2011 New Year's Resolutions

I'd like to say I never make New Year's resolutions, because (1) I don't believe in making resolutions just because it's a new year, (2) I want it to be a lifestyle change, or (3) you're just setting yourself up for failure (as my husband would say). But that's totally not me.

I make resolutions each and every year. And though I don't always make it a point to keep them, I still think it's a fun tradition. So here goes...

2011 New Year's Resolutions


Professional:

• Finish a project completely before moving on to the next one. I have a bad habit of spreading myself too thin and not doing important projects to the best of my potential...because I start too quickly on the next "to do."
• Complete a 30-day blog challenge. I've done a better job updating our company blog as of late, but I'm nowhere near where I want to be in terms of posts. My plan is to do this the entire month of February...or maybe Feb 15-March 15. We'll see...
• Take away at least two innovative (and new) strategies or tactics at each marketing conference I attend this year, and begin implementing them in my own marketing plan.

Personal:

• Run a marathon
• Complete a 30-day blog challenge for myself as well. This will be tough. Doing something in your spare time that you do for work often takes the fun out of things. But hopefully that won't be the case here...and hopefully I'll have topics of interest to write about. :)
  
• Get pregnant...or not (this is out of my control, obviously)
• Be happy with the life I've been given. I have no control over others or other situations, but I do have control over myself.

Happy New Year, friends!

Who's Divorced?!

We are so blessed...truly. Everyone in my immediate family lives here in Memphis, and no matter what, we all get together for every birthday, holiday, and family function. My parents got divorced when I was 13, a freshman in high school. Needless to say, it wasn't the easiest of times.

Around the middle of my freshman year of college, things started turning around. It was a VERY slow process, but eventually people were forgiven, debts were paid (financial and emotional), and about three years ago, we became the most functional divorced I've ever known.

My parents get along better now than they ever did, one of them pays for all of us when we get together for dinner, they still buy each other birthday and Christmas gifts, and most importantly, they let all four of us (my two sisters, sweet baby Bailey, and myself) know that we are the most important part of their lives. They have always done whatever they've had to in order to make us feel loved, protected, and provided for.

Not to mention earlier this month, my parents woke up at the crack of dawn and made the frightful trek downtown (I say that for those of you who've tried to drive anywhere in Downtown Memphis on St. Jude Marathon day) TOGETHER to cheer me on during the St. Jude Half Marathon. It was a total surprise to me, and a memory I will cherish forever. Thank you for that!!

I must say, I have the most AMAZING parents in the world. Divorced or not, I wouldn't change a thing about my family. I love you all!

2010 St. Jude Half Marathon!

This race marked my fourth half marathon, and I was determined to get a PR. To top it off, I entered as a St. Jude Hero! St. Jude has always held a special place in my heart, as I absolutely LOVE children. The work this hospital does to save children's lives is beyond amazing, and it's a dream of mine to one day work in the Communications department for ALSAC, the fundraising company that supports St. Jude. Brent's cousin, Scott Elrod, spent a lot of time here in high school. He passed away on April 4, 2000, his senior year, from Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Read more about his amazing story here.

In case you're not familiar with St. Jude, here is their mission statement: The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay.

Back to the half marathon... Autumn and I have been running together for the past two and a half years, and I am SO thankful for her company, guidance, motivation, and fantastic humor. :) She has run something crazy like 20 full marathons, and she is my inspiration!

Last year, we ran with our friend, Hayley, who kept us at a super fast pace. Hayley was pregnant for most of 2010, so she wasn't able to run with us as much this year. While we didn't have her speed, Autumn and I picked up our mileage, logging numerous 8-milers, seven 10-milers, one 12-miler, and even a pre-St. Jude half marathon! (Autumn of course ran a lot more and further distances, as she was running 26.2 vs. my 13.1.) Needless to say, we were prepared. That being said, I wasn't too sure I would reach a PR, having not done many speed workouts.

