It was a big deal
While in Vail I was trying to articulate to Val what was so difficult at work that was making me miserable, and I could NOT do it. I’d like to blame that on the lack of oxygen, but the truth is, I am always that inarticulate.
Ha, here’s proof, and I hope this makes you laugh:
Like, what is going on with my brain? I was able to remember the word articulate but not inarticulate while writing this? I feel like the brainstorming and idea forming part of my brain has been on a leave of vacation for over a year. I am STRUGGLING.
Okay, but that’s not actually what I came here to write about. Back to it!
So Val is being such a great listener and I am describing what was going on and just thinking “WHY was this such a big deal?! It sounds like absolutely NOTHING when you talk about it!”
I quickly shut that thought down. It was a big deal to ME. It had national exposure and was escalated and urgent. I had to coordinate with the head of my organization (and a bunch of other folks that I won’t get in to). That’s big deal status.
But maybe looking back at it and thinking it doesn’t sound like a big deal can help me handle other big deals better in the future. Like… maybe when I am in the moment then, I will stop and think “Hey! Remember the last time you lost your s-word about something and shut off from the planet that after it was all over it didn’t seem like that big of a deal?” Maybe? What do we think? 50/50 chance?
Ha, if not that, at least I learned a lot of lessons about how to handle that specific instance, and what questions to ask when I get assigned a task I’ve never done before! Bright side!
Leadville 2024
Monday was our last full day in Colorado! After checking out Breckenridge on Saturday, and Vail on Sunday, our Monday plan was to go to Leadville. We had rented e-bikes to check out the Mineral Belt Trail a couple of weeks before our trip. I was pumped! I’ve heard a lot about this town because of the Leadville Trail 100 Run.
It was raining and foggy in Vail when we left and raining and foggy in Leadville when we arrived an hour later. I was overjoyed to be wearing a sweatshirt (newly purchased at the Vail candy shop – it says “I’m done peopling”) and drinking a hot chai on the first day of July! Yes, please! It’s just such an absolute treat to not feel miserable because of a super high dew point.
Our bike reservation was at 10:00 but it was still raining so we asked if we could move it back a bit to noon. While we waited for the weather to get better, we walked around and checked out shops. Val even got a coveted spot to shop at Melanzana. It was interesting to see what all the hoopla was about.
We picked up our e-bikes around noon and headed to the trail. I was so glad to have the assist. It was amazing to be going uphill and not get out of breath or feel like I was working at all!
it was still cloudy at the start of our ride. We rode up and saw a few mining structures, then the clouds started to part and the sun was shining for the end of our ride, which was mostly downhill. The ride was a little over 13 miles and took about 2 hours with all our stops. I really enjoyed it and would love for my dad to get to try it one day!
Did you know Leadville is the highest elevation city in the US?
Landing that jump did not feel good
We were super hungry after our ride and went in search of lunch. There used to be an all vegan restaurant (our original plan) but now they have nothing vegan at all (what a flip!), so we got Mexican food. Then we checked out a few more shops and headed a different way back to Vail than we came in, stopping to look at a pretty overpass and red rocks.
We were beat and had a chill evening – chatting, painting (a grand total of one rock, ha), and grilling. Then we called it an early night to get everything packed up and write out postcards. I was glad I threw an extra duffel bag in – we ended up using it to make packing go quicker.
On Tuesday we hung out with Val and Steve for about 45 minutes then hit the road at 8:30 to get back to their place by 11:00 (to drop off their Jeep) then to ride to the airport to fly out at 1:25. It was a long day and we got back home at 6:00.
In Georgetown, on the way back to Denver
We loved seeing all these mountain cities with Val and Steve, and are so grateful they invited us, hosted us, and showed us around. Each town had its own unique vibe, and there is so much to do out there. We were interested in white water rafting, more hiking, (me) actually running… in the future! We felt really worn out going into this trip and really worn out each day. It seems like we need to rest before we go to Colorado, as well as after. Cons of being a flatlander! Worth it though.
I felt sad leaving, but also remembered we’d see Val and Steve in less than four weeks, when they’re out here for a trip to Iowa! And I told them we’d have to plan our next get together then, so we don’t feel sad a the end of that trip.
