Aloha from Hawaii

Aloha everyone!

We made it.  It's been a whirlwind day and a half, so I'm sorry I haven't been able to update until now.

The flight from Chicago to Honolulu was easy.  Justin, Melissa, Lauren, Brendan, Kayla and I made it in once piece and the youngest of the group was a dream.  She was delightful and made plenty of friends.

The jumper flight from Honolulu to Kona was a little more stressful.  The lack of napping and the time transition put a damper on our youngest traveler.  Thankfully, she fell asleep for most of the 45 minute flight.

The house itself is beautiful.  There is a lot of space and it took us a while to figure out where everyone was going to sleep.  (That's a lot of opinions and logistics)

While Justin, Brendan and Mom went to Costco and to pick up Dad from the airport, the girls tested the house pool and hot tub.  Being up literally on the water makes that "wave" sound LOUD.  Great for sleeping, not great for conversations. :)

While we were waiting for them to get back, Lauren found these enormous binoculars and said she was "going to do some major creeping with these".  Doesn't she look the part?

Today (Thursday), Dad and Brendan went golfing with two of dad's acquaintances and the rest of us spent the day relaxing on the patio and in the pool.

Isn't our view beautiful?

We are now (1:11am ET) eating dinner.  Who knows what tomorrow will hold.

Family

I love my family.  I enjoy spending time with them and we always have a good time together.  It's been especially nice this trip since I've been out in DC alone for the last month.

I was a little worried when I got out here that Kayla wouldn't really remember me and that would just break my heart.  Thankfully, it only took one weird "hey, I know you" moment before it was just like old times.

Melissa captured these pictures the other day (she is by far a better photographer than I am).  The way Kayla acts around me now that she is mobile reminds me a lot of the photos and videos we've seen when my sisters and I were younger.  The way we used to interact with our aunts.

I hope Kayla and I have the kind of relationship when she is older than I have with my aunts now.

We have a lot of packing to do before we leave for Hawaii tomorrow.  I really can't wait!

A Monday with no work

Seriously, vacations are the best ever, aren't they?

While I'm not in Hawaii yet... not having to be at home, going to work today is awesome.

I'm sure Samson is having a great with with Nick and Leslie, so I only feel a little bit guilty about how excited it makes me to not have to wake up and walk him first thing before I start the day.  Even though I'm still getting up at the same time (7am)...  really.

Today I have no plans.  I will probably take a shower later this morning and wander around downtown Evanston.  There are a couple of cute boutiques I saw earlier and a lululemon store.  Also, a pedicure sounds nice.

Man, I really love vacation.

I'm alive

I made it.  Two days of driving and I am in Chicago.  

The 6.5 hours to Columbus on Friday was okay.  Could've been better had Samson relaxed a bit and laid down.  Instead he panted and pawed at me for 4.5 hours before finally deciding to lay down.  Of course, as soon as he got settled I noticed I needed gas.... so the whole cycle started over again.

I had a nice dinner with the Veshas and I know Samson is going to be spoiled rotten staying at Nick and Leslie's house for two weeks.  

The drive alone up to Chicago was nice.  It was so less stressful not having Samson with me.  And as much as I am going to enjoy the two weeks on not having to worry about him, I already miss him a ton!

I'm going to sleep now so I can try to make up some sleep from the last few days.  

Too Busy

Sorry, I'm swamped trying to get this done before I leave.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of Kayla on Melissa's site.  Because I certainly do!

Are you a good witch...

or a bad witch?

I found this when going through my jewelry box a couple weeks ago.  I had completely forgotten that my mom gave it to me.  It had never been worn and I was thrilled that the battery was still good.

I love the Wizard of Oz.  And I love that my mom always manages to find things for me with it.

The challenge

I enjoy the challenge of having to come up with new outfits to wear with my current favorite skirt.  This morning I stumbled upon this grey sweater dress that I've had forever.  I love when I re-find things in my closet.

*Skirt - JCrew (still want the grey one), sweater dress - Express, scarf - Old Navy, belt - Express, Shoes - Stevens

Whirlwind Monday

Taking time out of the office (whether personal vacation or work travel) sucks.  Big Time.