When race day arrived, we were beyond excited. We couldn't have asked for better weather...overcast, breezy, upper 50s. Absolute perfection. We met up with a few friends beforehand, stretched out, and lined up in the fourth corral. I was feeling pretty good for the first five miles - no knee or hip pain, which was a nice break from the norm. There were people cheering us on throughout the entire course, and we even got to run through St. Jude campus for the second year; it was awesome! And since I was wearing a Heroes jersey, that got us even more screams. At the beginning of mile six, I could feel myself start to slow down a bit. Then I got a wonderful surprise...as we ran up to the 6.5 marker, I saw both my parents cheering for us, complete with a huge poster with mine and Autumn's names. It was such a wonderful surprise and exactly the motivation I needed!! After that, Autumn, Lindsey (Autumn's friend who also happened to be running the full), and I kept up our energy and were making great time as we hit the Gu station. Ahh, Gu...gotta love it! Then again, somewhere along mile 10, I saw my wonderful parents cheering us on. THANK YOU, Mom and Dad! You are the BEST!!

As I turned to take on the last mile, Autumn and Lindsey headed in the other direction to run another half. I have to say I was so thankful I wasn't them...but you go girls! I pushed myself for the last mile, though I know I could've shaved another 30 seconds off my time had I pushed just a little harder. Can't complain too much, though. I finished in 1:47...a new PR!! It was an incredible race, and one made even more special having been a St. Jude Hero. I can't wait to run it again next year and hopefully raise double what I did in 2010!

Happy running!

 Autumn: the best running partner ever!

 Love these ladies!

About to cross the finish line at 1:47! Whoop!!

The Joy of a New Pair of Running Shoes

One moment you're enjoying a relaxing Zen run in the park. The next, like a marionette whose strings have been cut, you're viewing the world from the ground, hugging your leg...or knee...or hip. Now is when you wish you had switched those fun Puma sneakers for a decent pair of running shoes.

Don't get me wrong, I love a pair of good-looking, casual sneakers as much as the next girl. But when it comes to running, I don't mess around with my shoes. I made the mistake of running a half marathon (my first) in a pair of old Nikes...I was out of commission for the next eight months. Never again! After that, I vowed to never buy running shoes based on their color or style. In case you didn't know, this is a super hard habit to break. I also made it point to visit Fleet Feet, and let them tell me what I should be wearing. Speaking of Fleet Feet, let me brag on the staff a for a minute. While I had been running for a good number of years before my first half marathon, I was a newbie in so many ways...what I wore, my shoes, the whole iPod debate, etc. I walked into the store and was immediately treated like family. They wanted to know everything about me, my running history, why I started running, why I love it, and more. It was an incredible feeling to be able to share my passion for running with someone who felt the same way. They watched how I ran and determined why I needed a certain type of shoe. Then we tried three different pairs, I ran around the store, and finally I found MY shoe. It was absolute bliss!

Now, every 5-6 months, I venture back over to this wonderful world of running shoes and pick out a new pair. It's the highlight of my running year!

What's my favorite shoe, you ask? That's easy...the Brooks Ghost 3! Asics and New Balance are excellent brands as well.

If you're looking for some good, very detailed tips on buying your next pair of shoes, check out the 2010 Runner's World Shoe Guide!

Happy running!

10-Year Reunion

Geez, I'm old.

Where to begin with high school? Sadly, most of my high school days are a blur, with the exception of cheerleading, competitions, my best friend Erika, and senior year. My parents went through a messy divorce when I was a freshman, and we moved from our nice home in the suburbs to a three-bedroom apartment. It was quite the culture shock...and the fact that my older sister was away at college and I was stuck being the man of the house and dealing my little sister's temper tantrums, I think I subconsciously blocked out portions of this time in my life. Or maybe it was consciously...whatever.

