I am electrically challenged

No joke... in the last few weeks I have:

1. Pulled a camera out of my purse, had my work phone get tangled in the cord and watched it somersault through the air in slow motion landing PERFECTLY in a big cup of vodka lemonade... I mean, if I hadn't ruined the phone, it would have been the coolest thing I have ever seen...
2. LOST my internet card for work! I have looked high and low and the damn thing can NOT be found! It's driving me absolutely bonkers
3. Had my work printer get a paper jam, and promptly REFUSE to be repaired! My husband and I have both spent time trying to repair it, but our only success is that it has started printing half of a page before it goes....dead....

It's been ROUGH ladies! I think part of it easily can be attributed to the fact that I am a zombie trekking across the USA. I went from spending a full week in Denver Colorado which was all in all EXHAUSTING. I worked about 13 hour days and didn't stop until around midnight each night, martini in hand. After that, I headed to Portland, Oregon which completely just blew me away! It was an astonishingly beautiful city, so lush and green and gorgeous...I had so much fun, explored the city a bit and took lots of photos! I intended to share those photos...but then I got sent to Omaha Nebraska! Now, Kansas City is only about 3 hours from Omaha, so I decided to drive.... yeah.... I forgot that the entire midwest is FLOODED! I had to drive all the way up to Iowa and over to Omaha! It took me a rousing 6 hours! The week was a disaster, with one dissapoint after another... the only saving grace was that I got to spend it with my good friend Nuala! My boss sent the two of us.. I think she predicted it would be a disaster and didn't want either of us to spend it alone....

So I came back from Omaha, had to write a 15 page paper about the events that happened there...and promptly boarded a plane at 6am monday to head out to Chicago Illinois! The entire team met in Chicago to unveil a new program we are doing, and so I spent a week in classrooms and hospitals, led a full 5 hour classroom for 10 photographers, a regional director, 2 district managers and my entire team! I apparently did a phenomenal job and am ecstatic at how everything ended up :) After that I was sent, yet again, to Chicago.... it was a long week, lots of sad news...but I digress.

This week I am back in Kansas City, preparing lots of paperwork based off of our trial in Chicago. If all goes according to plan I get to be here for 3 full weeks before heading out to St. Louis!!!! I am soooo happy right now. Enjoying time with the hubby, getting a LOT of things accomplished and getting back to the gym...because damn girl... I need it!

Other highlights of the past few weeks:

♥   Being so tired I would laugh and cry at random moments.

♥   Meeting a guy in a hotel bar in a small town outside of Chicago, who recognized me as being the photographer who took pictures of his newborn in a small town in Texas back in March! Who also told me I was ridiculously awesome and an amazing trainer! He even pulled out his phone, which had the photos on it, to show me!

♥   Cocktails poolside reading a good book.

♥   Celebrating my 27th birthday, with my husband enjoying a delicious meal and getting a beautiful brand new bed! (photos to come soon!)

♥   Sweltering in this RIDICULOUS heat wave!!!!

♥   Starting, and finishing, my 7th grad school class! Only 5 to go and I have a Masters degree! The end is in sight

So happy to be home!

♥

Jenni

A Freaking Small World!

Tonight is my last night in Portland, so I wanted to make sure I went out and tried some delicious food. I looked up a few restaurants and just started walking. When I made it to Jake's Famous Crawfish restaurant, I decided it was perfect and went on inside.

I was seated at a lovely little table with some fresh sourdough bread, and when the waitress arrived to get my drink order she looked down at my necklace (the one I recently bought that is shaped like the state of Missouri) and said, "Is that Missouri?" I told her it was and she told me she was from Missouri. I told her I was from Kansas City, and she said she was from a small town right next to Kansas City! I asked her what town that was, and she said Independence! Holy freaking cow, I was born and raised in Independence, Missouri! She ended up having graduated from the same high school I attended, and one of the homes she lived in was only about 1 mile from my home I grew up in! We're talking, "go to the Aldi's and it's a few blocks down by the doughtnut shop" close! What a small world! As if I needed more reason as to why Portland is an amazing city! (And she gave me an AMAZING crab cake to try for free because I couldn't choose between that or the Salmon! 

What a fabulous city!

I can't wait to bring my husband back here!

♥

Jenni

Chillin' at the Holiday Inn

Where am I this Week?

 This week I am in Alton, Illinois... which is right outside of St. Louis, Mo!

When I travel for work I always book through Priceline. I name my own price, and shoot for the star rating I want, in the area I want to stay. I stay at a LOT of Holiday Inn's. Sometimes, they are great...Sometimes, they are falling apart. There really is no common thread between them all.

Luckily, this week's Holiday Inn isn't too shabby!