Vail 2024
Picking up where I left off, Sunday was our first full day in Vail. Steven and I were both so exhausted coming in to this trip that we tried to get enough sleep each night. I didn’t even prioritize getting up to work out (kudos to me – that used to be really hard for me).
I just DO NOT sleep well in Colorado though. And I finally looked it up today – duh, it has to do with the altitude. It sucks – I love visiting, but feel more and more exhausted by the end of the trip because of restless sleep (I typically sleep well at home if my diet is okay, I didn’t have caffeine too late, and am not sick). I wake up feeling super out of it. Ugh. I come around after a bit though.
Okay, now that I am done whining, on Sunday we hit up the farmers’ market. We got cherries and chocolate, and stopped at Yeti’s Grind for breakfast burritos and a chai. This was our first time seeing Vail Village and I adored how cozy it was. Oh! And I must comment on how nice everyone was at the market. I feel like an ass when I spend a bunch of time in a booth and don’t buy anything, but everyone was so nice, wishing us a good day and telling us to enjoy the market.
We walked around quite a bit (we got so many steps in that day – over 22K by the end of the day), stopped to buy gondola tickets, went back to change into hiking clothes, the rode Gondola One up Vail Mountain. That ticket was EXPENSIVE, geesh, like… over $50 a person. Everyone warned us how expensive Vail is, but whoa!
We were originally going to hike up then ride the gondola down for free, then decided to ride up and hike from Gondola One to Eagle Bahn Gondola and ride down. There was not enough shade for us to do that long hike and not be miserable during it and after.
The ride up was fun. I felt like were were getting to the top then it leveled out a bit and we kept going. We hiked the mile over to Eagle Bahn Gondola to check out the Forest Flyer Mountain Coaster. I remembered the day before that this was something I’ve wanted to try and was so excited. Steven, Steve, and I bought tickets (like $35 each? eek!) and Val waited while we waited in line and rode.
Riding the coaster was thrilling! We’d all talked about not using our brakes at all, so I didn’t, then come to find out the boys did a bit. Hmm. They were the smart ones though. I hurt the left side of my neck really bad on the coaster (at least, I think that is what did it???), probably from being tossed around in that little cart due to not using my brakes. It hurt so bad I started crying from the pain in lower body class on Wednesday. I went to Immediate Care that day for something else and asked about it and they were all, “yeah, take meds, heat and ice.” That is what I figured but wanted to check since I was there. It’s thankfully feeling better today.
Wah wah wah, getting old sucks. But the ride was super fun and I’d do it again. It was about a 2 minute ride down, then a 5-ish minute ride up as you get pulled back to the top (that’s what the photo above is from).
After the coaster we went to Val’s favorite spot – the Vail Mountain Wedding Deck. It was gorgeous!
I feel like you can tell how sunny it was from how bright we look – even with those clouds in the background!
Then we rode the other gondola down and shopped and walked from Lionshead Village back to Vail Village and their place. I found some cute gifts, and a lightning bolt necklace for me that matches my earrings. We got rained on a bit on the way back. Val and Steve had told us it would rain every day, and it sure did!
We cleaned up and walked to Bully Ranch for dinner. It started to downpour right as we got there and were running to make it there without getting soaked. We went there because they had a few vegan things on the menu, but everyone was a bit meh about their dish, except the roasted brussels sprouts (and maybe the tots?). Writing this I am remembering how my stomach was popping from all the grease in that meal.
Afterward we went back to their place and played Play Nine, a kind of golf based card game. And we enjoyed some vegan lemon bars Val made. I turned into a competitive ass and quit before the game was over at nine “holes” (rounds). I just cannot play competitive games with people, especially my husband. I’m too much of an asshole. I’ve been this way for years and don’t think it will ever change. Sorry! (Val and Steve thought I was fine… Steven, not so much. Later we discussed that we should have not sat with our partners, so our partners were not passing (OR NOT PASSING) cards to us. Next time?).
Oh! I almost forgot! Val was looking at Instagram and saw people posting a rainbow in Vail and went to look, and sure enough, there was one! A double at that!
This is the view from their place! Isn’t it amazing?!
Breckenridge 2024
We got back Tuesday evening from a wonderful weekend in the Colorado mountains! Val and Steve rent a place in Vail twice a year and invited us out to stay with them. I’m so grateful we have these amazing friends who want to share their favorite place with us, and even more grateful we can be 100% ourselves around them, and they can do the same with us. The older I get, the more important to me it is to spend my free time with people like that.