That's not to say there weren't some really good times in there. Cheering for Houston High School was the highlight of my high school career. I made so many wonderful friends through it (even got my first well-paying job through it...which led to my first full-time job after graduating college), stayed in fantastic shape, and I was actually pretty good at it (I should hope so, having started in the fourth grade). We were National Champs both my freshman and senior years. Some of the best memories of my life!

Senior year was by far the best for me. I finally started going out, Erika and I were getting into all kinds of mischief, my home life was getting better, I loved all my classes, and most importantly, I was looking forward to getting out on my own. Work, parties, soccer games, cheerleading practice, parties...that pretty much wraps up 12th grade.

10 years later = quite a few mistakes made, lots of lessons learned (I believe it's not a mistake if you learn from it...so technically they weren't "mistakes" :), new friends, getting back in touch with old friends, new jobs, understanding the true meaning and value of family and friends, marriage, moves, and lots travels. And then we arrive at our reunion. What a party it was! It took place at the same locale as my wedding reception, the Historic Daisy...you should totally check it out (FYI: great venue, HORRIBLE management). A flood of memories started rushing back...the silly inside jokes, the crushes...and more. It's hard to believe we're 10 years older, though sometimes I definitely feel it. It was so much fun catching up with so many people, hearing about their fabulous careers, learning who had children and/or who was pregnant, where their paths had taken them, and just about everything else we already knew via Facebook.

Just as a few years of high school were a blur, this long evening of heavy (and FREE!) drinking turned out to be quite the same. A job well done, in my opinion. :) A highlight of the night was meeting my neighbor, Jenny. I went to school with her husband, Ian, and though they had lived basically across the street from us for over a year, this was the first time we met. Drinking of course...how typical. Now we're friends for life. Good times!

See you all again in 2020!

 Autumn... my running buddy!

 Love these ladies!! 

 Hope!! We started cheering together in the fourth grade...now she's an Aussie!

 Love you, Jason!!

Too many shots and way too much dancing later...

Early anniversary trip to the Bahamas!

While our actual anniversary is not until September 29, we decided (super last-minute, I might add) to take an early trip to celebrate. We literally booked it a week and a half before we left, which is NOTHING like me. I am pretty adamant when it comes to planning, so I was quite proud of myself. :) But we knew this would be the only time we could go, as I'm not able to take any vacation in August, Brent has VIPs in town the week of our actual anniversary, and in September, I already have two work trips planned, we have bachelor/bachelorette parties to attend, and Brent is in a wedding... plus, my boss was out of town all of July, so it was perfect!

We knew we wanted to go all-inclusive, since we've yet to go wrong with the other two we've been on. And being that we're certified scuba divers, we knew this was the way to go. We were hoping to go to St. Lucia; I have heard such amazing things about that island. Not only was it way too expensive, but we couldn't find a deal that worked with our travel schedule. We finally decided on Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma, Bahamas.

INCREDIBLE is the only word I have to describe it! Everything from the food to the cocktails to the pristine grounds to the fabulous people we met made this trip completely unforgettable. Well... that and the fact that we experienced our first Tropical Storm! We only had one bad weather day, but sadly, we weren't able to go diving even once due to winds and the strong current. :( We didn't let that spoil our fun, though! And at least we were able to put on the gear during our refresher course.

We took advantage of everything the resort had to offer. After the third day with the red flag waving, the water sports staff took us to another part of the island where the current and wind weren't so strong. While there, we went kayaking, drank some authentic Bahamian beer, went snorkeling, drank more beer, played beach volleyball, and drank some more beer. The next day, we took an amazing tour of the Emerald Reef Golf Club, which is featured on the Golf Channel's Big Break Sandals Resorts... The day after that, we met up with our friends Matthew and Margaret and played a round (well, the boys played and the girls drank champagne) on the most beautiful course I've ever seen. Crystal clear blue water stretching for miles and listening to the waves... I could've spent the rest of our vacation out there! We spent the week eating the most exquisite food I've ever tasted, drinking the most delicious cocktails ever made, and truly enjoying ourselves being surrounded by fun people.

