Inaugural Girls Trip: Myrtle Beach

I am finally getting around to recapping my girls trip to Myrtle Beach that was now over a week ago!  The idea of this trip was born over Easter weekend when I was spending one last weekend with my family before moving to Charlotte.  I think in an effort to cheer me up a bit, someone said - 'hey we'll come to Charlotte and do a girls trip in the area!'

And thus, the idea of a trip was born!  I have to say, I am pretty amazed that we pulled this off as it's not the first time we've talked about doing a girls trip.  The husbands were equally skeptical - but so happy when we actually booked our trips, reserved our hotel, and made it happen.

Myrtle Beach was chosen as a location as my parents have a time share which had an ocean-side location in Myrtle Beach.  To be quite honest, I had not heard the best things about Myrtle Beach (I had been told it was tacky/touristy/etc), but I will say it totally surpassed my expectations. We were there to spend time together, eat fresh seafood, and spend time by the ocean so for what we looking for Myrtle Beach was just great.

I'll let the pictures (mostly) do the talking!

Abby was the first one to fly in, so went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Cabo Fish Taco, which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  I love their fish tacos!

The rest of the family flew in late Wednesday night, so after I picked them up we went directly to my apartment and straight to bed as we had a full day ahead of us!  On Thursday morning, we hit the road and arrived in Myrtle Beach around 2 pm.  After lunch, we hit the pool and beach!

The views of the ocean were amazing and it was relaxing for me to walk along the shore

On Friday morning, we woke up without alarms which is the best feeling ever.  I have been struggling with sleep lately, but luckily slept really well on this trip.  I started each morning with a workout in the hotel gym and then we had a leisurely breakfast on our balcony where we enjoyed this view!!

On Friday morning, we drove down to Pawley's Island which was just south of MB for some shopping.  I found some awesome olive oil and balsamic vinegar there so was happy with my purchases.  Abby and I found these hammocks so relaxed for a bit while the others wrapped up their shopping.

We had lunch at this cute bistro called Bistro 217.  A friend had recommended it to me and it did not disappoint!  It was one of my favorite meals of the trip!

We finally got a picture together!  On the left is my mom, sister Abby, and me.  On the right is my sister Emily, SIL Julie, and SIL Emily. (Yes, I have a sister AND SIL with the name Emily!)

We spent Friday afternoon relaxing on the beach, reading and walking along the ocean.

There are few things more relaxing that having your feet in the sand a good book in your hand

A storm started to blow in so we headed back to the room and got ready for dinner.

Since we were on the coast, we enjoyed a lot of fresh seafood.  It's tough to pick a favorite meal, but one of my favorites was this seafood muddle that I had on Friday night.  It has mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp in it.  Yum!

On Saturday morning it was overcast, so we did a little shopping, had lunch and then hit the pool when the cloudy weather had passed.

Abby and my 2 SILs - who are really more like sisters

On Saturday night, we had one last seafood dinner out before retiring for the night.  We knew we had an early morning on Sunday so we were in bed fairly early.

On Sunday morning, I snapped one last photo of the view from our room and we headed back to Charlotte as my mom, sister, and SIL had a 3 pm flight.

All in all, this vacation was really relaxing and wonderful.  It was nice to wake up without alarms and see where the day would take us.  I really enjoyed all the walks on the beach and hearing the crashing waves of the ocean. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of memories were made.  I'm sure we'll be telling stories from this trip for years to come!

I hope this is the first of many girls trips.  We are going to try to plan one every 2 years and select destinations where my parents can swap out their time share as that makes it a very affordable vacation for everyone.  Right now we are tossing around the idea of Miami in 2015!

Do you do girls trips with your family or friends?  My running trips that I tend to do almost yearly are definitely girl trips and they are so so fun. 

30 Days of Gratitude: the Last Installment

Well, the 30 Days of Gratitude has come to an end.  This was a really good exercise for me as it really forced me to look for the good in life.  October has been an awesome month with all of my travels, so that helped me have a more positive attitude about this, but this past week has been tough for me as I had to say goodbye to my family when they left on Sunday/Monday which is always tough for me.  I so badly wanted to be the one getting dropped off at the airport instead of being the person who actually lives here in Charlotte, but it is what it is.