I knew, from checking my work email a few times while on the road, that things were going to go downhill fast. It was compounded when my coworker wanted to speak on Thursday about more bad news (Thanks Sara!) :)

Then, I made the mistake of checking my work email on Saturday afternoon.... wooh.  I need to learn my lesson.  DO NOT CHECK WORK EMAIL ON YOUR WEEKEND.

Basically, by the time I was in bed last night, I couldn't sleep.  I watched Dexter, turned the TV off and just laid there.  Thinking.  About everything I would need to do today at work.

That's crazy isn't it?

Also, you can never rely on other people to get work done for you while you are gone.  Inevitably, they do it wrong... thus doubling your work when you get back.  No joke.  Please tell me this doesn't only happen to me?  A few years ago at a previous position, I used to tell my contacts that there was no one else at the office that could help them until I came back.  JUST so that I didn't have to fix a mess when I got back.

So this morning I spent four hours copying and pasting information from a word document to a software program.  Seriously... copying and pasting.

This week can't go fast enough.

Also.  I had to interview someone today for work.  It was the worst... THE WORST... interview in the history of interviews.  He didn't bother to prepare for the interview.  He didn't have any questions and when I asked him questions, half the time I didn't get a response.  He actually told me at one point that he just does what he he's told and nothing more than that.

Take notes people... on how NOT to do an interview.  20 minutes later, he was out the door.

This was definitely not the way I wanted to start out my week.  Hopefully, I can survive the next three days.

On an unrelated work note, the walls are finished.  Mostly.  I have the first coat of paint on the basement patch and the contractor is coming tonight to sand the bathroom wall so I can paint it.  Over the weekend I packed most of my life in a 12 ft. storage container.  Minus my clothes and a few pieces of furniture; most of which will fit in the container.  As sparse as the house looks now, it is a HUGE relief that I am almost one full foot out the door.

Special thanks to Jennifer and Rich for helping me move stuff this weekend!

#79 - Make a playlist of my 100 favorite songs

I'm finally getting around to accomplishing some things of my 101 list.  Specifically, in preparation for all my upcoming travel, I thought this would be a perfect time to make my playlist of 100 favorite songs.

I gave myself some parameters for the list - my favorites from my iTunes playlist.  And they could not all be on genre.   Also, my listening interested at any given time are often mood driven, so I had to not let my current mood sway my list.

I have eclectic music tastes and I think this list is pretty representative of the music I have... except for one thing.  There are not any musical songs or any classical music on this list.

I was pretty strict on my first run through my 2,000 songs and came up with 135 to start with.  After a few quick cuts, it was more difficult to narrow down 112 to 100.  BUT I DID IT.

So here it is. 