On our last full day, we took a water taxi over to Stocking Island... Everyone we met told us this was a can't-miss while in the Exumas. And were they right!! We docked right at the entrance to Chat 'N' Chill, the most laid back, yet happening, bar I've ever been to. They were having a pig roast right on the deck, we watched boats and yachts of all sizes pull up and dock right on the beach, we swam with stingrays, and the fresh conch salad (which was made right in front of us)... uhhhhhh-mazing!

After a few hours of drinking, swinging on the rope, walking around and mingling with the locals, we met one of the coolest people in the world. His name was Patrick, and after about an hour of telling our life stories, we find out he's an undercover DEA agent. About five minutes later, we meet a boat-full of his "co-workers." They were awesome! Four hours and several mixed drinks later, the water taxi service had long-since stopped running, and our new best friends took us back to our island on their boat. They begged us to continue partying with them that night, but seeing as how neither of us could stand up for a long period of time and we were scheduled to leave the resort at 6 am, that didn't happen.

Needless to say, the trip was Heaven! That is, until the day we left... We were supposed to land in Memphis around 6 pm, but after a layover in Nassau (delayed an hour and a half) and another in Atlanta (delayed almost five hours... with us on the plane!), it was close to 1 am when we landed at good ol' Memphis International. We were absolutely exhausted, but the trip was so worth it! Can't wait to plan our four-year trip! :)

Ben & Christina's wedding!

The last Wilson wedding...this year, anyway! Chattanooga has always been a favorite city of mine. Brent took me to visit his brother when we first started dating, and I've loved it ever since.

We packed up the car (with Buster in tow!) on Thursday afternoon and made excellent time, getting in town around 7 pm. Ben met us at the hotel, and then we met up with Brittney and Frank and another couple and headed over to Taco Mac, one of the MANY fabulous restaurants in Chattanooga. A few cocktails and some good eats, and we called it a night.

The next morning, Brittney and I met up with the bridesmaids for a fabulous luncheon at Bluewater Grill. It was a wonderful celebration of friends and fun, and we were honored to be a part of it. Everything from the food to the excellent wine selection was incredible. That afternoon, everyone pitched in to decorate the rustic River Inn, where both the ceremony and reception were taking place. Suffice it to say the wedding planner was not on her game, so we took matters into our own hands and brought Christina's creative masterpiece to life. She and her bridesmaids did an amazing job planning, and to see it all come together was so exciting.

Once the rehearsal was finished, we met up with the wedding party at Food Works for the Rehearsal Dinner. The Wilsons sure know how to choose their restaurants! Amazing food, lots of laughs, and a wonderful slideshow that painted the perfect picture of Ben and Christina's life together!

Wedding day has arrived! While everyone was a little worried about the weather not cooperating, mother nature was nice to us...It stopped raining two hours before the ceremony and didn't rain again the entire night!

The wedding was so laid back and fun, just like the beautiful couple. Guests were served Rum and Cokes or Arnold Palmers before making their way to the scenic deck, where the ceremony was taking place, overlooking the Tennessee River. Her dress was absolutely gorgeous, and the ceremony was perfect. After a few family pictures and quite a few more drinks, we made our way inside. Once again, the food did not disappoint...and neither did the band: Love Peace and Happiness. They were awesome, and there wasn't a single person who wasn't gettin' down on the dance floor. Gotta love a jazz/soul wedding band!

The next day, we walked around Downtown Chattanooga, ate lunch at Big River (my fave!), and just enjoyed the day with friends and family.

Congratulations, Ben and Christina! We had a blast! For more info on their rustic, country chic wedding, visit http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/christinacross&benwilson.

Brittney & Frank's Wedding in Charleston!

Oh Charleston, how I love thee!

My beautiful sis-in-law, Brittney, and her then fiance, Frank, moved to Charleston in April in 2009. Frank was transferred for work, and Brittney got a job at the local children's hospital. It was sad to see them go, but we were so excited to have family in such a fun city to visit!

