Back to Life - Back to Reality

Well hello! You may have noticed that in blog-land it looked like I had a 4-day weekend.

The only reason you got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday content was that I wrote those on my iPad on the red eye flight across the border. Which, if you've never written on an iPad on a plane, it's the most creative writing and distraction-free flow you'll ever experience.

No, last week I was quite too busy going hard at both ends - working to the bone at the office and making a serious effort to be social and build relationships. Some say I'm a natural but it took everything I had to agree to go out with the boys rather than slave away at the laptop - and I think I liked that side of myself.

So - yes, this trip I had way more fun. #sorrynotsorry

Fun also means that I failed so hard on Paleo all week with the restaurants and the nights out and the quick food trips at lunch time. It was the same hotel as you may remember from my big rant and there was still no good way to keep my groceries from going bad.

Time for your favorite part, right? iPhone dump!

1. The CN Tower on the first night walking home from dinner.

2. BEER IN A BAG + a shot. Can I be any more classy?

3. View of the lake from my hotel window.

4. Gringa - should have just had a pitcher #AmIRight?

5. K Cup Coffee all day every day at the office.

6. Fresh blueberries for a walk to explore

When I made it home Friday night I only had 5 hours 'off' from work (10pm - 3am) and then had to get back to it on Saturday morning, Dan and Holly made sure to treat me like a queen.

Weary and overworked, it was nice to have no worries except to Persist through C.R.A.P and do it all over again tomorrow.

Back home now with great snuggles and good clean paleo - I'm a happy girl.

What did you do this weekend?

Linking up for some weekend shenanigans!

Weekend Across the Border

Happy Monday here from Toronto!

This weekend didn't feel like much of a weekend at all. Usually I have long runs in the mornings, mid day naps, and evenings with the laptop out half-blogging, day drinking and some DVR catch up with my guy. This one was cut short with a red-eye flight Saturday night.

But Friday night I cheated so hard on Paleo. Dan and I headed to the theater to watch Wolverine (his pick) and couldn't resist the theater popcorn seasoned with jalapeno butter and cheddar topping. It was out of my control, and I have no regrets from my "cheat meal". With the movie came the realization of how incredibly irresponsible we are as parents. We got home at 9:30pm to an energy-filled Holly who wanted nothing to do with the must-sleep-now plan that we had in mind. Dan slept like a baby, but she kept me up for hours before I was able to finally get some zzz's

Then remember how I said that Saturdays are for sleeping? Well Saturday I didn't get out of bed until 5pm. Sure I 'got out of bed' for food and coffee, but I was mostly horizontal with my iPad, iPhone or laptop catching up on reading blogs and making changes to my own blog.

That's right, do you see the FANCY new social media buttons to the right of your screen?

Thanks to Sarah's amazing tutorial that also works for Wordpress I was able to work my own design, map the image to three separate links and make it fit nicely over there underneath my photo. No more awkward Facebook (like anyone ever clicked that) twitter and Instagram with Bloglovin' separately. I'm seriously thankful for Sarah's Saturday Sessions.

Saturday when Holly and I woke from our slumber when we heard Dan get home was followed by a late round of laundry, a 5 mile run, and some quick packing for my 12:55am flight to a 6 day business visit to Toronto.

I feel like Red Eye flights are for the most productive people you'll meet. Nothing like an air bed & breakfast before arriving to your destination city with upright seated-sleep. Red eye flights are also an excellent excuse to get something that will settle you down and help you to rest a little easier.

Beer & sweatpants, that's my kind of Saturday night.

Flight #2 from Minneapolis/St. Paul was less than fun - I was all the way in the back of a tiny plane (only 13 rows) and had this stink hole next to me. Blugh. I also had a stink hole to my left but that's a different story for a different day.

Since my mission was to enjoy the city on Sunday you'll be seeing some photos later this week that summarize my adventures. I'm hoping this trip allows me to relax a little more than the last one and to actually get some rest. It doesn't look that way from the emails that came through this weekend but a girl can dream, right?

