5 on Friday

Greetings and Happy Friday!  I hope you all had a great week.  I had a quick trip to Jacksonville for work this week.  It was really, really nice to get away for a little bit, even if it was for work and was for less than 24 hours.  The change of scenery was good for me.

Here's 5 things on my mind this Friday...

1.  I have my doctor's appointment this morning and am crossing my fingers and toes that I get to ditch the boot and get cleared to do some cardio.  I don't expect him to say I can return to running right away but I hope I can at least swim or bike as now, more than ever, I really could use some endorphins.

2.  I once again have a weekend void of any social plans.  I used to kind of like those weekends when I lived in Minneapolis.  Now I really dislike them.  I tried to make plans for Saturday night but had no luck.  This whole not having friends things is REALLY REALLY hard.  I know I need to try to join meet-up groups and other things like that, but it's tough to that with my inflexible CFA study schedule.  Operations Make Friends will commence after the CFA.  And hopefully Operation Make Friends helps on the Operation Stop Hating Charlotte front.

3.  Speaking of the CFA exam, my first 2 practice tests went pretty well.  I will take 2 more this weekend and hopefully they go well so I can start feeling a bit more confident about the exam.

4.  I am really thankful for the ability to video chat with friends that live far away and am looking forward to chats with Amber and Alli on Sunday.

5.  Lastly, Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there - especially my mom who is a faithful reader of this blog.  I wish I could celebrate with her and my grandma, but will definitely be thinking of them from afar!!

What's on your mind today?

Read This: Still Alice

I know book review posts are probably not among my most popular posts, but as an avid reader, when I stumble upon a great book, I almost feel obligated to spread the word - especially since so many friends come to me for book suggestions.  I read Still Alice, by Lisa Genova, in the span of 3 days of a week that I spent 26 hours CFA studying - so that says a lot for how good of a book it was as clearly I had a very busy weekend.  (Special thanks to Emily for mailing me her copy of the book!)  In this book, we meet Alice Howard, a prominent professor of psychology at Harvard University.  She is 50 years of age and has started to become a little bit forgetful.  It starts with small things like losing her phone charger, or not being able to recall a word she wanted to use during a presentation - small moments of forgetfulness that she chocked up to the aging process.

But then one day, at the end of her run in an area she is very familiar with, she finds herself lost.  She can not place where she is or which way she should turn to go back home.  This spell lasts for a couple of minutes before everything comes back into focus and she finds her way home.  She ends up visiting her GP who tests her for a wide range of things but finds nothing wrong. But Alice knows in her gut that something is off so she insists on seeing a neurologist and is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.

In the book, we follow along on her journey through this disease.  At times, it made me uncomfortable or anxious to read this book because the author does such a good job of making the reader feel what Alice is feeling - the frustration, the embarrassment, the fear over what is to come, the shame. 

The book is a work of fiction, but the author has a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University, so while it is fiction, it is also reality.  The book brings up a lot of decisions that someone suffering from this disease, and their offspring, will have to make.  Issues such as whether children of those with early onset Alzheimer's should be tested for the genetic mutation that causes early onset Alzheimer's.  Questions like whether you should reproduce if you know you have this genetic mutation as your offspring would then have a 50/50 chance of also having this genetic mutation.  It brings up issues like the fact that there is sadly a sense of shame and private nature to this illness. Instead of a battle that is waged in public against diseases like cancer, the battle against this disease is a quiet, private one.

Over the course of reading this book, it took on a personal meaning for me as someone close to me, whose story is not mine to tell, is dealing with this as their parent has early onset Alzheimer's.  It breaks my heart to read this book and see how the disease will progress and to know that this person in my life will have to go through all of this.

While this book is fiction, I think it has a purpose.  The earlier that Alzheimer's disease is detected, the sooner they can start treatment and the slower a person will (hopefully) regress.  In Alice's situation, the doctor's initial diagnosis was that the forgetfulness was a side effect of menopause, but because of Alice's insistence to see a specialist, she was accurately diagnosed.  The book is sort of a call to arms to ask questions and follow your gut if something really feels off.  After all, when it comes to our health, we have to be our own advocates.

So if you are looking for a moving, powerful book - read this.

Have you read this book?  When is the last time you read a book that really impacted you?

First Month in Charlotte: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Well, my first month in Charlotte has come and gone.  It wasn't my best month, but it went fairly fast.  When I drive around to Target or church or wherever, I still keep thinking, "I can't believe I live here..."  I have not been out and about all that much, mostly because wearing the boot makes it difficult to walk around much (and I am not supposed to walk around much so my foot can heal) and even driving is a pain since it's my right foot that is injured so I have to change into a different driving brace, then change back into the boot when I get to where I am going.  And it is all just a hassle.  So I have been a bit of a recluse this month.  That WILL change after the CFA exam, and hopefully by getting out more, my attitude towards Charlotte will shift as well.

