2/28/09 - Girls Night Out @ Jenni's House

Tonight a bunch of the girls got together at Jenni's house and a nice relaxing night, hanging out chatting and watching chick flicks. We watched Bridget Jones and something else that I cant' quite recall at the moment, but it's probably because I was playing Jenni's cat during most of it. Her cat is so cute! It fetches, like a dog. I couldn't get enough of it. Here's a picture of him bringing back the mouse. I took some video as well, but I need to edit it. It's really long right now and includes a bunch of me coaxing the cat (Peanut) to bring the mouse to me after her other cat (Stinky) jumped out from under the bed to scare him.

2/27/09 - Chiditerod Prep/MiC NMHH

Today David, myself, Karen and Erick (Team: Buddy Christ) went shopping for our Chiditerod Costumes and Cart decor. We hit JoAnns, Target and a Costume shop. I think we're all set. Karen is making the beards, Erick is going to make the "sacred heart" emblems and some signs for the cart and I'm making the costumes. More info on our Team selection: For those of you that are not familiar with the character "Buddy Christ" he is from the movie, Dogma. It came out in the mid 90's. Written and directed by Kevin Smith, the same guy that did Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mall Rats, etc. Buddy Christ comes from a scene in the movie where the Catholic church decides they want to reach out the younger demographic and make the church seem less depressing and more fun so come up with the slogan, "Catholicism Wow!" and a corresponding mascot, Buddy Christ. Well, here just watch this...



...and Team Buddy Christ was born!!

2/26/09 - Dinner at Sullivans Steakhouse

I'm being proactive! We're going to dinner tonight with our friend Chris and a few others. I'll update with more detials when we get back...

2/25/09 - Trivia!!

We almost won!! We were in first place the whole night, then bet nearly maximum points on the final question and came in well it doesn't even really matter because it wasn't first!! I guess I should back up a little. Tonight we got together with some friends of ours, Derek and Jamie, Katherine and Rich (our downstairs neighbors) and Jon and played trivia at Bridget McNeills. We were a pretty good team. Some knew the answers right off the top of their head and when no one knew we worked as a team to figure them out. It was really fun and I can't wait to do it again.

By the way the final question was, "What product made famous by (some middle eastern name that I can't pronounce let alone spell) after a December 2007 event, received 100's of thousand's of orders." The answer...was Shoes! The guy who threw his shoe at G.W. inspired people to go purchase the type of shoe he was wearing! (Apparently the guy's name is the same name of a guy known for designing Motorcycles so that's what we said, but we were WRONG!) Oh well, better luck next time.

2/24/09 - Wing Night

Tonight we went to "High Dive" to have wings. This was another event hosted by our friends Erick and Shar via the MiC site. Anyway, everyone has their favorite place for wings. This happens to be Erick and Shar's and I'd have to agree, I thought they were delicous! We go quite frequently to "The Rail" because they have .10 wings on Monday nights and they are pretty good, but I think I like High Dives a little better. Wings are very particular to people I've noticed. It's like Ford and Chevy, but with food. Some people like them dry and spicy, some people like them saucy and mild, some like to dip in bleu cheese and some in ranch-it's a science, really. I think I lean more toward dry and spicy and I'm a ranch dipper. This would explain why I was particularly fond of David's favorite place in Jersey. They were extremely saucey and more tangy than spicy, which is what he prefers. Speaking of, I've been realizing latley how "complimentary" David and are when it come to food. On one hand, we'll pick the same thing on the menu when at a restaurant, but on the other he likes very different things than I do. It's very interesting, then again my hobbie is human relationships and social psychology so perhaps only I find that interesting.

<---This is my friend Carl. I hadn't seen him in a while so I was glad he joined us.

2/23/09 - Girl Scouts of America, you are EVIL!

David called me a few weeks back, in fact I think I was in North Carolina at the time and asked me if I wanted some Girl Scout Cookies, so of course I said yes! The delightfully tasty gems are but once a year! Right? So we got a couple of boxes.