I also had a really busy week as I had evening commitments and a day trip to Columbus and whenever I get overtired, I struggle with things a bit more, so I am really happy that the weekend is here.

Without further ado, here are the final days of gratitude prompts:

Today I felt supported (by a person, the Universe, God) when my mom came with me to pick up the rental car and acknowledged that the road system in Charlotte really IS confusing.  It was nice to have someone say - yes, this is confusing, it's not just you.

When I look around my home, I'm grateful for the fact that I am financially able to live alone as that is the best living arrangement for me.  I'm also thankful for my love of reading and the many books that line the 6 shelves of the bookshelves in my home.  When you walk into my apartment, it's very apparent that I am a reader.

When I look around at the world, I'm grateful for the beauty of the world we live in, from the beautiful ocean beaches to the mountains to the simple beauty of a field of sunflowers to the beauty of iconic cities such as New York, Chicago, and Paris.  There is so much beauty out there, and for that I am grateful.

I love that I have the ability to daydream about my November trip to Paris and all the things I will see and do - and I am especially thankful that those daydreams will become reality!

I love it when I see animals in zoos.  Ha.  I am not really an animal person so don't really need or want to encounter them in my day to day life (I know this makes me sound like a cold person, I swear I'm not).

The nicest thing I felt on my skin today was the warm shower water after a good morning workout.

I'm grateful I'm learning to be a bit more kind to myself.  Practicing self-compassion is something I am working towards.

These gratitude posts were definitely good for me and the good news is that I have also kept up a daily gratitude journal where I find one positive thing to say about every day!  November is just around the corner, which means my 10 Days of Thanksgiving post series (feel free to participate!) is around the corner so this attitude of gratitude will continue to be a theme in my life!

What is one thing you are grateful for right now and what was the best moment of your week?  I am grateful for all of the travel opportunities I have had this month and the best part of my week was when my boss brought some macarons back for me when he went out for lunch yesterday.  It was so nice and so unexpected.

10 Days Away: Chicago Part II

Well I better press on with the Chicago recap before we cross over into November (how crazy that October will be over in a week!).

The subtitle to these posts about Chicago could really be the time I really fell head-over-heels in love with Chicago.  I have always enjoyed my time in Chicago, but this time I REALLY enjoyed it.  While I spent part of the time vacationing there, I also worked part of the week (and have worked there about 4-5 times) so I feel like I have a somewhat realistic impression of what life in Chicago would be like - or as good of an impression as you can have while not actually living there!  We will see what the future holds, but I would be happy if it included a Minneapolis OR Chicago zip code.

Anyways, back to the post at hand.  On Saturday morning we woke up and headed up to the Lakeview area to meet up with Nora & her husband, and a bunch of other bloggers!  I had not seen Nora since her wedding last October so we were so overdue for some face time!  I am really glad she was able to detour into the city on the way home from her vacation so I could see her in person. 

So happy to be reunited!

Amber had never met Nora in person so this meet-up was a long time in the making as we have all been blog friends since 2009 I believe!

All the bloggers/tweeters that came to breakfast!  I was so busy catching up with Nora, I didn't get as much of a chance to talk to the others as I would have liked!

After brunch, we headed back into downtown, checked out a bakery, walked around Millennium park for the obligatory bean photos, and then headed over to the shores of Lake Michigan, where we utilized the Divvy bike share program to bike along the shores of Lake Michigan. 

Chicago is so pretty!

After our afternoon of adventures, we met up with Lauren and headed up to Nilsa's condo as she was kind enough to host us for some pre-marathon carb loading!  It was so fun to have a low key night in - and a homecooked meal which is something I especially appreciated after my string of meals out.  Nilsa and her husband have a soon-to-be-3-year old son, Gavin.  I sadly do not have any pictures to share, but it was definitely a very fun and delicious night.  They even had salted caramel GF cupcakes which were divine.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went to bed fairly early.

