Last year Ryan earned a trip to "Summit" which is the big rewards trip for his company. We got to spend a luxurious vacation at the Phoenician in Phoenix, Arizona. This year, he earned it again! We're excited because the perks are even better this year! It's in Dana Point, California!! How can we beat a free trip home?? We were even able to request an earlier flight so we can spend some time with his mom, I can help prepare for Jacque's bridal shower (even though I'll have to miss the shower (boo)), we can both attend Nathan's second birthday, and both attend Tommy and Stephanie's wedding! So, we'll arrive on March 5th and have the weekend to see family and do the things I just mentioned. We check-in to the St. Regis Monarch on Monday afternoon and we'll be there til Thursday. We'll fly back home Thursday morning. We're super excited to see our family and get to spend a few days in the lap of luxury! We've already signed up to go sailing and to get massages! We won't be able to see our friends and family as much as we did over Christmas, but don't fret! We'll be back in Cali on the first weekend in May and the last weekend in May for weddings galore! We can't wait for all of our trips to Cali!! Ryan seems to have adjusted to the cold here, but I need some sunshine!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Update on Ryan's Mom
As you all know, it's been a pretty tough month for Ryan's mom and the rest of his family. When we first found out she was in the ICU we had so many unanswered questions and only time would reveal the answers. It's tough to be patient, especially for the patient!! Things have taken a clear turn for the better. Sue was recently moved to a rehabilitation facility which is much closer to home than the hospital. She is working on redeveloping her motor skills and energizing the connectors in her brain. So far, she can walk 100 feet with a walker and is able to lift two pounds over her head. She's also working on number and word puzzles every day, which is frustrating if you don't care to do math (like me!) but necessary in redeveloping the process of solving problems in general. We don't know how long she'll be there, but we know she can't wait to get home!
Ryan was in California three times in January to visit with his mom. So far, it doesn't look like we'll be heading out there this month, but we will in the beginning of March. We both need the trip! January was the craziest month ever for me at work and Ryan has been busting his butt to make up for lost time! It started, for me, with crazy Inauguration weekend activities and culminated with the best recruitment for my Panhellenic girls! Those were some looooong days! I managed to work over a week's worth of extra hours and I can't seem to get to the point where I feel well-rested! Plus, I started to get serious about my physique, which is freaking out my hormones which sure doesn't help me feel rested! I joined a Weight Watchers "At Work" group with some of my friends at work. The craziness of January gave me a boost by helping me lose eight pounds. You can't really help it when you're running in circles and don't have the time to eat, but now I'm doing it the right way. Our meetings started officially last Thursday. I've seen lots of success in people who take it seriously, and I know I have been successful with other methods before, so we'll see how this goes.
Let's see, what else is going on? Ryan had a big birthday this week! He turned 29! Man, oh man, I can't imagine being so close to 30! Ryan took it so well though, he pretty much forgot it was his birthday because he's so busy at work! He said it was one of those days where he kept asking people what the date was, they'd say it, and he think, "oh yeah! It's my birthday!" Too funny! We may go out to dinner tonight to celebrate, but he didn't pick a restaurant! Silly boy! He's getting forgetful in his old age!
January was one of those months that made us a little homesick. It's so hard to be so far away from home when emergencies happen. I guess it's one of those things you have to learn to deal with growing up in this modern world!
Ryan was in California three times in January to visit with his mom. So far, it doesn't look like we'll be heading out there this month, but we will in the beginning of March. We both need the trip! January was the craziest month ever for me at work and Ryan has been busting his butt to make up for lost time! It started, for me, with crazy Inauguration weekend activities and culminated with the best recruitment for my Panhellenic girls! Those were some looooong days! I managed to work over a week's worth of extra hours and I can't seem to get to the point where I feel well-rested! Plus, I started to get serious about my physique, which is freaking out my hormones which sure doesn't help me feel rested! I joined a Weight Watchers "At Work" group with some of my friends at work. The craziness of January gave me a boost by helping me lose eight pounds. You can't really help it when you're running in circles and don't have the time to eat, but now I'm doing it the right way. Our meetings started officially last Thursday. I've seen lots of success in people who take it seriously, and I know I have been successful with other methods before, so we'll see how this goes.
Let's see, what else is going on? Ryan had a big birthday this week! He turned 29! Man, oh man, I can't imagine being so close to 30! Ryan took it so well though, he pretty much forgot it was his birthday because he's so busy at work! He said it was one of those days where he kept asking people what the date was, they'd say it, and he think, "oh yeah! It's my birthday!" Too funny! We may go out to dinner tonight to celebrate, but he didn't pick a restaurant! Silly boy! He's getting forgetful in his old age!
January was one of those months that made us a little homesick. It's so hard to be so far away from home when emergencies happen. I guess it's one of those things you have to learn to deal with growing up in this modern world!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
One Year Ago Today...
One year ago today, Ryan and I went to bed excited that the Giants won the Superbowl against the Patriots in an amazing game and thinking the next day would just be an ordinary day.
Monday was no ordinary day!
We were at Jeff's apartment in San Diego and we slept in a bit because we both had the day off. We woke up to a voicemail on Ryan's phone from Colin in Washington, DC, asking Ryan to come out to interview for a Regional Manager position that he had not even applied for! The look of shock on Ryan's face and the look of excitement on mine expressed what we knew in our hearts: we were moving to DC! Opportunities like that don't come along every day; we knew we just needed the right offer. The whole ride home, we talked with Dennis and Courtny about how our lives were in for some big changes.