We got to Denver Friday night and spent the night at their place, then headed out to Vail early Saturday morning. Val and Steve were telling us traffic is super hit or miss on the way to Vail. It’s supposed to be a two hour drive but sometimes takes four hours. Ick! So we headed out early and decided to check in halfway and see if we wanted to stop in Breckenridge, either because we needed a break from the long drive or just for funsies.
Luckily traffic was flowing just fine!
Seeing the mountains never gets old
And we decided to stop in Breckenridge and check out Country Boy Mine. Steven is super into all those gold shows on Max and we hadn’t done any panning since we were in Alaska in 2016.
We skipped the mine tour ($$) and just paid for panning. We got a quick lesson, practiced a bit, then headed out to the pond to pan. We didn’t find anything but fool’s gold and other random pretty worthless stuff, but it was fun!
Ha, typing this, I’m remembering my head kept pounding every time I bent over to pan. I always seem to get a headache the day after I arrive in Denver. I tried to pregame with lots of water and Tylenol but I still got it. Luckily it was gone the next day.
It was so beautiful at the mine. I love love love that dry mountain air and being in the sun with temps in the 70s and not having sweat run down my back. Chef’s kiss. Amazing.
After panning we got lunch at Amazing Grace (nothing notable, we didn’t have any great food on this trip, including a super weird floral chai here), then walked around Breckenridge, checking out shops. It was my first time there (we’d only ever been to Keystone) and I wondered how it would compare to Vail. Val told me she likes Breckenridge but prefers Vail (obviously); that Breckenridge is much more spread out and not as walkable as Vail. I agree – it felt that way to me too. Vail feels more quaint and charming, probably because it’s snuggled up right against the mountain and has that swiss alp ski village vibe going on. Breckenridge felt commercial and the shops were mostly high end stuff.
On the way out of town we swung by Isak Heartstone – a giant troll made out of recycled materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. I’ve seen photos of these trolls but never one in person and it was so freaking cool! It makes me want to go see the ones at the Arboretum here (here is a map of where these trolls are across the world, and you can see all of his works here – cool stuff!).
After our troll sighting we drove to Vail, unpacked, hung out, made dinner, hit up the hot tub, and called it a night!
Random Thoughts Thursday 457
- Steven had his mock oral ground exam (for his private pilot license) yesterday and it went well! He has his mock checkride scheduled for July 8. And they told him he could go ahead and schedule the actual exam and checkride but scheduling has been so difficult lately – the school is short one plane and they only have two Designated Pilot Examiners. FIngers crossed he gets on the schedule soon and the weather holds out for that day.
- I saw Steven fly over the house Monday night! He flies over the house quite a bit on takeoff but this was the first time I caught him.
- On Tuesday we went to a birthday party in Chicago for one of the brands Steven sells at FakeMeats.com. Upton’s Naturals is turning 18 so they had a pizza buffet with cupcakes from my favorite bakery. The food was all so good!
- Our cilantro is almost done and mostly bolted. I guess you can let it bolt and seed and more cilantro will grow… we’ll see what we do. All the people we shared it with said it was so good. I’m glad we got so much use out of it.
- Our green beans and peas are coming in!
Reading Update (2024 #37-39)
[37] The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
Fiction/Women, saw in Available Now on Libby, audio
Synopsis: Lucy Young has a crappy apartment with inconsiderate roommates, a job she can’t seem to advance in, hardly any money in her bank account, and no romantic prospects. When she stumbles across a wishing machine she asks to just skip to the good part, and finds herself waking up sixteen years later with a husband, two kids, and her own TV production company – but she doesn’t remember anything about those last sixteen years.
Review: This is a cute story, and the writing was fine, but it fell flat for me. I wanted it to be clever. I wanted Lucy to figure out things in her new life faster. I wanted her to make a different decision at the end. I guess I went in to this book with higher expectations than I realized!
Recommend? No
[38] The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
Fiction / Visionary & Metaphysical, first recommended by a coworker last year, then read for a book club with Tiff, Trudy, & Val, Kindle
Synopsis: Harry August is an ouroboro – he lives his life, dies, and starts right back at the beginning. In his second life, he goes mad, not understanding what is going on, but then he figures it out by the third, and eventually discovers the Cronos Club – groups of ouroboros all over the world who pass messages down through time. The latest message is the world is ending faster than it should, and Harry aims to figure out what is going on.