Sunday morning - race day - quickly came.  I got up with the girls and we snapped a photo together before they headed off to the starting corrals.

The morning of the race was another tough morning for me.  I was excited for my friends, but sad that I was not going to be running the race with them.  I let myself experience those feelings of sadness but quickly cheered myself up a bit by picking up a PSL - with whip - before heading out to meet up with Nilsa, my spectating partner in crime.

It was such a beautiful morning. I had tear-stained cheeks, but a smile on my face as I headed up to the 10 mile mark

 It really helped to meet up with Nilsa as my excitement over spending time with her offset my sad feelings.  We met up at mile 10 and cheered there for about 2 hours and were able to see Amber, Anais, Lauren, Lauren's husband, and some of my Minneapolis run club friends!  Finding faces in a crowd of 40,000+ runners was difficult at times!

After seeing everyone at mile 10, Nilsa and I hopped onto the Divvy bikes and biked down to mile 15 - I left her there and proceeded onto mile 20 as she was hoping to meet up with Amber to run miles 15-20 with her (which sadly didn't end up working out as we just missed Amber).

I heart the divvy bike system - such a great and inexpensive way to get around!

I made it to mile 20 with just minutes to spare before Anais came through - but she was all smiles!

Amber was maybe 10 minutes behind her so I did not have to wait long, and she was also smiling and in good spirits! 

 After that I met up with Nilsa at an L station and we headed down to Millennium park to meet up with Amber and Anais at the finish.  It was another great opportunity to get some more one-on-one time with Nilsa.  We talked a lot about what it would be like if I moved to Chicago - she will definitely be an amazing resource when/if that happens!

The rest of Sunday was fairly low key.  We enjoyed some Garrett's popcorn (I love that stuff!) and then went to a pizza place for dinner that served Chicago-style deep dish pizza - and also had a GF option for me!  Yea!

Of course, Monday morning came too fast, which meant I had to say my good byes to Amber and Anais.  I walked to the train station and snapped one last photo of Chicago.

I know that there is a widely held belief that you should be able to be happy anywhere, but I truly believe that there are some cities where it's easier to be happy.  Chicago is one of those cities for me.  I love that it's a large city with a great public transit system and a tangible buzz, but it also has great outdoor spaces and access to water.  Every time I visit Chicago, it sort of feels like coming home - which is a feeling I never have had and honestly never will have about Charlotte.  That's not a knock against Charlotte - it's knowing who I am and what I value in a city.  And I certainly value what Chicago has to offer.

Are there other cities you visit that you feel you could call home?  Besides Minneapolis, I also feel like I could call Chicago, New York, and Paris home as they all have a feeling of 'rightness' when I visit them.  Of that list, the only places I would realistically call home are Minneapolis and Chicago as I know I am meant to live in the Midwest.

Why I Loved Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

I feel like I was among the last kids on the block to hear about Brene Brown.  But luckily I have friends like Amy and Lauren who mentioned her work on their blogs which sparked my curiosity and led me to borrow her book, Daring Greatly, from the library in September.  It's a great book.  Those who liked Cheryl Strayed Tiny Beautiful Things or Glennon Melton's Carry On Warrior will also enjoy this book.  It's all about letting down your guard and showing your vulnerability.

I borrowed this book from the library, but it's one that I'll definitely be picking up for my collection as it's the kind of book I know I would reference again.  Here are a selection of passages that illustrate why I loved this book.

Scarcity thrives in a culture where everyone is hyperaware of lack.  Everything from safety and love to money and resources feels restricted or lacking.  We spend inordinate amounts of time calculating how much we have, want, and don't have, and how much everyone else has, needs, and wants.  What makes this constant assessing and comparing so self-deating is that we are often comparing our lives, our marriages, our families, and our communities to unattainable, media-driven visions of perfection, or we've holding up our reality again our own fictional account of how great someone else has it.