1. Acoustic #3 - Goo Goo Dolls 
2. Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin 
3. All You Need is Love - The Beatles 
4. At Last - Etta James 
5. Baby Boy - Beyonce 
6. The beat goes on - Sonny & Cher 
7. Beyond The Sea - Bobby Darin 
8. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison 
9. By My Side - Ben Harper 
10. Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka 
11. Can't Get It Right Today - Joe Purdy 
12. Can I Steal A Little Love? - Frank Sinatra 
13. Colorblind - Counting Crows 
14. Come A Little Bit Closer - Jay & the Americans 
15. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones 
16. Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos 
17. Cowboy Take Me Away - Dixie Chicks 
18. Danke Schoen - Wayne Newton 
19. Dream a Little Dream of Me - Edith Piaff 
20. Eternal Flame - The Bangles 
21. Faith - George Michael 
22. Feeling Good - Michael Buble 
23. Fever - Peggy Lee 
24. Fool Of Me - MeShell Ndegeocello 
25. For You - Duncan Sheik 
26. Fred Jones Part 2 - Ben Folds
27. Galileo - Indigo Girls 
28. The Girl of My Best Friend - Elvis Presley 
29. Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects 
30. Gotta Get Through This - Daniel Beddingfield 
31. Grace - Kate Havnevik 
32. Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman - Bryan Adams 
33. Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé 
34. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Elvis Presley 
35. Hey Baby - Bruce Channel 
36. I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Kline 
37. If I Had $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies 
38. If You Like Pina Coladas - Jimmy Buffett  
39. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls 
40. Just to See You Smile - Tim McGraw 
41. A Kiss To Build A Dream On - Louis Armstrong 
42. Lie In Our Graves - Dave Matthews Band 
43. Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane 
44. Lightning Crashes - Live 
45. (Love Is) The Tender Trap - Frank Sinatra 
46. Love Shack - B 52's 
47. Lovely Tonight - Joshua Radin 
48. Lover Lay Down - Dave Matthews Band 
49. Makin' Whoopee - Frank Sinatra 
50. Material Girl - Madonna 
51. Mona Lisa - Nat "King" Cole 
52. Moon River - Henry Mancini 
53. The More I See You - Michael Buble 
54. Moving Too Fast - Jack Johnson 
55. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel 
56. My Discarded Men - Eartha Kitt 
57. My Man - Regina Spektor 
58. My Sharona - The Knack 
59. (Night Time Is) The Right Time - Ray Charles 
60. Oh! Look At Me Now - Frank Sinatra 
61. Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison 
62. On an Evening in Roma - Dean Martin 
63. Only Time - Enya 
64. Papa Loves Mambo - Perry Como 
65. Return to Me - Dean Martin 
66. Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash 
67. 'S Wonderful - Ella Fitzgerald 
68. Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters 
69. Say Goodbye - Dave Matthews Band 
70. Secret - Maroon 5 
71. Shadowboxer - Fiona Apple 
72. She's Got a Way - Billy Joel 
73. She's not You - Elvis Presley 
74. She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy - Kenny Chesney 
75. Shoop - Salt N Peppa 
76. Simply Irresistable - Robert Palmer 
77. Some Fantastic - Barenaked Ladies 
78. Somebody to Love - Queen 
79. Someone to Watch Over Me - Etta James 
80. Stairway to heaven - Led Zepplin
81. Stay - Lisa Loeb 
82. A Sunday Kind of Love - Etta James 
83. These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra 
84. This Is For My People - Missy Elliot 
85. Tonight - New Kids On The Block 
86. Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel - Barenaked Ladies 
87. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's An Irish Lullaby) - Bing Crosby 
88. True Love - Bing Crosby 
89. The Very Thought of You - Nat "King" Cole 
90. Waiting On An Angel - Ben Harper 
91. Walk Away - Ben Harper 
92. The Way You Look Tonight - Michael Bublé 
93. When I Get You Alone - Thicke 
94. Where the Boys Are - Connie Francis 
95. Wonderful - Annie Lennox 
96. Wonderwall - Oasis 
97. You Are The Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne 
98. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon 
99. You Mean Everything to Me - Shawn Mullins 
100. You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate  

Wizarding World

My whirlwind trip was great.... well, productive at least.

The culminating part was really the trip to Universal to see Wizarding World (I know... I'm 29.  So what.).

It was great.  We were only there for two hours before it got way too crowded and way too hot.  We went on the dragon ride (one of them) - which was SO FAST.  Then, we waited in line to go through Hogwarts for that ride.  The wait was around 75 minutes and I recommend, waiting in the "single riders" line.  It cut out wait by over half and really, you can't see the people you are riding with anyways.  The most fun part for me was less the rides and more seeing how well they recreated Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  Because it really was great.

I took a few pictures of Hogsmeade stores, bought a couple chocolate frogs, and caught a few photos of Hogwarts and the stuff inside.  They had talking paintings and the sorting hat.  I tried to take a tiny video of the animatronics of the sorting hat, because it was pretty impressive.

Here's the photos I got:

 my favorite part of touristy photos - OTHER TOURISTS IN THE PHOTOS... :)

 Hogwarts

 HoneyDukes (Also combined with Zonko's)

 HAHA, this photo kills me.  The girl in the pink was yelling to her friend behind me "can you see me?"

 The line to get into Olivander's was 90 mins long.  Just to meet "Olivander" and essentially buy the same wand you could buy at any gift shop (or the airport).