I was working away today and needed some afternoon energy and was looking around the house for snack when I remembered I had some Thin Mints in the freezer, because everyone knows they are better when they are frozen! Anyway, I had about a 1/4 of sleeve left and instead of pulling the appropriate serving size, I just grabbed the sleeve because I was trying to be quick so I could get back to my project. Well about 1/2 hour later, I reach over to grab a cookie and realize that I had already eaten the sleeve. Now there were probably only about 2 more than the serving size listed on the side of the box, but still! These little cookies pack a big punch in the calorie department! So I ran up and down the stairs a few times. Not enough to burn all that I ate I'm sure, but it made some of the guilt go away! :)

2/22/09 - Movies, Chili and Stews

Our friends Erick and Shar hosted a MiC Event at their house today. We watched Blazing Saddles and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist while eating a variety of Chilies and Stews prepared by the attendees. It was good and a lot of fun. After that we came home and watched the the last hour or so of the Oscars.
I have to say something about the movie Blazing Saddles. It was released in the 70's, 1974 to be exact and although I remember it being fairly funny the first few times I saw it, I couldn't help but not find it all that funny this time around. I mean there were certainly scenes that made me laugh and I realize it is a Satire. It's making fun of a bad situation because the situation in and of itself is ridiculous, but still, I was kind of put off by it. Maybe it's just a different time and place now or maybe it's just me and who I am now? Basically what I'm trying to get at is that I can appreciate the movie's presence and Mel Brooks' comedic style as it manifested itself in 1974, but it's not a movie I'll be adding to my collection or watching again anytime soon. No offense, Mish, or anyone else that holds this movie on their "favorites" list! :) I was a huge of fan of "To be or Not to be" as well, but it has been a few years since I've seen that. I wonder if I watch now if I'll feel the same way? Hummmm, might have to test it out. Spaceballs, however never gets old!! :)



May the Schwartz be with you...

2/21/09 - Winter Hiking/Dave's Burger Challenge

Today we went hiking at The Morton Arboretum. We were suppose to go Snowshoeing and even though it snowed during the night, there wasn't enough so we ended up just going hiking instead. It was still fun. Afterward we went to Pete & Jonny's for lunch. They had a Burger Challenge that David decided to take on. Eat a 30 Oz. Burger in 10 minutes. David did it with a few seconds to spare and got his meal for free and this T-Shirt.

And here's the path to the T-Shirt:

2/20/09 - Last Stop...Atlanta Concourse

I'm finally at my last day in Atlanta. Today is at the Concourse Marriott. The classes went extremely well. I think they all got a lot out of the classes. It was funny because when I arrived at the hotel, the desk was pretty busy so I was waiting in line to check in when a gentleman, whom I would learn later was the Front Office Manager, came up to me, pointed at me at said, "LMS?" I said, "Yes?" and he then he introduced himself. He said he knew I was with Marriott, that I just had that look and to him I said, "oh and I thought I had on my best disguise today!!" It was kind of funny, but you probably had to be there. This property really treated me like a VIP, which is nice, but also makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't really think of myself as a VIP and the funny part is that as soon as the desk clerks realized who I was they immediately perked up and started being more friendly and such...I thought it was funny. Then I turned around and all these guests were looking at me, like who the heck is she?

They gave me access to the Concierge lounge so I went in there to grab some dinner and talked to the host for quite some time. He was so interesting. He mentioned he lived in Chicago for 5 years when he and his wife first got married and began telling about Chicago at that time and the places they used to hang out. He talked about his kids and his parents, it just really interesting to hear his story. I really wanted to get a picture with him, but I didn't have my camera with me. Bummer!! You'll have to settle for some pictures of the hotel.

2/19/09 - J.W. Buckhead

3 more classes down and three to go!! Yay! I'm almost done. Today I'm at the J.W. Buckhead. This is like the Beverly Hills of Atlanta. On my way over to the hotel last night I drove past some amazing houses, absolutely beautiful and HUGH! I was blown away by some of these places. I've seen some nice homes in my day, but these took the blue ribbon, they were incredible. I wish I could have gotten some pictures, but it was a small country road and I couldn't really stop. I just looked on in amazement.

I can't wait to be done...my feet are KILLING me! I love facilitating, but when I don't do it for a while and then have to do a full week, especially a full week of classes as opposed to a mix of classes and one-on-ones, it really takes a toll on my feet. I'm just not used to standing on my feet all day, everyday! I soaked them in the tub and propped them up on a pillow for a while.

2/18/09 - The Waverly

Today was day 2 at the Waverly, a Renaissance hotel. 3 more classes down, 6 to go!! Our Renaissance properties all have story or theme associated with them. The Waverly's is centered around the bells you sort of see in the background of this picture. --->

I can't remember the actual story now, but it had something to do with bringing people together with the ring of the bells. The hotel is quite nice. I actually did some training here a couple years ago as well so ran into some familiar faces during my visit. Here's a close up of the bells...