Yet another reminder to stop comparing our lives to others.  We don't know the half of it most of the time, so comparing is such a waste of time.

I did believe that I could opt out of feeling vulnerable, so when it happened - when the phone rang with unimaginable news; or when i was scared; or when I loved so fiercely that rather than feeling gratitude and joy I could only prepare for loss - I controlled things. I managed situations and micro-managed the people around me.  I performed until there was no energy left to feel.  I made what was uncertain certain, no matter what the cost.  I stayed so busy that the truth of my hurting and my fear could never catch up.  I looked brave on the outside and felt scared on the inside.

Yep, one of my defenses against dealing with things is staying so busy and traveling that I don't have time to sit down and process things happening in my life.  I pretty much have trips planned 2 weekends/month through February 2014...  it's my defense against dealing with living in Charlotte, and it works for me, but eventually I am probably going to have to slow down and deal with some of the emotions I am trying to stave off by traveling so much.

"You're not a bad person.  You're a very good person who bad things have happened to.  Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  We've all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the part we choose to act on.  That's who we really are."

This is a quote from a Harry Potter book that she shared that is so relevant to me.  Sometimes I feel bad about how ragey I feel about living in Charlotte.  But I need to remember that we all have some dark parts inside of us and what matters most is not acting on them.  I will admit that I totally act on the ragey thoughts when driving in Charlotte as it brings out Lisa Dotzenrage, but oh well.  We all have our faults.

Don't try to win over the haters; you are not the jackass whisperer.

Yes.  This.

What is the last book you read that really inspired you or made you think about your life differently?

10 Days Away: Chicago Part I

Greetings and Happy Monday!  I had a fabulous getaway with my mom, sisters, and sisters-in-law!  Time by the ocean was just what my soul needed.  But more on that later - I'm so behind on life and trip recaps, I need to share my Chicago experience before moving onto my Myrtle Beach getaway!!

Since I spent almost a full week in Chicago, I decided to break this up into two posts!  When I last left off, I had left Minneapolis after 4 fabulous days there.  I flew into Chicago on a Tuesday night, worked Wednesday and Thursdays and then had Friday-Monday morning to enjoy with my friends that were flying in to run the Chicago marathon.  This trip was a long time in the making as Amber, Lauren, Anais, and I decided that our next big marathon would be the Chicago marathon.  The trip obviously ended up being a very different trip for me than I imagined, but I still had a wonderful time.  To be completely honest, there were some very difficult moments on this trip for me, which is to be expected as I am still mourning the fact that running isn't part of my life, probably won't be for awhile, and the fact that it's pretty much out of the question for me to run another marathon.  But - I still had an amazing time as I was surrounded by good friends and in one of my favorite cities!

Anyways back to the recap at hand - I worked Wednesday and Thursday and was able to meet up with different friends that live in the Chicago area both nights.  After meeting a friend for tea on Thursday, I headed out for dinner and ended up checking out Rick Bayless's quick-service cafe, Xoco, which was SO good.  After a string of busy work days, it was nice to have a quiet dinner, read a book, and walk around Chicago.

The view walking along West Wacker Drive.

Chips & salsa, a delicious seafood soup, and a walk along Michigan Avenue

Amber & Anais got in around 10:30 on Thursday night and were starving so we headed to a local pub.  We were so excited to all be together, we totally forgot to take any pictures!  We were all pretty tired at this point, so we headed back to the hotel as we had a full day on Friday!

On Friday morning we got up, grabbed lattes at Starbucks, and headed to the Nike store to catch the shuttle to the marathon expo.  It was a beautiful fall day!

Stripes + lattes all around = a good morning

We hopped onto the shuttle to the marathon and met up with Lauren and Pete.  The expo was MASSIVE but so well organized.  It was definitely the best race expo I have been to.  Even though I was not running the marathon, I picked up my packet as I figured I might as well get my t-shirt.

What is not but might have been

Honestly I had been doing pretty well with the whole not being able to run the marathon emotions.  Until I got to the expo.  It was hard and there were some tears.  Luckily I had good friends around me to offer up hugs and words of encouragement.  They didn't make me feel bad for being so sad about not being able to run.  I rallied fairly quickly, though, and still had fun walking around the expo.