Brent and I were lucky enough to get a few extra days off work, so we left on Wednesday afternoon and flew to Atlanta to meet up with Ben and Christina before the four of us headed to SC the next morning. That night, we went to a local Mexican restaurant, El Azteca, and consumed a few too many margaritas before calling it a night. The next morning, I got to run at my FAVORITE place, Piedmont Park, right in Midtown ATL...I absolutely love running here! We piled in the car shortly after and made it to Charleston around 5pm.

After we got settled in the super awesome beach house in Folly Beach, we went to Bert's Market to pick up some essentials (i.e. beer and koozies for the weekend). Their slogan is "We might doze, but we never close." Love it!! After that, the girls went over to a condo of one of the bridesmaid's for a low-key girl's night, and the boys took Frank out for his bachelor party. Quite a few hours and rum drinks later, we made it back to the beach house and passed out.

The next day, I was able to get in a wonderful five-mile run along the beach. It. was. awesome...to say the least. I sooo want to live by the beach! Rehearsal started at 1pm, and it went about as smoothly as it could. Next, we all traveled to Rita's Seaside Grille for the Rehearsal dinner. As always, Rita's did us right and everyone had a blast! If you've never been, you have to go at least once...if for nothing else, the people-watching is top notch!

Wedding day!! It seemed like just about everything was working against Brittney and Frank on 4/17. The annual Folly Beach Sea and Sand Festival was taking place that day, so EVERYONE from the wedding planner to the photographer to the caterer to the guests were running late. Thankfully, everyone arrived just in time... Then there was the wind factor. Everything was set up on the roof of the beach house, because that was where the reception was going to take place. The guys realized around noon that day that the wind wasn't going to cooperate and things would be flying off all night. So everything was moved down to the ground, into the garage and partially in the driveway. It turned out to be a GREAT move, and everything looked beautiful! Then came the dress fiasco...Brittney was already in a funk over her dress (most likely because she's had it for so long). But it was absolutely GORGEOUS on her! She accidentally rubbed against a huge pile of foundation makeup... After trying multiple house-cleaning items, including bleach pens, Windex, and more, Clorox wipes did the trick. You couldn't even tell when we were done! Major kudos to Brittney, as she remained calm and was even able to laugh it off. I would have flipped out!

Finally, it was time for the wedding. It was a gorgeous ceremony right on the beach. It couldn't have been more perfect. And the reception...let's just say it almost put mine to shame. :) Great food, great drinks, and great fun had by all!

It was so sad to leave the next morning, but reliving the memories of the weekend kept us laughing all the way back to Atlanta!

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Conroy!!! Brent and I were so honored to have been part of your special day. For more info on their spectacular wedding, visit http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/brittneywilson&frankconroy.

David & Sarah's Wedding!

NOLA... Enough said! Though I had just gotten back from a work trip in Vegas, nothing could keep me away from a weekend in the Big Easy. We arrived late Friday night, as I had just gotten in town that afternoon. We went straight to our hotel, the Royal Sonesta (which was AMAZING, by the way!), checked in, and headed out for the night.

We began the evening at the Bourbon House for some good eats, followed by trips to Razoo's, the Cat's Meow, Bourbon Street Blues Company, and I'm pretty sure we ended up at Tropical Isle before it was all said and done. I do remember seeing the very happy bride- and groom-to-be walking out of the hotel in between there... oh, and running into a few random people from Memphis here and there. But everything else from the night was pretty much a blur. At least we know we did it right!

The next morning (or afternoon, I should say), we headed to the Corner Oyster Bar & Grill near Jackson Square... Yum! The excellent food and perfectly blended Bloody Mary definitely hit the spot. We wandered around like tourists for as long as we could, then headed back to get ready for the night's festivities.