2/17/09 - Ooohhh so tired....(Picture Added)

So, it's only the end of day two in Atlanta and I'm beat! I basically have back to back classes all day and have not really been able to take breaks in between. I left Alpharetta last night and drove to the Waverly property. I was so tired that when I got checked in I laid down on the bed and figured I'd just rest for a few minutes before getting settled and I completely zonked out. Still in my clothes, T.V. going, etc. I woke around 3am, brushed my teeth put on my jammies, set my six alarms so I wouldn't over sleep and went back to sleep!! I feel exhausted tonight too! In fact, I'm going to bed as soon as I'm done posting this, so guess what? I'm done. :)

~Kelli

2/16/09 - Alpharetta (Picture Added)

My first day in Georgia I find myself in Alpharetta. The good news: I was actually pleasantly surprised because the website said it was 40 miles and the directions I printed from google said it would take me 47 minutes to get there, but it good'ol Neverlost said it was only 22 miles away and it only took me around 20 minutes to get there. The bad news: my car was stinky. I always request a non-smoking car and they gave me non-smoking car or so the contract and "no smoking" sticker said, but it smelled really bad. Apparently the person that had the car ahead did not head the signs. Usually I would go exchange it, but I just feel like dealing with it so I just drove with the windows down to try to air it out a little. No offense to my smoking friends that might read this, but there is nothing worse than that stale, thick, remnant smoke, especially in Atlanta when you have the humidity which just adds dampness to it. Ewe!

2/15/09 - Updated: Sitting next to a Country Song

Okay here's the whole story, in her words pretty much...

Jessica, the girl in this photo with me happened to seated next to me on my flight to Atlanta. Our conversation started as any other would on a plane...she said she was so excited to be going home so I asked her where she had been and she said Alaska. I mentioned that I had been there before and I asked her how long she had been there. She said she flew up on Thursday so just a few days. She said she had gone there to visit her boyfriend. So far, nothing unusual, then she continued...

Jody, the boyfriend in Alaska, and her met in High School. She was 13 and he was 16. They lived in a really small town in Alabama and had grades K-12 in the same school. She and Jody had sex during school one day and Jody, as I'm sure most 16yr olds would do, told all his friends and his friends told their friends and so on until it was finally told to the Principle and both their parents were called. The result was they were forbidden to see each other. Jody was even sent to a different school. Well, they continued to keep in touch via email/phone over the next several years, but ultimately lose touch.

In the meantime, Jessica continues school until her Junior year when she drops out and moves in with a friend. That friend and her then start dating. He cheats on her and starts smacking her around so they break up shortly there after and she moves in with another guy that she met shortly before she broke up with the previous guy and they start dating. She also gets her job at Sugar & Spice at this time. It's a bikini bar so she doesn't have get all the way naked so it's "okay". Anyway, the new guy is a drug addict and dealer, but she loves him unconditionally so sticks around even though he cheats on her with "crack whores" (her words) until low and behold Jody contacts her. The very next day she breaks up with "crack whore, dealer guy" and arranges to go to Alaska where Jody is in a Military Training Camp preparing to go to Iraq. She gets to Alaska and immediately re-kindle their relationship, but he refuses to tell his mother because he knows she will disapprove. Even considering this, they talk about getting married, but ultimately decide to wait until he gets back from Iraq. Plus he doesn't know she's a "dancer" and she's afraid to tell him. Plus she's afraid to get tested for STD's as result from her activities with "crack whore" cheater guy because if she has one, she thinks he wont want to be with her. I encouraged her to get tested and told her it would be really unfair for her to subject him to that to which she responds, "I know, that's true, but we already had sex so he probably already has it. I also suggested to her that how does she know if doesn't already something from someone else?? They haven't seen each other since they were 13/16 and she's been dating /sleeping with other people, certainly he as as well. She agrees says she hadn't thought of that, even thought talked about an ex-girlfriend and decides that she'll get tested and ask him to do that same just to be sure.

In addition to the "redneck" love story she also tells me about her family life. Her mother is messed up and they don't really get along very well even though they are exactly the same. Her mother was 15 when she had her. Her biological father, referred to as "Daddy" is a pot head that left her Mamma when she was a baby. Her and her Daddy reconnected a couple years ago, but all they do is smoke pot together and she talks to him about issues she can't talk to her mom about, sex, included. Her step father, referred to as Dad, is a good guy, but a truck driver and therefore is not around much. She has three sisters from the step dad, but they all have different mothers. Her mother is the most recent and so they've been together for a while now.

Now, an additional twist to all of this is that the guy she broke up with to get back together with her ex from High School also landed himself in Jail with 8 counts of Vehicle breaking and entering the same night they broke up . So when she gets back she says she has to go visit him and try to smuggle him cigarettes and pot, which isn't a big deal because she used to do that with one of the other guys she used to date (I'm not sure which one and she didn't specify). She thinks he innocent because he makes plenty of money dealing pot and he's a mechanic as well so why would he break into cars?