Review: On paper, this sounds really interesting. Also, on paper (or digitally, on Kindle), it’s not. At all. I tried to read this last year when a coworker recommended it, and I DNF’d it around 34%. It’s incredibly dense, slow moving, and meandering (something will actually be going on and then the next chapter will be like “did I ever tell you about the time that…” and go onto some pointless story). It’s painful. One of those books where you read a paragraph over and over and realize you don’t remember what you were reading about the intricacies of World War II because you started thinking about work or what you are going to eat the next day. On the plus side, it helped me fall asleep many nights in a row while reading it. And I slept so well. Thanks, Harry.
Beyond how dense it is with history, there’s also deep discussions on ethics of science and I just don’t GAF to read about two characters arguing about that. And (spoiler!!!!!! stop reading now if you plan to read this book) bonus, that character that Harry was arguing with? That I hated so much? Turns out to be the bad guy that he spends a lot of the book chasing and trying to stop.
What he’s trying to stop the bad guy from doing is interesting, but doesn’t really start until the second half (or later?) of the book, and did not go into the detail I’d like on that. I really don’t even understand how the thing the bad guy was building was going to work or what it would do. The ending was deeply unsatisfying. Just, no. Beautiful writing, I just must not be smart enough to like this book.
Recommend? Hell no
[39] Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, saw on Stephany’s blog, audio
Synopsis: Cassidy and Luke don’t meet on the best of terms – he “stole” her spot in the airport parking lot, then didn’t hold the bus for her after she finally found one. Of course they end up being on the same flight. And then when their plane has to divert because off a cracked windshield, they decide to continue the trip from North Carolina to California together first out of necessity, then to save costs. As they spend more time together, they realize their initial impressions of each other weren’t entirely accurate.
Review: AHH I LOVED THIS BOOK! I love an enemies-to-lovers trope, and Cassidy and Luke are both such great characters. Cassidy is sassy, funny, outgoing, and free-spirited, and Luke is serious and carrying the weight of the world on his back. They don’t seem like a good match at all on paper, but their chemistry was great. I enjoyed their backstories too – Cassidy going back home for her sister’s wedding and Luke going back to check in on his family, both of them with momma drama. And I love that their best friends in the book were obvious being set up for a book 2. GIVE ME MORE! My only complaint about this book is that I didn’t follow a few of the scene transitions, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment or understanding too much.
Recommend? Yes! And I really liked how it was done on audio, with a different narrator for Cassidy’s and Luke’s chapters.
Name reveal!
Drumroll please, the new outdoor cat is named…
Penny, after Pennywise! Thank you for the idea, Kelsey! It’s not our normal sci-fi name, but it just fits. I can’t believe I didn’t see it until Kelsey pointed it out!
And I have to share this photo of Penn from yesterday. She’s totally giving Wizard of Oz vibes!
Penn is looking a lot healthier and a bit steadier since we’ve been feeding and cleaning her. I realized she was covered in fleas so I gave her some medicine and have been brushing her every day and she’s been scratching herself less. We just want her to be comfortable!
Stephany & Kim’s AMEOWZING Popcast Weekend
Ugh, I hate saying this but I was feeling so anxious about Stephany‘s visit this last weekend, for reasons that have nothing to do with her. After months of excitement and anticipation about her coming (she asked if I wanted to see The Popcast Live Show on February 6th and got our tickets February 26th) I had a super crappy week that made me wonder if I should be spending time around anyone besides Steven because I was such an emotional rollercoaster. I was worried I would be a moody grump all weekend.
Obviously that didn’t happen. As soon as I got to the airport the excitement came back. Then later, when I was having coffee with Stephany and had a chance to share all the things that were bothering me I felt so much better. Like, whoa, did you guys know a burden shared is a burden somewhat lifted?
Past Kim was thinking about mentioning here that she let her regular appointments with her therapist lapse because she felt fine. But that she also knows that every time she does that it comes to bite her in the ass. And it did, yet again.
So, lesson learned, yet again – I need regular therapy. I’m going to pause right now and make an appointment. Welp, that was really annoying. I had to reset my password and it didn’t take the first time then threatened to lock my account. Sigh. WHY DO I SPEND SO MUCH OF MY LIFE RESETTING PASSWORDS.