Wishing all the luck and confidence in the world today to my amazing teammates back home today who are presenting my super crazy normal job responsibility on top of their other work. They're going to rock it.

Thrilled at the thought already of being back home - counting down the days!

Backing it Up to Toronto

How fantastic does it feel that Friday is here?

Sometimes Fridays make me feel like dancing, and I mean really dancing.

This week was hard. That kind of hard where you don't know how you got here, how you can take back your life and thoughts like 'how will I ever have a family with this type of workload?'. That can be emotionally distressing for anyone right?  I am thankful to have a guy in my life who doesn't care about mascara and eyeliner smeared on his polo shirts at the end of a long day.

After yesterday's goal setting I really want to start the month off right with some thank you's that are necessary.

Are you ready for a list? 

|| Thanks Mom and Dad for inviting us over last night for amazing Paleo Meatloaf (look for a recipe here soon!)

|| Thanks Dan for letting me vent and understanding what I'm going through.

|| Thanks teammates at work who are undeniably the greatest teammates a girl could have. I know you'll never read this but you keep me going.

|| Thanks Portland for the gloomy and rainy day yesterday, I am a lover of Fall and can't wait for sweater weather.

|| Thanks alarm for getting me an extra hour of sleep yesterday.

|| Thanks kind hearted people who always lend a hand when they see someone who is upset and in need.

|| Thanks to my wonderful friends who haven't given up on me - you know who you are!

|| Thanks to Canada, for having a holiday on Monday and a technical "free day" in the city. Bless your maple leaves.

|| Thanks to Saturday, because you my friend are for sleeping!

And maybe Saturday is also for flying, take it away Sinatra!

Fly Me to The Moon

Rant-astic Friday

First let me start this post with a #Humblebrag:

It's the 19th and I'm still 100% successful with my no ice cream in July goal!! Even in the sweltering muggy heat of Toronto in July.

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Before we get into the rest of this post, please let me warn you of the sarcasm and ranting you're going to experience through the next few scrolls on your laptop.

Enjoy.

I only ran ONE measly mile this week. One. And it was muggy. Aspirations of the hotel gym, running, swimming, hot tubbing and relaxing turned into late late nights and early mornings. So late and so early that I left a light on in the bathroom to avoid falling into a deep sleep. I've run 41 miles this month and have a lot to catch up on.

Frustrated much?

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Next - hotel refrigerator. You had ONE Job. Why on earth, hotel, would you have a refrigerator in the room that is not *Actually* a refrigerator at all and says that 'perishable items will spoil'. That would have been a wonderful thing to realize before I got a week's worth of groceries on Monday and have had to keep everything constantly on melting ice all week. 

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Hey Subway guy, why did you have so much attitude last night? It was 10pm, I just did a 1 mile run, I was hungry, you were grouchy, you berated me for not telling you I only had an American Express card and you didn't even offer me the sandwich that I walked out of the restaurant without. It just sat there in the bag at the cash register. I hope you ate it, and in hindsight it was okay anyway because you were really cheap on the lunch meats. I wasn't happy.

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Today I'll be carrying a 40 pound bag home that I barely utilized because I WAY overpacked with the rumor that I was going to stay two weeks, but now I have that endless dilemma of what to wear to the airport. Maxi Dress and flats or compression tights and sneakers? Either way I'm going to get crampy on the plane and probably going to spill coffee all over it so what's the point?

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One final note before I board the plane - not getting an aisle seat on any flight longer than 1 hour then the person in the aisle seat doesn't need to get up once is just bad luck. Forrest says it all.

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Ok done complaining - gotta go!

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Power Move Monday

This was one of the most productive weekends of all time.

I cracked down with black coffee and slippers to write and schedule all five blog posts for the next 5 days.