After the expo, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed over to the Chicago River for the Chicago Architectural Foundation architectural riverboat tour.  This is something I had wanted to do for years, but the weather has never cooperated or I haven't had enough time on past trips.  Luckily, the weather was perfect on this trip as it was sunny and 75 degrees!  

View from where we started the tour

 I highly recommend this tour as we saw so much of the city and I learned so much about the various skyscrapers and buildings.  Also, as a person who is considering a future move to Chicago, it was interesting to learn more about the different neighborhoods and see them from a different perspective.

After the tour, we grabbed some tea and relaxed a bit before heading up to the Lakeview area for a Thai dinner and the Blue Man Group show, which was very entertaining and a fun thing to do while in Chicago.  Our first full day together in Chicago was amazing, but the days only seemed to get better and better!  Stay tuned for more...

Have you been to Chicago? If so, what is your favorite thing to do there?  I loved the architectural tour, but also love just walking around and of course checking out the bean!

30 Day of Gratitude: Weeks 3 and 4

Happy Friday, and greetings from Myrtle Beach!  I am in the midst of my getaway with my mom, sisters, and sisters-in-law, but am already a week behind on my gratitude posts, so didn't want to get even further behind.

I have to say, participating in this challenge has been really good for me.  I feel like I have felt much more upbeat this month.  Granted, I have done a lot of fun traveling and seen a lot of family and friends, which obviously helps, but I also think practicing an attitude of gratitude has helped as well.

The best song I heard today was Your Man by Five For Fighting. This is my new favorite song and I listen to it a lot. 

When I look inside my closet, I'm grateful for the fact that I have figured out how to dress my body and feel good in what I wear.  I'm also grateful that Banana Republic sends me so many 40% off coupons as it's helped me stock my closet with high quality clothes that I love.

I'm lucky that I'm smart enough to figure out how to study for and pass the CFA exams.  I don't like to put lucky and the CFA in the same sentence, but I guess I am lucky that I built the way I am (i.e. very disciplined).

In this moment, the things I love most about my friends are that they are so supportive, always there for me, give me their honest opinion on things, and make me smile and laugh, among countless other things.

I'm grateful that my hands can hold the small hands of my nephews and friends children.  I am so thankful for all the kids in my life.

The prettiest thing I saw today was the view of the Chicago River when I walked along West Wacker Drive on the way to my hotel.

When I look in the mirror, I'm grateful for the fact that I have reached a point where for the most part, I like what I see.

Three of my most prized possessions are a teacup/saucer my grandma gave me, a wishbone necklace my cousin gave me (which was my CFA good luck charm), and the journal my mom kept of my senior year of high school with her thoughts, reflections, and advice.  It's the most special gift I have ever received, and was a total surprise.

I'm grateful that my eyes let me see all the good things about marathon day.  It was a hard day for me as I was signed up to run it, and I struggled initially, but once I got out on the course, my eyes were opened to the excitement of the day and I still had a blast - even if I participated in a different way than I had imagined when I planned the marathon trip.

The things I would never change about myself include my strong sense of faith, my love of numbers and reading, my trait of being a type-A planner, and my love for traveling.

The best thing I tasted today was the grilled salmon that I had the business meeting lunch I attended.

I love going online to connect with others who I would not have had the opportunity to meet if not for blogging.  I have formed so many friendships with people scattered across the globe - I can't imagine my life without them.

I'm grateful for the way these things feel:a warm mug of coffee in my hands, a hug from a family member or friend, the comfort of crawling into my comfy bed at the end of the day, and the feeling at the end of a long run (hopefully I'll get to experience that feeling again in 2014).

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I am having the best time with my mom, sisters, and sisters-in-law.  I feel so blessed that we get to spend an entire weekend together!  Life is good.

