same time?  Not so much!

I came in on Wednesday evening.  Just in time for snow lightning and thunder and lots of icy slush on the ground.  And me in my flat work shoes and no boots.  Managed to step right into a cold puddle of slush outside the airport, and again outside the house.  COLD!

Finished the work week by working from home on Friday.  I had a doctor's appointment with a geriatric rheumatologist at 10am.  Yea, I didn't know he was a geriatric rhematologist when I made the appointment.  I was the youngest patient in there, and at 50, that's not saying much!  After a thorough review of my medical history and my symptoms, the doctor recommended a cortisone shot.  I know that J is anti-cortisone shot so when Dr. L. recommended one, I told him I wanted to call my husband first.  So I did.  And I explained that the doctor was convinced the injection would alleviate the swelling in my bursa that was, in his expert opinion, causing my hip pain.  Ultimately I decided to try the shot.

And OH.MY.GOD.  I'm walking almost normally again!  I've already made an appointment for the other hip, and if I need another shot, I'm going for it.  I haven't walked so comfortably or climbed stairs with so little pain in almost a YEAR.  I am going on the record right now:  this shot helped me.  I don't know how long this will last; the doctor thought this could conceivably "cure" the problem by reducing the inflammation.  I can't even imagine - but I'm going to give it a darn good shot.  Or two or three...

Well, have to go and update my iTouch - will be back later this week, hopefully with more photos...

In Wisconsin, by way of Chicago

So if we were just a few miles north of Madison, we'd be getting 12" of snow.

Instead, it's 35 degrees with a REALLY chilly wind off the lake.  And it's raining.  A cold, cold rain.

And to make me SO happy to head home, 4"-8" of snow are due in NJ tomorrow (in the lake area) and up to 3" or 4" at home.

It's the end of March, for cryin' out loud.  It is officially spring.

As much as I love snow, it's time for spring.  It's time for crocuses, buds on the trees, sun, warmth, a long, tall, unsweetened iced tea on my front porch, in the porch swing.

It's time for the snow to go bye-bye.  Until next winter.  Not forever.

I was a bit worried since one of J's after-school workers was in WI last week and said there was still snow on the ground and it was cold...  I saw snow, but really only in about 2 or 3 patches; I saw a lot more flooding, as if all that snow melted and the water table was just f.u.l.l.  Plus they've apparently had some rain, too, at least these past couple of days...

So tomorrow I'm due back in Chicago for a 4:05pm flight home.  Thank you, God!  I do love to travel, but I miss my husband.  I'd prefer to travel with him, not leave him at home.  We both miss each other a lot.  Just knowing he's in the house, nearby, is comforting to me.  Having to sleep in these huge beds in the hotels just makes me miss him that much more.  Waking up in the middle of the night, realizing he's not just in the bathroom - that makes it harder to fall back asleep.  I miss knowing he's there, next to me. 

I'm a teeny bit worried about tomorrow - I have no book to read on the plane.  I might have to visit Hudson News in the airport and pick up a little something...

Counting down to HOME!!!

One photo I owe you...

Blackberry Mint Tea, poured over ice.

I have nothing else to say but, "MMM, GOOD!"

We ate in Alexandria at the Jamieson Grill in the Westin on Courthouse Square.

I did everything but lick the plate.

I had the Salt and Pepper Calamari for an appetizer. Now keep in mind that (1) I don't eat the tentacles, and (2) I only eat it fried with spicy sauce for dipping. They delivered a platter that looked a bit light in color, and I was worried it wouldn't be cooked all the way through (to me there's nothing worse than under - or over - cooked calamari). My God, I wished I hadn't offered to share with my boss and my client! It was SO delicious, tender, served with smoked salt (for dipping) and green peppercorn aioli. I chowed down and ate it all. Except, I admit, the one tentacle they included on the platter...

Then for lunch I had the Jamieson Crab Cake Sandwich: a "crispy crab cake , old bay aioli, buttery brioche roll." It was too small. Not in real life, just for my appetite once I tasted it! It was the perfect size for lunch if you wanted to be full but not feel guilty for overeating. But it was so delicious that I wanted it to be twice the size!