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I don't usually have my life so put together, you guys. Why so on top of things, Jessi? Business travel this week!

The job is sending me East and across the border to Toronto for a week and I couldn't be more excited to be called up to the big leagues.

Other than more grinding that I do even at home, I'll be swiping my shiny new corporate American Express Card, responsible for a rental car and asked to really step out of my comfort zone to drive some action with our wonderful and friendly partners across the border. 

This weekend other than knocking out 20 running miles and watching Holly and her brother wrestle non-stop (we're cat sitting), I looked up some helpful travel tips that will get me through my week away.

|| Simple hacks to make flying suck less.

|| 10 workouts to do on vacation + Running along the waterfront

 || 5 Ways to make a killer first impression

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|| HealthyBizTravel Tips

Wish me luck, confidence and nothing but good hair days!

Tough Mudder #2

First I want to say another Happy Father's Day to my amazing dad! I didn't get to spend any of the weekend with him but mom treated him right and we will celebrate properly later this week. It sounds like all of you out there also have pretty remarkable dads. That makes me happy.

This weekend was Tough Mudder #2 for me and it was fun to drag Dan along - even if it meant having to watch the DVR version of the US Open when we got home.

Brooke was awesome and drove us East to the city of Fossil where we witnessed the other side of Oregon that those of us from the city often forget about. Fossil, OR is a place where there's no cell service and a simpler way of life on the ranch.

Or way of life on the ranch was anything but 'simple', but at least we had a fun stay!

Quick Hits - then I'm hitting the pillow!

• Last year I only made it over 3 of 4 walls, this year I made it over all 4 (with 2 slanted toward us!)


• Last year I fell multiple times on Everest and never made it up (I quit) and this year I made it up the first time!


• Having Dan there was the extra boost I needed to get me through <3


• Dan was a sweetheart and crashed into the water on the monkey bars before me, just to make it less embarrassing when I fell in on the first rung


• Arctic Enema was actually a welcome relief from the warm temperatures


• I had a 'Brain Reboot" (blacked out) for a moment through Electric Eel. I opened my eyes, heard white noise and just kept crawling.

Sorry for not many photos, my iPhone was stored in our bag pretty quick once we made it to the venue - you'll have to wait for the official race photos!

Thanks for a fun weekend, friends!

And yes, this was me on the monkey bars.

Wedding Weekend

Thank you for sticking with me this week. It's been a long one. #TWSS

From the start of the work week where Dan and I didn't arrive into PDX until 2:30am Monday, to going cross-eyed over spreadsheets Monday and Tuesday, confidently delivering my beautiful work on Wednesday and some defending of my numbers today - I'm so thrilled that it's Friday.

Let's talk about how my weekend was where I finally got to Meet the Parents and a few other special members of Dan's family!

Friday was a wild and crazy day at work and I did everything possible to get out of the building before noon so that I'd be able to connect with mom and make my flight. With a lightly packed gym bag and fully charged electronics I stepped onto the plane and took a nap instantly. Before I knew it I was in Texas for my layover and had already sat down to enjoy the sweet taste of victory for my successful Quarter.

I made it into Nashville just before midnight on Friday where Dan escorted me back to our hotel in Kentucky to a King size bed that has us wanting to make a purchase soon. We made a pit stop for a quick snack and since we were somewhere foreign Dan insisted that White Castle was the only place we could go.., so obviously there's no photo evidence of what we actually ordered and consumed. #Faturday

The very next morning came early as we were woken with an invite to breakfast, at which I immediately jumped out of bed and into get-ready-to-impress mode for the first meeting in person. Holding Dan's hand as we approached the restaurant, I instantly felt a calm aura when I saw Dan's mom, dad and sister in the hotel lobby. Before I knew it I was meeting aunts and uncles from Chicago and Switzerland, bridesmaids and former neighbors. I hadn't even finished my first cup of coffee yet!