The wedding... So gorgeous! The ceremony took place at the Saint Louis Hotel in the French Quarter, which was thankfully located right across the street from our hotel. It was held in the beautiful, fabric-covered courtyard, which was absolutely perfect for the number of people in attendance. Sarah looked amazing, as always, and the wedding flowed along smoothly. After the ceremony, we participated in the Second Line around the French Quarter with Hurricanes in hand. What a fun tradition! An open bar, Cajun delights, and lots of dancing ensued... needless to say, it was another successful night!

I can't wait to go back!!

Houston... Texas, not the High School

Just about every mention of Houston is in a positive way, especially since the four years I spent at Houston High School were some of the best times of my life (until I met Brent, of course). However, I have to say that Houston is no longer a term I use in such a light... Last week, I traveled to the great state of Texas to attend and speak at the Petroleum Industry Tent Conference on behalf of my company. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon, picked up a rental car, and drove straight to meet with the editors of an industrial trade magazine. The two lovely people I met with had at least 140 years between them, bless their hearts, but they were the sweetest people I've ever met. They even took me to lunch, at where else than Texas Roadhouse. They're running a story on us in late spring, and I left the meeting thinking this was going to be a wonderful business trip...

That evening, I met with a consultant of BakerRisk. Little did I know, he was a certified professional engineer with two PhDs. I went into our dinner meeting thinking I could handle my own, and I really knew what I was talking about. I left, however, feeling like a complete idiot, as just about everything he said went over my head. The only time I was on the same page as him was when he started talking about traveling and his children (whom I think are around my age). Other than that, I can't tell you much else he said. Thank goodness for digital voice recorders. When I got back to the hotel, there were two Mexican gangs crowding around the front entrance... not the most comforting feeling when you're all by yourself in a strange place. Being from Memphis, however, I thought nothing of it, went about my business. And they didn't so much as make a peep at me. I really think people can sense your "hard"ness being from Memphis. :)

I woke up Thursday with a lot of anxiety. I was giving two presentations that day, and while I felt prepared for both of them, I knew I was way out of my league. When it came time for the first presentation, I carried my head high and tried to mask my nervousness. I guess it worked, because I had them laughing at my jokes (I'm definitely not a funny person... I try, but it rarely works), following along, and even taking a few notes throughout the entire presentation. I was able to answer all of their questions, and even received an applause at the end. The next presentation went just as well, and thankfully, I had a colleague there to help me out with some of the tougher questions. That night, my company sponsored the networking reception, and we had a great deal of interest in our products. I was commended several times on being able to hold my own with the engineering folk. The day was definitely a success.

Friday, however, was another story. The day started off very boring, with basically recaps of the day before. This was the day of my third and final presentation: the Mahaffey sales spiel, and it took place right after lunch. I don't know if everyone ate some bad fish or what, but the mood was quite different from Thursday. Again, it started off great... they laughed at my joke and seemed to really take in the information I was presenting. Then came the engineering questions. Mind you, I told them the day before that I was in no way, shape, or form an engineer. I guess that went over their heads... They asked question after question, and barely let me get two words in. Thankfully my colleague was still there to help me out a bit... though he really wasn't of much help, as he couldn't hear a word they were saying (he's deaf in one ear and partially in the other). Thankfully they laughed at my ending joke, which made me feel a little better. The other company presenting had a rough go of it as well, so that raised my spirits a bit too. All afternoon, I kept thinking about a line from Wedding Crashers: "You're leaving me in the trenches taking grenades, John." That's exactly how I felt...