Other lesson learned – I need to not bottle up what’s bothering me. It helps to share it with the right people.
Wow, bet you didn’t think you were going to get all that before a weekend recap, did ya?! Transparency and blah blah blah.
Okay! On to the fun!
Stephany arrived Friday morning and I picked her up and took her straight to my house so she could do the thing she was most excited about apart from the live show – meeting our cats! Apollo greeted her in the foyer, as expected. Starbuck came downstairs to check her out, too. Khali was on the bed and let Stephany approach her and put her hand out to sniff before she (Khali, not Stephany) hid under the bed. That is a big deal! Khali usually doesn’t let anyone new approach her right away. And Ned hid under the bed for a bit then came around by the evening. That went exactly as I expected apart from Khali not running away from her at first sight.
And they loved the toy Stephany brought them!
After that we headed up to Milwaukee. It was Stephany’s first time in Wisconsin! I would have loved to take her to Sip & Purr Cat Cafe but they are still building out their new space, sad face. I guess she’ll have to come back. I DID find a cat for her though.
First we went to the Milwaukee Public Market in the Third Ward. It was too crowded and busy. Ick. Bad planning on my part – I didn’t know Summer Fest had just kicked off. And it’s a Friday, so, duh, Kim. But we found good food to eat, and it was a lovely day to eat outside, then walk around and shop and stop for coffee. I had such a great time wandering and chatting. Inside joke warning: during this time I asked Stephany if she had to pick between giving up pasta or potatoes for life, which would she choose and she chose potatoes, then we somehow talked about pasta all weekend and she kept saying how rude it was to remind her she can’t have any. Ha ha ha.
It’s a really hard choice. Both are amazing.
After that we went to the Bay View Area because I read Voyageur Book Shop had a shop cat, and my Shop Cat app did not lie!
You would not believe the joy of cat ladies finding a cat they in fact knew would be there, after spending the morning with their own cats. I don’t know why we are the way we are, but this is how all cat people are.
In fact! There were TWO shop cats! Bustopher Jones (above) and Mr Sanders (below).
We only found out about Mr Sanders when Stephany was checking out and the cashier told us about him! Bustopher Jones was very friendly and approachable and “hung out with us” on both floors of the shop.
I wasn’t sure if I’d like browsing a used book store because garage sales and places like T.J.Maxx give me the heebie jeebies, but it was a lot of fun! Probably because I was with Stephany and was mostly being ridiculous.
We brought some of my painted rocks to hide (Stephany found the best spots for them! She’s a rock hiding natural!) and I gave this one to the cashier. Then I ended up showing the cashier the others I had with me and she really wanted to buy the kawaii popcorn one I had with me because they just built out a home theater in their garage. Are you kidding me? I made these to hide and give away! Not to sell! So I handed it over.
After that we went to another book store,
walked around a bit (Insider joke warning: and we saw a place called Lulu and tried to figure out what it was and Stephany guessed an Italian place and was so wrong OMG how embarrassing), then we got some cookies at Insomnia, then headed back.
Oh! I forgot to mention. The weather was freaking BIZARRO. Comfortable temps, almost cool!, but so weirdly sunny then foggy. It was like a fog cloud descended over Milwaukee. I drove Stephany by the lake to show it to her and… you couldn’t see it. I swear it’s there. Steven had an appointment to fly that night and I wondered if he’d get to, but he did – the weather was completely different to the south, and he said you could actually see the cloud sitting over Milwaukee.
Here I am, going on about the weather. Well get ready, because we’ll have some more on that below.
I stopped for gas and Kringle in Kenosha (Kringle is a local delicacy (ha) I wanted Stephany to try) then we came home and hung out with the cats. Snow Jr let Stephany pet him! What the actual F! Stephany has the magical touch!
We painted rocks for a bit (Stephany’s first time!), then Steven picked up pizza for them and pasta for me (I know, how could I after Stephany picked potatoes?! So inconsiderate.) and we ate and chatted, then finished our rocks and went to bed.
On Saturday we hung out at the house for quite a bit chatting with Steven and having Kringle and coffee. We eventually left and went to the Kenosha Harbor Market.