I think the best way to sum up my first month is to share the good, the bad, and the ugly side of my first month here...

The good...
- I like working on the trading floor here.  There is a tangible buzz and I enjoy being part of a team.  When my former boss left the company last August, I went from being part of a partnership to being a bit of an island.  It is nice to have co-workers to bounce ideas off and it is nice to have colleagues who are willing to read/edit articles I write.


- I have been traveling less.  Most of my trips this year were to Charlotte so now that I am living here, my travel has been reduced significantly, which is a good thing as traveling during CFA study season is VERY difficult.  I will be traveling more after the test but it will be much more manageable and not an every week kind of things like it was in Feb/March.

- I found a church that I really like which reminds me a lot of my favorite church in the Minneapolis area.  They have a Theology on the Vine (i.e. learn more about the Catholic faith over wine) social event for young adults so I am going to check this out after the CFA exam.

The bad...
- It's lonely.  I knew it would be, but it's still hard.  I have a couple of friends, but it's different to go from having so many friends, I couldn't see them as often as I'd like to having, well, about 2 friends.  I miss Phil.  I miss making dinner for him and playing cribbage; I miss his hugs.  I miss coffee dates and lunch dates with friends. Moving to a new city alone at the age of 32 when everyone else around your age is settled in their lives makes moving and making new friends particularly difficult.

- There are way too few coffee shops.  No really.  I'm not kidding.  My latte Friday tradition has died because it would honestly take me an extra half hour to walk to a coffee shop.  There is one coffee shop by work but they don't serve vanilla lattes (what in the what?).  I guess I am saving myself $5/week, but it still bums me out.  Allegedly a Starbucks will be opening in the lobby of my building.  I really hope this happens.

- I have had to cancel trips I had planned - like my trip to Oregon for my friend Lauren's wedding.  Now that I have to budget for plane tickets home, I just couldn't do a big vacation this year.  I am SO bummed. :(

The ugly...
- The company I work for acquired another large company during the financial crisis (some may say we saved this other company). I went from living in the land of the acquirer to living in the land of the acquiree.  I know mergers/acquisition are not equitable to all parties involved.  People lose jobs and business practices are changed.  Now I get to hear all about how awful my employer is.  It's not fun and while I am listening to the airing of grievances, I try to kindly remind the person that I am currently living in a city I never would have choose to live in as a result of that acquisition, so it hasn't exactly been all sunshine and rainbows for employees of the acquirer either.

- I've cried. A lot.  Sometimes for reasons related to the move, sometimes because of things happening to people I care about back home, sometimes for really no reason at all.  But to be clear - I am not depressed.  And I personally think crying is healthy.  Most of the things bringing me down in life are situational, 'this, too, shall pass' kind of scenarios, so things will get better eventually.  I think having the stress of the CFA behind me and being able to do cardio again will help as I have so much stress right now and no outlets for it.

So there you have it!  Here's hoping that as the month pass, each month gets a little bit better.  

From the Land of Ma'am: A French Connection

After living in Charlotte for about 3 weeks, I figured it was time to venture out and check out some of the local restaurants.  After searching around a bit on a website that recommended gluten free-friendly restaurants, I was excited to see that there was a crepe place that offered gluten free crepes!

For those who have read my France blog, you may recall that I am a bit obsessed with crepes (or gallettes, as they refer to the savory ones in France), as evidence by this post, this post and this post. I haven't had a crepe since Paris as I haven't been able to track down any gluten free ones! But lucky Crispy Crepe does offer gluten free ones. 

Since I was there for an actual meal instead of dessert, I started off with a savory Egg & Veggie Cheddar crepe which had caramelized onions, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, and spinach.

It was very good!  It's obviously not a traditional French crepe as you would never see cheddar in a crepe in France, but it was still very good.  I especially loved the roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions.

I had intentionally eaten a light lunch as I knew I was going to want to get dessert.  They had a lot of great options, but I ended up going with a traditional banana and nutella crepe!

It was SO good.  I wish I would have had someone to share it with as it was a lot of food, but hopefully next time I go back, I will have a friend in toe.

I could see myself going to this place for a post-church brunch some Sunday after the CFA is behind me.  Others around me had coffee drinks that looked so good, so I am looking forward to trying one of their coffee drinks next time. I will say that eating alone was a little challenging.  I eat alone all the time when I am traveling, but it's different to do that when on a trip versus in your every day life. So my fingers are crossed that I make some friends soon so that all my Charlotte adventures don't have to be solo.