It's a little outdated (tube tv and worn-out dresser), the carpet has lost a little bit of its plushness....

but the bed is comfy, and they have a nice pool, hot tub AND sauna!

A 40 minute swim followed by a 10 minute hot sauna is fabulous!

Makes it a little easier to put up with the out of date look of the place.

Although, not as cool as the Holiday Inn pool from last week!!!

Jets, rock border and a waterfall coming down from the hot tub. It was nice :)

Now, i'm relaxing in my comfy bed, and I have to admit...

I am officially OBSESSED with "The Voice"!

It's so fantastic! I love the judges are blind to who the singer is, until they choose them. I have never been a fan of American Idol... but there is something about the anticipation with this show. The voices are AMAZING, and my heart beats a little faster each time I wait for a judge to hopefully turn around! Such a great feel-good show. I think American Idol is finally going down, and will be replaced by this fantastic new show. Although, I am curious if I will still like it once the teams have been chosen and the suspense is gone....

This weekend I finished a fantastic book.

I hadn't wanted to read it. I actually had already begun reading it once, and I put it down. Second time was a charm. While I found myself irritated throughout many parts of the book, it really kept my attention. A total roller coaster of emotion, and I have to admit that I REALLY want to see the movie now! It does help that Ms. Kate Hudson is in a starring role... I just love her in chick flicks! When she ventures to other genre's i'm not AS big of a fan... but How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Bride Wars, Alex & Emma.... she just does so great in them! 

The new book I am reading is....

I started a few weeks ago, and then had some issues with my Kindle. This morning I picked it back up, reading it on my back porch with a warm cup of coffee. I am completely drawn in, and already almost 1/2 of the way done! A real thriller, and it is keeping my attention for sure! I just love books that make it unable for me to put them down!

I hope everyone has a great week! 

The weather is supposed to be BEAUTIFUL here in St. Louis!

♥

Jenni

Week 1 in Memphis Tennesse...

Today Spencer and I had a wonderful day

good food, time with the puppies and a movie!

Right now I am preparing to head out for week 2 in Memphis, Tennessee,

but first, I wanted to show you all of the great things from last week!

Monday, April 4th:

Spencer had the day off, and it was REALLY cold out! We spent some time snuggling on the couch, and of course Betty had to put on her sweater so she could stay warm!

Betty ready to play!

Spencer and the ladies being cute.

At the end of the day it was time for me to pack... the girls got a little sad as I started packing up, but we snuggled afterward to make them feel better. :)

Tuesday, April 5th:

On Tuesday morning I woke-up bright and early to head out to Memphis. I tried out a new airline called, "SeaPort" and I am sooo glad I did! A private carrier now operating in Oregan, Washington, Kansas City, Memphis and soon Dallas, my flight was better than any I have ever had before. I went to the private plane hangars instead of Kansas City International Airport. I didn't have to go through security, I had free parking, no baggage fees AND only had to arrive 15 minutes before my flight!!! On the way to Arkansas where we had a refueling layover, I was one of 5 passengers. From Arkansas to Memphis, I was one of 6. And this was my plane!

How cool is that?! The flight was nice. No flight attendant breathing down my neck to turn my Kindle off for takeoff and landing, the little curtain was left open by the pilots so that I could see all the gadgets, and the skies were clear. This photo was taken during our layover in Arkansas. It was so much fun! By noon I was in Memphis, taken to the rental car facility and on my way to the hospital. I grabbed some lunch, drove around a bit to see the sights in the area and pulled into the hospital at 1:30 for the classroom session. It was great! Lots of learning, lots of excitement and we had a lot of fun. The girls are all really great, and I absolutely adore the coordinator for the area, Debbie. She was wonderful and I am very excited to work with her again this week! I checked into my hotel by about 6pm, grabbed a sandwich from Subway and watched Sex in the City 2 on HBO. :) Definite plus of staying in hotels is always having new movies to watch at night! I even ended the night with a long swim in the hotel pool.

Wednesday, April 6th:

Wednesday morning was the first day in the hospital. I woke-up early, got ready to go and started out for a fresh new day. On the way, I noticed the interesting pattern on the carpet in the hallways...

ANything goes in hotel decor, and I found it oddly pretty! We had a great day, with lots of babies to photograph, great sales and wonderful friendly people. I have got to say, having everyone call you honey, sweetie and sugah is kind of fun. Southern hospitality is everything that you have heard of it to be. Everyone is just so nice! After a long day of photographing babies, I was taken to a great BBQ place where I tried southern style BBQ for the first time. I have got to say, I actually liked it. A nice crunch from coleslaw, and a sweet, but not overly, bbq sauce. Great company as well! I went with Debbie and her daughter joined us. She was a very sweet young lady, and holds the title of Miss Memphis! Next up she will be competing for Miss Tennessee and if she wins that, Miss America! She has a pet monkey and is just a darling girl. I hope she wins! After a long day I went back to the hotel, curled up in bed and fell asleep reading my Kindle.