After passing through the first round of interviews, Dan and I went on an errand run to find him razors and the finishing touches on the gift we got for the bride and groom.  Exhausted and a little taken aback by the humidity, Dan and I both took the afternoon calm to catch a quick nap.

Like magic, I was soon dressed, in the chapel and witnessing this beautiful lady walking down the aisle. Her parents gave her away in front of family and friends while shutter clicks could be heard from all around the chapel.

These are not my photos. I was too busy admiring her dress and dreaming about my own aisle moment.

Following the wedding, we took our time to get back to the reception hall for a wonderful meal and a night full of dancing. Once I dined and was ready to get my man out on the floor, we danced the night away and had everyone in the room thinking that we'd taken lessons together. From there we laughed, I made new facebook friends, I even grabbed the microphone when the timing was right and had family members asking Dan "Where did she come from?"

Sunday morning came too soon and we said our goodbyes at the Louisville airport. Once we were through security we treated ourselves to "two means four" whiskey orders to celebrate a successful first meeting of hopefully many. Other airport antics included planks, walking around, delay after delay and finally coming home to my amazing parents who picked us up at 2:30 in the morning with the golden sisters - and with a special made lunch in hand.

Such a wonderful weekend, thank you for a wonderful time Dan and family! Congrats, Emily!

Throwback Thursday: Meeting the Parents

I can't believe that it happened so quickly, but it's May 30th and in two days I get to finally meet Dan's family.

Dan's already been in Chicago for a week and has been doing everything from meals with family members to golfing daily with friends (big surprise!). Originally the master scheme was to leave Portland together over Memorial Day weekend and get the grand tour, but the timing wasn't in my favor with the end of our fiscal year this week. The trip to Chicago is postponed and rather I head to Bowling Green, Kentucky tomorrow - the location of Dan's little sister's wedding.

Yikes - meeting the family at a wedding! I know, I'm a little nervous too! 

I joke, I'm probably not as nervous as the normal girlfriend should be for the occasion. I've had the pleasure of loyal readership and email correspondence with Dan's mom, while I've overheard the jovial voice of Dan's dad when they're on the phone together bantering about everything sports, cars, motorcycles and action movies. 

It's a little crazy for me to think of all the time Dan's spent with my family and how often I've had to sit back and read mom and dad's facial expressions depending on what was coming out of Dan's mouth. Remember the flower incident, Dan? Now it will be fun to witness him with that feeling. He will have to make sure that I'm keeping in line, not doing my infamous nervous jabber and most importantly that I don't drink too much and take over the microphone at the reception in front of the guests. Kidding, but seriously.

An extremely rewarding part about the trip will be leaving work in the middle of the day tomorrow to catch my flight - the perfect way to wrap up the past three months of the most demanding and exhilarating work of my life.

Today's Throwback Thursday is brought to you by a girl who knew the importance of packing light, dressing for the destination and posing with confidence:

See you soon, baby!

Beach Getaway

This weekend at the coast was unbelievable.

Not only was there a lot of quality family time, the weather was perfect and we truly felt like we were in Southern California and dare I say it - Mexico!

After a long week of working hard, this image about sums it up:

Getting rays down by the sand, taking naps on the porch, watching puppies run wild and eating tasty foods can make any weekend spectacular - I thankfully got to experience all of these!

Little lady Bella is still getting acclimated to the harsh ocean waves and it was fun to watch her curiosity as Bailey and Dad played in the surf.

She saw how much fun her sister was having out there in the waves so she stood on all fours and we could tell that she was processing what her next move would be.

It wasn't natural or instinctive, but when she decided she would jump in - she went at it full force!

A day at the coast isn't the same without puppy camaraderie and expert hole-diggin'!

In no time these two struck water and rested in the shallow pool they had created.

For such a gorgeous weekend we were lucky enough to find empty patches of sand where the puppies could run free.

If only every weekend on the Oregon Coast looked and felt as wonderful as this. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us enjoy your home!