And the star of the show, as pictured above, Blackberry Mint Tea, sold under the heading "Healthful Tonics and Teas." It was served hot, steeping over a pitcher of ice, with a glass of ice and a shot of simple syrup to sweeten it, if you so desired. I didn't personally find it necessary to sweeten the tea (I had it both ways, with and without the syrup), but then again, I'm an "unsweetened iced tea" sort of gal. I SO regretted not bringing my camera; I really wanted a picture of the way they served it, on a bamboo tray... Thank goodness Andi, my client, apparently never leaves home without her camera so she shot it and forwarded it to me this weekend! (And check out the teabag! Instead of a boring 'ole tag, it's a silk bag with a fabric tea leaf on the end!)

It takes so little to make me happy: food, drink, good company...

More later this week!

So far, so good...

I'm in Alexandria, VA, on a business trip with my boss. I have 2 meetings left; we've met with 3 of my accounts so far. Surprisingly, even though we didn't do any product presentations, even though we're not taking home orders for thousands of books, we've accomplished "some stuff."

We have an in now with an account that historically doesn't buy books from other vendors; they only resell their own publications. Well, they're involved with an education initiative that is directly related to one of our books - they're going to buy 500 copies!

And while following up on my emails, I got a lead on another potential order of 500 copies of another title, for another account.

Having a laptop and/or internet access is a HUGE help. Even though I can't accomplish everything, without access to our titlebase, I am able to stay on top of my emails and my voicemail aned that's BIG. This is the first time I've borrowed a company laptop, and I'll keep it as long as I can!

Heard some great things about my job performance and what people think of me, people who, by the way, I am not convinced I like... Her opinion of me surprised me; I didn't think that she was that observant... And another ex-co-worker had lunch with our CEO and told him she knew me and that I was an asset to the company... Thanks, Claudia!

It's been raining for, it seems, 40 days and 40 nights... Okay, seriously, it's been raining for about 4 days and 4 nights... Just seems like 40!!! Today the sun came out around lunchtime. I tell you, these days I'm convinced I suffer from some type of Seasonal Disorder. The sun came out after lunch today and all I wanted to do was raise my face to it and soak in the rays!

Mom's old friend Elaine called - all three of her children are (gasp!) married, AND there are three grandchildren!! OMG!!

Well, it's about 11:22pm and I sill have to take out my contacts, wash my face and go to bed. Last night I crashed about 11:20, fell asleep until 12:22am, then fell asleep again, woke up again at 5:04am, and then dozed on and off until 7am.

Toodles!

How many days 'til Christmas?

Okay, it's been almost 20 years that I've been with my husband, counting pre-marriage, and I've ALWAYS been the Christmas ringer-inner! The holiday had some not-so great memories for him during and immediately after his divorce.

But I've always been such a Christmas baby, totally unrelated, by the way, to the fact that my birthday is a week before Christmas! I decorate whatever stays still long enough to have tinsel attached!

But today, October 25th, TWO MONTHS BEFORE Christmas, my darling husband is outside hanging Christmas lights on our lakeside deck. We spent ten minutes deciding colored bulbs or white icicles. Although white lights are my favorite, I went with colored bulbs 'cause Jack likes them...

We just went outside to check them out - and except for a couple places where we have to clip them up closer to the railing, we're on our way to being decorated for Christmas! Well, we're on our way to starting our Christmas decorating...

My SIL and BIL are in Puerto Rico, relaxing in what I hope is much warmer weather than we're having here in NJ. They deserve a restful vacation - there's a lot of stress in their lives and I hope they have a GREAT few days!

I leave on Tuesday for Alexandria, VA, on business, not for fun. It's a nice town, one I always enjoy visiting. We're having at least two VERY important meetings, along with a few "meet and greet" ones, and for sure, I don't have busy 10 hour days planned. We'll have quite a bit of free time... I'm borrowing a laptop from work so I can stay on top of my emails, at least... although my message will clearly say I have "limited" access to email and I'll refer them all to Customer Service unless it can wait until Friday, when I return... It's just too hard to stay on top of everything when you don't have all you need at your fingertips...

I'll be staying in the Sheraton Suites in Alexandria; they have some beautiful hotel rooms, that's for sure! I'll post some pictures next week (or over the weekend).

I picked up some fabric scraps from my mom so I can practice my sewing. I also will be hemming an old sheer curtain for our 2nd floor bath so it doesn't have to hang down into the tub.

I've completed a page in my art journal - I had started it before but I didn't like it so I painted over it and started again. I even added some paint to some other pages, so that I'm not looking at a totally blank canvas - that can be intimidating. It was fun getting paint all over me!

Well, more while I'm away...