Thursday, April 7th:

Thursday was my last full day in Memphis. I started out the day on a great note. Arrived at the hospital, took beautiful photos, worked with a wonderful new photographer who is so promising and had a productive day. I have finally met a baby who is larger than my nephew was! Little Rose weighed in at 10.10 lbs, and 20" in length! My nephew was 10.2, and I thought i'd never see a bigger baby. She was darling, and her little chubby cheeks were sooo cute! Mom was a trooper, and was sitting up in a chair grinning ear to ear. I couldn't believe how well she was doing! After a long day, I bid adieu to the lovely ladies I worked with all week and wished them a wonderful weekend. Once I got back to my hotel, I went and got a sandwich for dinner, relaxed for a little bit in my room and then headed down to the pool for a nice swim! It was so relaxing and warm in the pool...

and if you see the little slit on the far end, it was access to go outside. Yes, an indoor/outdoor pool in April! After a little while a little girl came down and got in the pool. She was splashing a little too much for my liking, so I sucked it up and swam outside. It was so awesome! The night air was cool on my skin, and the water felt warm like a nice bath. I stared up at the stars as I backstroked from side to side and then swam in a few circles and swung my arms out to the side! Gotta act like a kid sometimes! It was the perfect ending to a great week! I wish I were staying at this hotel again, but instead ill be down the street at the Marriot. Hope it's just as nice!

Friday, April 8th:

Friday morning at 6:30 I caught my flight back into Kansas City. By 9am my flight came in, we de-boarded, I got my bags and was on the road going home by 9:08! Such a fantastic way to fly. :) Spencer didn't have to work until noon, so we went and got some lunch at Panera before coming back home where I had to take care of some paperwork for work. It was a wonderful day, and I ended the day by lying outside on the deck and watching the dogs frolic around the yard while I finished my book.

 

It was the absolute perfect weekend, and it all started out great with a week like this! But more on my weekend tomorrow! And hopefully some exciting stories from my next week in Memphis!

Have a wonderful Monday Morning!

♥

Jenni

You're the only Ten I see!

Greetings from Memphis, Tennessee!

I have now been here in Memphis for about 36 hours, and in another 30 I will be home! It's been a fun trip, and I officially like it here. I will be back again next week and I am pretty happy with this place :) Tonight I worked until a 13 hour day of photographing babies, so the coordinator for this district and I went out for some BBQ. It was a lot of fun, and her daughter, "Mrs. Memphis"(seriously, she holds the title) met up with this. We went to a local place called Corky's that is supposedly the creme-de-la-creme in Tennessee BBQ. 

 Now being from KC when BBQ is a way of life, I have a bit of a hard palette to please. I went ahead and tried it without edits. A pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and BBQ sauce. The sauce was sweet and the coleslaw was tangy. The pork was slow cooked and juicy... overall, pretty darn tasty! It may not beat my father-in-law's but it was pretty tasty. (especially after such a long day at work.)

I am now back at my hotel, where the bed is really comfy, watching the Nanny. Fran Drescher may have an annoying voice but I really love watching this show! (Even if I have seem every episode before) Some other quirky things about Tennessee that I have noticed.... 

♦ There are Starbucks EVERYWHERE! The hospital i'm working at is only about 10 minutes down the road, and I passed 4 Starbucks this morning! Funny thing is that they were all packed! People here in Memphis must really love their coffee fix!
♦ The roads are pretty! They are all brown asphalt and I simply love it. It makes everything look a bit more natural and beautiful than the black asphalt I have grown accustomed to. Major kudos to the city planners here!
♦ Everyone here is sooo nice! It's "hey ya'll" and "how are you?!" all over this place. Lots of smiles, people having great conversation. Such a friendly place to be. :)
♦ The weather has been BEAUTIFUL, but apparently it is not common to have such great weather all of the time. Everyone keeps telling me I am so lucky to be here while the weather is so great!
♦ I CAN BREATHE!!!! Ragweed and pollen and whatever else I am allergic to does not exist here! It was wonderful to wake up this morning and not blow my nose into a tissue immediately. I hope when I go home I will still be able to!
 

It's been really great, but I am so excited to go home to my hubby! I Miss him so much, and I am excited to have a date night with a movie and dinner. Any suggestions on great movies to go see? I am open to any suggestions!!! I also miss my little furballs... I may complain when they crowd me each night in bed and Betty lies between Spencer and I.... but I miss them when they aren't here. I have been snapping photos this week, so get ready for a photo tour at the end of the week! 

I hope everyone has a fabulous Thursday!!!

♥

Jenni