10 Days Away: Minneapolis

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  Even though I just got back from my 10 day trip to Minneapolis/Chicago on Monday afternoon, I am packing my bags again and will be heading to the coast with my family tomorrow morning.  Phew!  October is going to be a whirlwind!!  No complaints here as it's all fun stuff.

But before time escapes from me, I wanted to start to recap my 10 days away.  Even though 10 days seemed like a long time to be gone, it actually went by remarkably fast!  I started off my trip by flying into Minneapolis 2 Fridays ago.  I had been looking forward to this weekend for quite awhile as the purpose of my trip was my cousin's wedding!  This is the daughter of my "Julia Child aunt & uncle" aka my St. Paul parents.  I've always been close to my all my aunts and uncles, but since moving to Minneapolis 10 years ago, I became very close to this family because I had the opportunity to spend more time with them.  I've spent holidays with them, we've of course done Julia Child night, and they participated in my ritualistic pre- and post-CFA dinners.  So I was VERY excited for my cousin's wedding as the closer you are to the couple getting married, the more special and fun it is to attend!

I flew in Friday night and met my parents at their hotel downtown.  I had non-stop family fun from Friday night through Sunday morning, and it was wonderful. 

My Saturday morning looked like this - a latte and time with 2 of my nephews!

It was nice to have some time in downtown Minneapolis as I got to show my parents more of the city center, which is an area they hadn't spent much time in.  We walked to brunch, did some shopping (well my mom and I did, we let my dad skip out on that) and of course hit up my favorite macaron shop!!

Yum!  A trip home isn't complete without some macarons.  We also tried a homemade GF oreo which was really yummy!

After an afternoon of family time, it was time for the big event!  The wedding was held at a beautiful mansion close to downtown Minneapolis.  It was such a beautiful event and venue.  I've never seen my cousin so happy; she definitely found her soul mate.  I had a great time chatting with family and dancing with my nephews!  Well, Andrew & James (pictured top left) would dance with me, Matthew (pictured bottom right) was a solo show on the dance floor!

The evening came and went incredibly fast.  It was a late night, followed by an early morning as I spectated the Twin Cities marathon the following morning.  I got to the start early enough to snap a shot of the runners from my running club.  I did have a tough moment when I walked into the metrodome where the runners all congregate as being around a marathon is hard for me as it's pretty unlikely that I will ever be able to run one again.  But the sadness went away quickly when I saw the people from my running club who were racing that day.

After wishing them all luck, my coach and I headed out to mile 17 to spectate.  I knew quite a few people running it so it was especially fun to cheer the runners on. The Twin Cities course is so beautiful, I snapped this shot from the area where we were spectating.

After the marathon, I met some friends for coffee and had dinner with Phil, so Sunday was a full day. 

I worked in the Minneapolis office on Monday and ended up having an unexpected free night that evening (which is a rare occasion on these trips home... they tend to be incredibly over-planned) and it was a beautiful night, so I laced up my tennis shoes and went for a walk through my old neighborhood.  It was a beautiful night and was a little bittersweet for me to walk through an area that I used to, but no longer, call home.

I worked in the office on Tuesday and then flew out to Chicago on Tuesday evening.

As usual, my time at home was wonderful.  I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to come home, but it is also a bittersweet experience because there is such a feeling of impermanence on these trips home.  While I am home, I try not to think about the fact that each trip will come to an end but it is easier said than done.  I also struggle with feelings of guilt over not seeing as many people as I would like.  I know I need to accept that I can't do everything and see everyone, but it's still hard as I need to balance time with family, friend, and time spent networking, and on this trip I had to fit in time at work as well.

But all that aside, I had a fabulous 4 days in Minneapolis.  And luckily I had 5 full days in Chicago ahead of me, so flying away from Minneapolis wasn't as difficult as it usually is... But my Chicago recap will have to wait until next week when I am back from Myrtle Beach!

If you have moved away from home, do you struggle to fit it all in when you return for a visit?  I know I put entirely too much pressure on myself and end up over-scheduling but I also think/hope this is a temporary phase and I will be back home, or closer to home, by next fall.