 Sorry, it was dark in Hogwarts waiting in line.  But the sorting hat was pretty awesome.  Here's the video.  It's hard to see, but the animatronics were kind of amazing.  He gave safety instructions.

I'm glad I could check this one off my bucket list.

Blog Silence

I was going to post an outfit pic today, and then realized that I already posted this outfit here.  So, no need to for a repeat picture since the only difference is the belt.

Today I have to get a ton of work done before I take my tri-city trip tomorrow.

Blog posting will be light until the weekend, when I can update about the purging of the house.

I love attorneys

Did I really just say that?

I guess so.  The meeting with the attorney and my realtor was great.  Bottom line, while it may cost us some money up front, the attorney has a good relationship and a standing contact with someone at our mortgage bank.  This will help expedite our process.

He had a lot of valuable and helpful information to share and we will have the house on the market before I leave for Hawaii next week.

It's definitely not an easy road the rest of the way since short sales are notoriously difficult, but the attorney was confident that we could get this done relatively quickly.

So here's hoping someone puts an offer on our house and I get the heck out of here.  I can't wait to move on with my life.

*I forgot the best news - We don't have to worry about replacing the carpet in the basement.  In actuality, it would hurt us in the appraisal process.  One less thing on my list!!!!

Busy

Busy, busy today.

1. Working with the ex to complete the necessary paperwork for my meeting this afternoon.
2. Trying to work from home while Samson is irritating the crap out of me.
3. Waiting on the contractor to come and fix the walls.
4. Have a conference call at some point this morning.

Good planning Megan.  Just awesome.

Hopefully I can provide an update from my meeting this afternoon since I know my family likes to know.

I'm still finding paint on my hands...

Why is it that no matter how carefully you think you washed your hands and no matter how many showers you have taken, you will still find paint on your hands two days later?

After I posted on Friday, I got a text from the ex letting me know that the bank had approved us for our short sale!  While there are a whole slew of logistical issues with a short sale, the actual approve was one thing we were worried about.  Mostly because we don't qualify in the typical short sale setting - when you are already not making payments on your loan.  Thankfully, the information we put together was enough to give us the go ahead.  We were told to have our realtor handles the financial information still needed and to put the house on the market at a fair value price.  So, YEAH!  Now we can officially get this going.

In preparation, I did a lot of work around the house this weekend.  I painted (as the title suggests).  Mostly just touched up parts of walls that I had spackled months ago and never got around to painting.  And I painted the closet doors in the hallway.  Just a few things to make the place look a little nicer.  The contractor is coming tomorrow to repair the hole in the bathroom and replace a 2x2 square in the basement that is damaged because of the leak.  So after that is done, next weekend I will paint those two rooms and we should be good to go.

I also spent a lot of time packing things up in the house.  I figured, I have to have the POD already and who knows what's going to happen next - I might as well be as mobile as possible.  So I am going to live with the bare minimum.  I am packing all the kitchen stuff that I can.  I have all my books and crafting stuff and dvds packed up.  I packed up majority of my linens and towels.  I'm hoping that I can get most of my things in the POD next weekend so that the house is as simple as can be.  Hey, if I'm going to be paying for the POD, might as well get my money's worth.

We still haven't gotten anywhere with the basement carpet issue.  A coworker told me that Lowe's has carpet pretty cheap and that if you buy from them, they will install for free.  So I have the ex looking into that.  I have a feeling that could be a last minute addition right before I leave for the trip.

So I had a pretty busy weekend, especially compared to some of my recent weekends.  As all of this is starting to come together, I'm looking forward to my family trip even more!

Oh, a special shout out to Melissa and Justin on their two-year anniversary today!  Love you guys.

A House Update - Finally

So things are really progressing.  For real this time.

Yesterday afternoon I left work early to meet with the realtor to discuss putting it on the market.  My ex has submitted our application for a short sale, so he is in charge of staying on top of that process.  In the meantime, I am on realtor duty.