We found the popcorn Engie was talking about. Right, Engie?! We bought said popcorn, checked out more stands (bought dog and cat toys), then walked around the harbor,
stopped to use the restroom in a museum (tee hee, sure… we are interested in the civil war…, wink wink, tinkle tinkle), then headed to Blue House Books in downtown Kenosha. It was not even on the itinerary (I know, REBELS!). But I thought to look up if there was one nearby and this was the cutest shop EVER (confirmed by Stephany, whose opinion matters). I even bought a paperback! ME! Who never buys books. I had a lot of fun checking out book shops with Stephany this weekend. I never go in to them… since I don’t buy books. But apparently I do now? I am confused. Moving on.
We got El Famous for lunch because DUH and we took it home to eat with Steven and they messed up Stephany’s burrito! CRY! We will redo El Famous when she comes back to go to Sip & Purr. (Ha, I was short, like, 58 cents there and they took a dollar out of the tip jar for me. I wonder if it’s because I go once a week? I did offer to go to my car and get change! I thought that was so nice they did that. BUT NOT THAT THEY PUT STEAK INSIDE OF HER BURRITO INSTEAD OF CHICKEN WHEN IT CLEARLY SAID “CHIX” ON THE RECEIPT!)
After lunch we got ready to go to Chicago. During this time it could really dark out. I came up from ironing my shirt and the basement and was like “wtf is it nighttime? did I travel through time?” No, it got cloudy.
But it wasn’t raining in the city… YET! DUN DUN DUN FORESHADOWING.
We had a lovely time navigating to the venue location (just kidding, driving in the city sucks, but less so when you’re with a friend who will support you when you honk at people and tell others to eff off) and found parking right across from it, yay!, then stepped out into the oppressive humidity and headed to Pride Fest.
Y’all! I have never been to a proper pride event! What fun! I loved seeing all the different people and outfits (of course!) and just how much fun everyone was having! It was set up down a few blocks on a city street with different bands at the ends and vendors and food, etc.
OMG, someone said we had Mary Kate and Ashley vibes – matching but not quite. What a funny compliment.
It was so so so crowded though. Yikes. And I got so sweaty. Sorry everyone around me! I changed my shirt and put on more deodorant when I got to the car, but yeah, I was still sweaty and likely smelly.
But that’s okay because we were amongst friends! It was so exciting to go into the Vic Theater and see all The Popcast stuff and even some folks from the show out and about! And I have to say, I am not sure if these were local volunteers or actual Vic staff but the people guiding and helping out were amazing! They had someone explaining where the bathrooms were, to take your photo (below),
and even in the bathroom to tell you where to go, cause yes, it was confusing.
Hmm, I think we got to our seats about 45 minutes before show start? Stephany bought us drinks (thank you!) and we chatted with folks around us. I felt the alcohol kick in about 10 minutes before the show and started getting really chatty. I am a cheap date, all it takes is one drink (only they were actually NOT cheap there – like $20 each what the heck).
ANYWAY.
Everyone went crazy when the hosts, Knox and Jamie came on stage. It was so fun to be with our people, and especially with Stephany, who I regularly share Popcast thoughts with (ha, that reminds me we were trying to do a Popcast reference every hour on the hour that day. Don’t worry Snis, raw dog was mentioned). I loved the energy, and the setup of the show was a lot of fun (they asked the audience what people were skipping to be there, did an “olympic” awards section, a snake draft, a problem solving segment (gah, can’t remember what they call that on the show!), and an audience guessing game with select audience members). I laughed so much… when I could understand what they were saying.
Poor Stephany. I don’t have great hearing. Knox talks really fast, and the acoustics were not great. I asked her a lot “What did they say?” Thanks for putting up with me, Stephany. I swear, my doctor said my ears look fine (notice I said look, I didn’t actually take a hearing test).
All that being said, I loved seeing them and would again. But, preferably in a theater that doesn’t have folding chairs basically overlapping one another for seats. Um, thanks but no thanks.
The show started at 8:00, had an intermission, and was over around 10:00. We got right out of the parking garage and headed home. There was a light sprinkle of rain getting out of the city, then a scary downpour began as we got on the expressway that heads to my house. Sigh. Like, people actually going 40 mph, with their blinkers on, cause NONE OF US COULD SEE. This is a highway with a 55 mph speed limit where you are going too slow if you go under 70, so that says a lot.