Finally the conference was over, and I had never been so ready to go home. Well... home for me had to wait because my flight was cancelled. Actually, all flights in and out of Memphis were cancelled for the remainder of the night. Ice storms suck. Then the Houston airport shut down for a few hours, due to increasing thunderstorms. Awesome. I was booked on the next flight out, which was scheduled for 6:10 am on Saturday. I treated myself to a nice dinner, by way of room service of course. I woke up before the crack of dawn the next morning, only to find out that my flight was again cancelled. I was rebooked on the noon flight. I arrived at the airport around 10 am and hung out for a while. My flight was delayed 10 minutes when I got there, and it was steadily being pushed back... 12: 20 pm, 12:39 pm, 12:45 pm, and finally 12:54 pm. I spoke to the gate agent and also saw on my phone that the final delay time was indeed 12:54 pm. It was 11:25 am when I took it upon myself to head to another terminal and get a 15-minute chair massage... It had been a rough week, and I deserved it. I kept checking my BlackBerry to make sure the flight was still saying a 12:54 departure, which it did. I returned to my terminal and gate at 12:23 pm... the plane was gone. Are you KIDDING me?!?! I broke down into hysterics... All the gate agent could say was "sorry." Umm... you and the screen both said 12:54, along with the online flight status page. Why wasn't that updated? "I have no idea ma'am. We did make an annoucement." I don't know if I've ever felt all those emotions at once: tired, sad, frustrated, exhausted, angry, ridiculous, pissed... Stupid me for leaving the terminal, but how f-ed up can an airline be that you can't update your supposed "real-time" flight status page with the correct info? I was then rebooked on the 4:10 pm flight, and needless to say, I sat my butt down at the gate and didn't move except for once to pee. I read Dear John in its entirety, and now I can't to see the movie this weekend... not that that has anything to do with this story.

I finally got on the flight and made it home around 6:30 on Saturday night. Brent, being the super awesome husband he is, bought me a bottle of my favorite wine and cooked me a wonderful dinner. He was so sweet throughout the entire mess, and I am so thankful for him.

Brent and I collect shot glasses from every place we visit. While this was my third trip to Houston, I hadn't remembered to pick one up. And now I know why...

UPDATE: The next three trips to Houston (for this same committee meeting) have gone wonderfully. I've had a great time every trip since, and I feel like my presence adds value, which is a pretty cool thing when you're in a room surrounded by Professional Engineers. :)

A New Year Begins...

The first two weeks of 2010 have definitely flown by! And I have a feeling that's how the entire year is going to be.

Aside from the fact that I had laryngitis, it started off super great. New Year's weekend, Brent and I saw Avatar. It's probably one of the best movies of all time. I'm really into graphics, so not only was it cool to see that, but the story was even better. We also went to Zoo Lights at the Memphis Zoo (the #1 ranked zoo in the country, for those of you who didn't know), where we were finally able to go through Teton Trek and see the beautiful wolves and grizzly bears. Awesome. We went to Restaurant Iris after that, which is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the world. The next day, Brent's sister, Brittney, asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! This will be the very first wedding that Brent and I are in together...besides our own, of course, and I can't wait!

The next few months are going to be filled with lots of traveling: work trips to New Orleans in February, Las Vegas in March, Boston in May... and fun trips to Orlando for the Disney Princess Half Marathon (maybe), New Orleans for our friends' wedding, Charleston for Brittney and Frank's wedding, and Chattanooga for Ben and Christina's wedding. Brent and I are hoping to take a trip to Italy this year for our third anniversary, so I'm praying everything works out for that. Speaking of work, I'm about to hire my first intern...yessssss! I'm super excited about the opportunity to train someone on all the fun things I do on a daily basis.

Did I mention that I ran 1,000 miles last year? Well, actually, I did 1,001! :) I can honestly say that's one of my favorite accomplishments. Sadly, I'm really having to take it easy this month, as I overdid it, and now I'm having lovely knee pains again. This, too, shall pass...at least that's what I'm telling myself. I'm very excited to get back into cross training, though, especially spin class and kickboxing. Tomorrow will be my first 4:45 am wake-up call for spin in a loooong time...we'll see how that goes.

In 2010, I'm looking forward to accomplishing a great deal at work, running at least two half marathons, going to see some super awesome movies that are coming out (especially on June 30!), traveling for both work and pleasure, and enjoying all the blessings in my life each and every day.