Have you ever had a crepe?  I discovered them on my first trip to Paris in 2008 and fell in love.  I like how they don't make you feel super full since the crepe is light and thin.

Book Review: The Bequest of Big Daddy

When one of the tour arrangers for TLC Book Tours found out that I was moving to the south, she contacted me to see if I'd like to review this book since it is set in the south.  The Bequest of Big Daddy by Jo-Ann Costa tells the story of Big Daddy. Big Daddy was one of those 'larger than life' types with a past that is nothing short of jaw dropping. The book starts off at the end of his life, but quickly flashes back to when his live began during the Civil War era. 

Costa weaves the fictional tale of Big Daddy's life together with stories of the hardships he encountered (such as being essentially disowned by his own mother) to trouble with the law to becoming an entrepreneur and making a name for himself.  It was interesting and fun to read a book set in a region of the country that I now call home. While I certainly do not live in the heart of the south, I do live close by and the area I live was certainly influenced by the events of the past, such as the Civil War. 

All in all it was an entertaining read.  I can't say that Big Daddy was the most likeable character, between his philandering way of life and violent streak, but it was still an entertaining read.

Feeling Blessed

Ok, so clearly this transition from Minneapolis to Charlotte has not been easy for me, to say the least...  But I will say that while I am going through a difficult time, I have been reminded that I am very blessed with wonderful family and friends who have done as much as they can to make this transition better. 

Besides lots of emails, texts, and phone calls from friends checking in, I have also been on the receiving end of a whole lot of mail, packages, and other fun surprises.  The concierge emails me every time something is delivered for me and it makes going home just a little bit more exciting knowing I have something waiting there for me.

Here are some of the fun things I've received over the last 3 weeks!

Beautiful flowers from my parents, which lasted over a week!

I received my first macaron of the month club delivery that my 3 best girlfriends from college got me.  These arrived the day after I found out about my stress fracture, so the timing of their delivery was impeccable...

Becky sent an out-of-this-world care package!  The guide of awesome really IS awesome.  I can't wait to be done studying so I can check out some of the activities Becky highlights!

Lots and lots of snail mail (I have received more than is pictured)!  In a single day, I received 2 Paris-themed cards, and a book set in Paris (from Kelly).  My friends know me well.  Not pictured:  the sea salt chocolate bar Kelly sent that I consumed...  The note cards in the top left corner are the addressed note cards my friends gave out at my going away party - super thoughtful of them, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

So yes, I have been spoiled.  But as tough as these past 3+ weeks have been, I do feel very very blessed.

Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of April

I'm back!

So April.  Not my best month.  It included a cross-country move, finding out I have a stress fracture and torn tendon and to top things off, the business trip home at the end of the month that I was SO looking forward to got cancelled as the client cancelled the meeting. So yah, I'm not sad that April is over.  Onwards and upwards, though.  I have low expectations for May as it's the last month before the CFA which is always a super stressful month for me. But June?  June better be freaking awesome!

Music:



Come Home by One Republic - I love any song that includes piano and strings, so I love this song.  

Books:

Well, I work longer hours now as the Charlotte office has a different approach to work/life balance...  Add in the fact that I studied 86 hours this month and spent a good part of the month unpacking/settling in and that doesn't leave much time for reading. So it was another somewhat lower reading month for me.

Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans - This was a sequel to a book I read last week.  It was a fast, easy read which was what I needed.  My brain really can not handle anything that requires a whole lot of concentration these days as CFA studying has completely fried my brain.

The Bequest of Big Daddy Jo-Ann Costa - I'll be reviewing this for a TLC book tour later this week.

The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern - I'll be reviewing this next month for a TLC book tour.

Miles:

Ha. Miles.  Um, I think I ran 8 before getting my injury diagnosis.  So that's awesome.  I'm looking forward to ditching the boot (hopefully at my follow-up a week from Friday) as I can't even walk to work right now so I am barely doing anything these days, besides some ab work and upper body strength training. I hope I get cleared to at least bike or swim so I can reintroduce cardio into my life.


Looks:

Well, there's this...

 I rocked that look at the wedding I went to last month.  The boot is clearly a classy edition to any outfit.. I mean the boot + heel combo is out of this world.  #sarcasm

Last month I wanted to share my going away party outfit, but didn't have photos yet.  I do now, so here is a photo.  I've already worn those coral pants a couple of times.  I love me some colored pants.  The other people in the photo are my 2 best local friends and their husbands - I definitely REALLY miss them!

Also, the CFA exam is 1 month from today.  In other words, in 31 days I will actually have a life again.