Of course, things aren't always so easy.  I was rear-ended while I was waiting to turn into the parking lot of the realtor's office.  Not really any damage, but several people still think I should file a claim and get my car checked.  Just another thing on my laundry list of activities in the next couple of weeks.

The visit with the realtor was eye opening.  Houses in our direct neighborhood have recently been selling for about half of what we paid for ours.  No joke.  I'll let that sink if a moment....

So yeah.  There's that.  Thankfully, he says that we can get this on the market as soon as we are ready.  He also has a title lawyer that he works closely with that helps with these short sale processes.  Of course, there is some money involved up front ($$$) but it would be worth it.  Also, to get it on the market ASAP, I need to get on top of getting that hole in the bathroom fixed ($$$).  I also need to get the basement taken care of.  We are definitely going to need to put carpet back down ($$$).  And the realtor suggested that I declutter what I can.... of course.  So I ordered a POD system to come next weekend so I can start moving some stuff out of the house ($$$).

Are you getting the picture here?  I suddenly feel like I am hemorrhaging money.

In addition to the house and car, I also now have a 36 hour-three city-trip planned for work.  It's a really long story, so I try to sum it up.  There was a hotel issue in one of our cities we contracted (for 2016), so my boss panicked and wants to send my coworker and I down to do a site visit (again).  Then he figured, while we are down there, why don't we swing by the 2013 city so we can view that site (again) as well.  And it needs to be done now.

So next week, I am  making an unscheduled trip for 36 hours.  The good news.  Since I am forced to make this trip, I added a few extra hours so that we could visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Yes, I am a 29 year old woman and I'm really freaking excited about it.

Words to Live By

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary"

- Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Sleep

I had a great time last night.  I ended up meeting my dad early at Zola's downtown to grab a few drinks and we ended up with a group of about 6-7 of us sitting there.  The dinner itself was really nice.  I felt a little bit like a fish out of water since everyone seemed to know everyone at this event.  I know I am still fairly new to the association world, so it will take some time.  I did realize though, that I need to do a MUCH better job of committing people's names to memory.  Specifically, CVB (convention and visitors bureau) people.  You meet so many of them while doing site visits and when they make office visits, that it can be hard to keep up.  I actually felt terrible when one of them approached me while I was waiting for my car and I had just met her 3 weeks ago.  Granted, I had 5 other meetings in between that time, but still.

New task: REMEMBER people's names!  Make a real connection instead of a superficial one.

I ended up getting home around 10:30.  Just enough time to let Samson walk to the mailbox with me and get ready for bed.  Thankfully, he was very good and we feel asleep pretty quickly.  5am certainly did come fast though.

I have realized over the last 6 years that I've been working.... Sleep is important to me.  I need sleep.  And I need at least 6 hours.  It's really difficult for me to function on anything less.  And it's never just one night.  If I get less sleep one night during the week, it has a domino effect on the whole rest of the week for me.

So this morning, I went the Starbucks route, because I knew how tired I would be.

Salted Caramel Mocha - I love you.

Venti sized - Because I need it

P.s.  Ok, it's definitely not helpful for me "lose weight - keep in shape" goal.  But I get it with nonfat milk and no whip cream so I feel better about it. :)

"Date" Night

So tonight after work, my dad invited me to attend this Awards dinner for an Association we are both members of.  His association bought a table, so his directors and a few other colleagues will be there.  It will be a great networking opportunity... plus, I enjoy getting to spend some solo time with each of my parents.  With three siblings, I don't feel like that happens very often.  I love family time, but the one on one time is nice also.  Besides, it's been lonely here since my roommates left.

The dress is business... which, while I understand, I also find really boring.  I hate business attire.  Special thanks to Amanda for her remote outfit assistance!

 *Dress - Banana Republic (more than a year old and bought in "tall".... will buy all dresses from there in tall if I can.  It fits the best.)

 *Jacket - JCrew (also fairly old.  I have a hard time committing to blazers because I can never seem to get the right fit.)

 DV by Dolce Vita shoes (on sale now!)

Sorry, the pictures aren't that great.  It's really hard to take photos of your own feet!  But, I thought these shoes were worth it.  They are tall, but I'm looking forward to wearing them.