I think there was more, but I just can't remember everything. She basically spilled her entire life and I couldn't help thinking to myself, wow! you hear about these people, you hear the redneck jokes, but I've never really met anyone like this in person. She fit every stereotype about "rednecks" there is all the way down the beat up car sitting on blocks on the front lawn. She herself even referred to her and her family as rednecks so its not just my interpretation. She was extremely friendly and I really enjoyed talking to her, I was just half in amazement and half in shock at the stuff she was telling me, this stranger, she just met on a plane!!

2/14/09 - Happy Valentine's Day!!

I'm happy to report that I'm break/sprang and more or less pain free after my day of skiing in Wisconsin. David, myself (of course) and our friends, Shar and Eric, went skiing at Chestnut Mountain in Galena, WI to celebrate V-Day and just to have a good time. David has wanted to go skiing for a while now and was disappointed that we didn't get a chance to go while we were in Utah.

Galena is very quaint. A fun little city. As for the slopes? They are certainly different from what I grew up with though not necessarily easier (for me at least). I was a little nervous about going on this trip. First of all, it's been nearly 15 years since the last time I went skiing. Yes, I grew up in Utah and skied occasionally, but most of the skiing I did was in my backyard. Then in college I went maybe 7 or 8 times at the resorts. Not to mention the fact that I'm probably in the worst shape I've ever been in my entire life and I had to go to Atlanta on Sunday for work. That in and of itself made me more nervous than the 15-year Hiatus and being out of shape because it's not like I have "regular" job where I can call off if I break my leg. Broken Leg or not I *have* to be on that plane.

Truthfully, I did better than I thought I would, but I wouldn't say I did well. I think I managed about 5 runs. On the beginner and bunny slopes. Three of them David went down with me, guiding me the whole way and then 2 I did on my own so David could go do his own thing. The first one on my own was not good, I basically snow plowed all the way down, but the second one was better. The last one I did was on a bunny slope and it just about killed me. My knees were killing me by this point so by the time I got to the bottom I wanted to just build a snow cave and stay there. Getting back up was nearly the worst part. It was this tow rope thing that you grabbed onto and it pulled you up the mountain. I felt like I was water skiing, which I suck at because I could never hold onto the dang bar-thingy! I just about let go twice, but managed to finally make it to the top. I knew when I got there that; I'd had my last run of the day. I just had no strength left in my knees and I knew if I kept trying I would injure myself for sure. Had I not had to go to Atlanta, I probably would have gone a couple more. I was really starting to feel comfortable.

I hung out in the lodge for the next hour or so while David, Shar and Erick took a few more runs, then we all met up and walked to this lookout point and watched the sunset. Then Shar and I headed back to the lodge and waited for the boys to take a couple last runs. Later on we went to dinner at a place called Benjamin’s in Galena, then headed home. Shar's B-Day is 2/15 so we also had a little mini-B-day party for her at the restaurant.

2/13/2009 - Stay tuned...

2/12/09 - Costco & Dinner with Pallavi

Pallavi, David and I went to Costco. We usually go with each other about once a month. Occassionally, David and Pallavi go on their own and somtimes all three us go and sometimes Marcus joins us too. Sometimes we share our purchases which saves us all money, but mostly it's just fun to go together and then we usually either go out to dinner or go back to one of our houses and cook dinner. This time we went out. We ended up at a Mexican place. It was pretty good.

2/11/09 - Dinner with the Downstairs Neighbors

Our Downstairs neighbors invited us to dinner at their place tonight. Along with some other friends of theirs. We had a great dinner and a really good time hanging out.

My Neighbor Katherine (right)

Marcus & Katherine's friend Dave playing some Guitar

David and I lounging at Rich & Katherine's Place

2/10/09 - Stay Tuned...

Catching up...stay tuned for more exciting stuff that happended on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

2/9/09 - Nice Day! Hooray!!

So I normally LOVE winter and I still do, but I also have a time limit and that limit seems to be much shorter here in Chicago than it was in Salt Lake or Seattle. Perhaps it is because it's so much colder here. I don't know, but I'm ready for it to warm a little. I'm tired of being cold!

Monday was a tease. It was so nice on Monday I actually sat out on the deck and worked for a while. Here is an awful picture of that experience.

I really don't like my picture taken, especially right now when I'm not feeling like I look very good in general. So this photo blog thing is more challenging that you might think. I look at Ken's pictures and they're so cool. He always looks good and comes up with really creative shots and mine always look like crap. I'm just not photogenic at all. I have to be posed with the just right angle, just the right lighting, etc. in order to look even half-way decent. So I apologize to all those that might be following this for hideous shots.