Our lives have changed a lot since this time last year and I am thankful for all of the changes. We both have amazing jobs (we're grateful we both have jobs!)- it took awhile for me, but I had a great once-in-a-lifetime experience on the hill, and stumbled upon the perfect job in the end! We've made new friends, seen a lot of interesting sights, seen pumpkins fly in Delaware, picked strawberries at a Maryland farm, had our first Easter on our own, hosted an old friend for a major holiday, played baseball where the Orioles play, spent a holiday in New York, attended an event on the White House lawn, eaten a lot of really good food, been involved in a major election, registered voters in Virginia, planted fruit on our own balcony, seen the back of water at Niagara falls...... and adapted to a whole new way of life! Sometimes we still can't believe our car (yes, the one car we share! Strange to Californians right?) often goes unused until the weekend! Craziness!
Who knows where we'll be this time next year and what changes will occur between now and than!! I can think of a few things I would like to happen...
Monday was no ordinary day!
We were at Jeff's apartment in San Diego and we slept in a bit because we both had the day off. We woke up to a voicemail on Ryan's phone from Colin in Washington, DC, asking Ryan to come out to interview for a Regional Manager position that he had not even applied for! The look of shock on Ryan's face and the look of excitement on mine expressed what we knew in our hearts: we were moving to DC! Opportunities like that don't come along every day; we knew we just needed the right offer. The whole ride home, we talked with Dennis and Courtny about how our lives were in for some big changes.
Our lives have changed a lot since this time last year and I am thankful for all of the changes. We both have amazing jobs (we're grateful we both have jobs!)- it took awhile for me, but I had a great once-in-a-lifetime experience on the hill, and stumbled upon the perfect job in the end! We've made new friends, seen a lot of interesting sights, seen pumpkins fly in Delaware, picked strawberries at a Maryland farm, had our first Easter on our own, hosted an old friend for a major holiday, played baseball where the Orioles play, spent a holiday in New York, attended an event on the White House lawn, eaten a lot of really good food, been involved in a major election, registered voters in Virginia, planted fruit on our own balcony, seen the back of water at Niagara falls...... and adapted to a whole new way of life! Sometimes we still can't believe our car (yes, the one car we share! Strange to Californians right?) often goes unused until the weekend! Craziness!
Who knows where we'll be this time next year and what changes will occur between now and than!! I can think of a few things I would like to happen...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Rough Week
It's been an unusually rough week for Ryan's family. His mom ended up in the ICU after complications from a planned procedure and has been there for a week. As soon as we found out something was wrong, Ryan was on a flight to California... literally, he called me, I met him at the metro station by our apartment, I took over driving, and he booked his flight on the way to the airport while I sped him there. He came home yesterday but will likely be back in Cali next week. Sue seems to be making sloooooow progress but the doctors are discovering things that might have been affected by the internal bleeding that caused her to need the emergency surgery. So, things have been pretty tough. Please keep Sue in your thoughts and prayers. She needs positive vibes to be able to turn this thing around!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you all have a wonderful day surrounded by family and good friends!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Chritsmastime in Maryland!
This year was our first holiday season in Maryland! We love the holidays because we get to celebrate Christmas and our anniversary!!
We celebrated our anniversary last weekend because we knew I'd be a bit out of it this weekend after having my braces put on Wednesday and teeth pulled on Thursday. We were lucky we went out last weekend too because we both have felt pretty sick all week!
We started our anniversary weekend celebration on Saturday with an evening at the National Zoo and some toasty beverages for the chilly night!
Ryan's toasty beverage of choice was not my choice! I had hot cocoa from Starbucks!
Neon Panda!
Sunday was the best day! We started our afternoon at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert! I love them!! It was Ryan's first time seeing the show and he loved the second half!
After the show, we through downtown DC and over to the White House to see the Christmas tree there! We finished up our celebration with a delicious Italian dinner in Cleveland Park.
Finally, for your enjoyment, our holiday decor!
Plus, this morning, we woke up to an ice skating rink on our patio which was covered in frogs! At first I thought they were real because they came down when it was raining but then I realized they were plastic frogs from one of our upstairs neighbors! The top of the table was covered with a sheet of ice!
We'll be home Tuesday night! Yes!
We celebrated our anniversary last weekend because we knew I'd be a bit out of it this weekend after having my braces put on Wednesday and teeth pulled on Thursday. We were lucky we went out last weekend too because we both have felt pretty sick all week!
We started our anniversary weekend celebration on Saturday with an evening at the National Zoo and some toasty beverages for the chilly night!
Ryan's toasty beverage of choice was not my choice! I had hot cocoa from Starbucks!
Neon Panda!
Sunday was the best day! We started our afternoon at the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert! I love them!! It was Ryan's first time seeing the show and he loved the second half!
After the show, we through downtown DC and over to the White House to see the Christmas tree there! We finished up our celebration with a delicious Italian dinner in Cleveland Park.
Finally, for your enjoyment, our holiday decor!
Plus, this morning, we woke up to an ice skating rink on our patio which was covered in frogs! At first I thought they were real because they came down when it was raining but then I realized they were plastic frogs from one of our upstairs neighbors! The top of the table was covered with a sheet of ice!
We'll be home Tuesday night! Yes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)