Also, I painted my nails last night.  "Gilty Pleasure" by Sally Hanson.  I really like this brand (found at any drug store).  The colors are nice.  The brush makes the color go on nicely and they dry pretty fast.

A little reminder

Yesterday, I was having a rough morning and Lauren sent me this via a pin.

This hits home probably more than she intended it to.  Especially given my "in limbo" status currently.  This is definitely what I want to be emulating more than what I am doing... which is WAITING to be able to start over.

It's a fine line between wanting to do things so badly and really being able to do it.  And in a lot of ways, I feel like I've been doing this exact thing for the last 9 months... waiting for the better days.

Here's hoping that what I really want to happen will happen so and I can get out of this house and honestly move on.

I still love her for the gentle poke in the side though. :)

I love this skirt

*shirt & Skirt - JCrew, shoes - Steven, belt - Target

That is all.

No Heat Curls

So a while ago, I saw this "no heat curls" tutorial on Pinterest.  Coming from a girl who has pin straight hair that hold curl barely at best, I was skeptical.

So last night, after taking a shower and letting my hair dry almost completely, I thought I would give it a shot.  I followed the instructions on the video (and several other linked bloggers) and let it go.  Here's a photo from last night.....  you are so lucky I love you because this is scary.

Then, this morning, I woke up and walked Samson and it looked like this... yes, bedhead.  This was actually pretty comfortable to sleep in.

Here's the after - when I took it all out.

I ended up washing it out in the shower, but it gave me a pretty good idea of what potential it had.  Next time I would attempt this for real, I would do a better job in the front so it looks nicer.  I would also use product, both before AND after, so that it had the best chance to hold.

Some parts were curlier than others, but I think that was due to the way I wrapped the hair.  Also...  note to self - DO NOT BRUSH IT OUT.  The curls looked much better before I even took these pictures.

51?!

It was downright COLD in my house this morning.  When my alarm went off, I checked my Weather.com app just like I always do.  So that I know what I need to wear to walk Samson and help me think about what I might want to wear to work.

Today, the high is supposed to be 51.  Brrr... that's pretty cold for this early in the DC area.  Of course, it was in the 70s the last week so I turned my AC off in the house.  When I got downstairs, it was 63 in my house.  I had to turn the heat on a bit just to take the chill off.

Of course, this means pants to work.  Ugh.  You know how I feel about my work options with dress pants.  I should've just worn tights and a dress or skirt.  At least this pair of pants from Express still look nice.  The butts not saggy and the waist has buttons and tabs so you can adjust the waistband.  Nice for the person between sizes. :)

Also, I got this necklace on Old Navy's website when I was ordering boots (which aren't supposed to come until November!!).  I had a tough time deciding between this necklace or my new BaubleBar one that came in the mail on Saturday.  It's awesome, so I can't wait to wear it.

*shirt & sweater - JCrew, pants - Express, shoes - Nine West, Necklace - Old Navy

A quiet weekend

After the last weekend and the drama with the leak, I had planned a weekend of productivity for this past weekend.  As last week crawled along, those plans changed to more of a relaxing weekend.

So by the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I had zero energy to do anything productive.  Here's what I ended up doing this weekend.

1. Watched DVRed TV.  I finally caught up with all the shows I had taped during the week that I just never got around to watching.  By the way, Person of Interest could possibly be my new favorite show.  I'm so thrilled Jim Caviezel is on TV.  It helps that he's so good looking too.
2. Watched a lot of movies.  I put a significant dent into my list of 26 new movies from the 101 list.  Some were great (The Conspirator) and some were terrible (The Informant!).  And I really enjoyed watching Bridesmaids again.
3. Napped.  Self explanatory I think.
4. Walk Samson/Pet Samson/Scratch Samson/Play tug-of-war with Samson.
5. Did laundry and picked up groceries. 

Wow.  It looks even sadder when I reread it than it did while I was actually doing it.  

While I enjoyed being unproductive; it is also very lonely.  Thankfully, I have Samson around.  

I have a few things going on this week, and hopefully will have the hole in my bathroom repaired so I will have some painting to do.