The rain was NOT letting up so I pulled over at an oasis until it did. Thankfully that only took about 10 minutes then we got home around 11:30? Eek! I think I fell asleep after 1:00? I WAS REALLY TIRED ON SUNDAY.
But so worth it.
On Sunday all we did was wake up, get ready to go, and drive to the airport (I dropped her off around 9:30 then drove to meet another Florida friend who was in town). Oh yes, I also told Stephany she must come downstairs that morning and meet another one of the stray cats that visits. So she met Snow Jr, the black & white cat whose name I will reveal tomorrow, and this gray cat we haven’t named. ALL THE CATS!
In short (just kidding, this was so long!), I had a fantastic time with Stephany. I loved showing her my favorite parts of Milwaukee, but then going to the places that appealed to her there, that I had never tried before. I loved seeing what a pride fest is like. I obviously loved going to the live show with her. I loved seeing her love on my cats (and them loving on her, minus Khali, sorry, that takes years and lots of patience, but you are welcome to move in). I loved having some very serious conversations but also being extremely goofy. That combo makes my heart so happy. Cause your girl is not serious at the core. I really have to fake it to adult most days. Ugh. Adulting.
I’m so glad she suggested this and made the effort to come all the way out here. Thank you, Stephany! Update to add, here is Stephany’s recap!
(Also, I usually proofread these before I post but am feeling too lazy. Feel free to let me know what spelling mistakes and grammatical errors I made. Normally my snis does but she doesn’t always get to these right away.)
Oops
Ha, I have to tell you all an embarrassing story.* I whittled the application for that work leadership course down to 10,000 characters and submitted it Tuesday night. On Thursday my supervisor chatted me that she just finished reading my application and how proud she was of me and excited to write her recommendation. I thanked her and told her I really needed to hear that this week. Then she went on to say how she’s seen so much growth in me, especially in tough weeks like last week. Or something like that.
Whatever she said made me feel really good so I took a screenshot of it to email to myself and put in my “KUDOS” folder, a folder I keep of nice things like that at work to look at when I’m feeling low.
About 30 minutes later I realized I never got the email I sent to myself with the screenshot. I was like, “Oh shit, where’d it go?!”
Sigh.
My supervisor has the same first name as me. Even though I was trying to be careful and select my email, I sent it to her.
So, she got a screenshot of a conversation we had, with the subject “Kudos from Kimberly.”
I felt dumb for about a minute then responded to the email with an “LOL” and told her I meant to send that to myself for my kudos folder because what she said made me feel so good. I told myself “hey, at least now she knows her words are making an impact!”
And thankfully she responded that she figured as much and liked seeing that I was sending it to myself. Or trying to. Ha.
Seriously though. Come on Kim. Last week was so hectic. I need to SLOW DOWN this week. Take my time. Think things through. Double check things.
*Not as embarrassing as the time you thought Lulu’s was a Italian place, Stephany. Like, OMG.
Random Thoughts Thursday 456
- Happy first day of summer! The weather has been so miserable and muggy here, with highs in the 90s and high dew points… and that was still spring. Ahh! I wonder if we’ll have a super hot summer. I hope not.
- My no chip manicure does not seem to like this humidity! It’s been starting to lift a few days before my appointment, for a couple months now. That doesn’t happen in the winter.
- I got my balayage touched up Friday! And a trim too. Talking to my colorist at the salon about her drama with her sister made me feel really grateful for mine and the relationship we have. Whoa.
- I’ve felt really overextended with work (full time and part time) and my upcoming social life lately. Someone I’m not close with on Instagram asked to meet up with me in Chicago and I told them no, that I feel overwhelmed and can’t commit to it. I felt bad. Even though I have no desire to meet up with them, but they responded back immediately “no worries and completely understandable.” It felt good to be honest and not have them press.
- I mentioned the new B&W cat – since they started showing up, this gray cat (that we’d seen before) has been coming around more too.
- Notice the dirty toy in the photo above? We’ve been putting out toys for the outdoor cats to play with. They all love to rub over it and throw it around.
- Our cilantro is still coming in strong. I’ve been cutting it often and sharing it with folks. We don’t eat enough to keep up with it, but I don’t want to leave it alone and have it bolt!
- Our green beans and peas are starting to grow flowers, so maybe we’ll have the beginning of fruit in a few weeks!
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
