Finally some down time...

Where do I begin? Thankfully the summer was relatively quiet as far as travel goes, with the exception of my cousin Missy's FABULOUS wedding in Cape Cod in late June! Things were a bit stressful for the Wilsons after we got back from Italy, so it was nice to take it easy for a month or two.

Soon, though, a crazy couple months of travel ensued for both B and me. I definitely can't complain; it's been incredibly rewarding both personally and professionally.

It started with a trip to Boston in mid-August for a marketing conference and business development meeting. What an amazing, productive trip that was! A tour of Harvard, running along the Charles River and through MIT campus, shopping on Newbury Street, people watching...I've been to Boston twice before, but never experienced it like this. That city is so alive, and I can't wait to go back!

The next week I drove to Joplin, Missouri, to visit a few of our customers get some pics and video footage of our products in action, thanks to a handy Flip cam. It’s so sad to see all the devastation there, but also incredible to see how quickly the town has bounced back. I was able to swing through Fayetteville, Arkansas, on my way home and take my handsome cousins to dinner. So much fun! And how did they get this old?!

Asheville, North Carolina, was next. I’m now part of the local USGBC chapter, so they asked me to attend a leadership conference for our region. Not only was it a tremendous opportunity for networking and professional growth, but I got to stay at the Grove Park Inn, which was absolutely stunning! Can't wait to go back with B!

After that, it was off to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend. We stayed with Brent's brother and his wife in their beautiful new home and had an AMAZING three days. Lots of football, bar hopping, shopping (duh), eating, and more. I even got to do my long run on the Silver Comet Trail. If you’re a runner or bike rider, I highly recommend it!

My 30th birthday was September 8. B took me to dinner at Restaurant Iris (my fave!) and invited my Sis and brother-in-law to come with us, which was such a treat! The next day we drove to Nashville for a friend’s engagement party and the Titans game. And Monday I got to have dinner with my entire family. So blessed!

Later the following week was a work conference in Minneapolis. Networking, marketing, great meals, fun conversations and chilly temperatures. So great! I sooo wanted to stop by Mall of America while we were there, but with it only being a two-day trip, there was no time. Boo. On our last day, we had a 3am wake up call to catch a 5am flight. Combine that with a 2+ hour layover in Atlanta, half a day in the office and one of the most fun races (Cooper Young 4-miler) of the year, I was pooped.

Brent's had his fair share of travel as well. Three trips to Phoenix for training, another in Minneapolis and most recently, New York.

This week, I was in Houston for another conference. It was trying to say the least, being the only female in a room full of professional engineers (so out of my league). But being able to overrule an engineering spec and write a section of a published Recommended Practice, I'd say it was a success!

This weekend, we finally get to take a long, much needed deep breath. Saturday is actually our five-year anniversary, and we've got a super fun, low-key few days planned!

Next weekend, we're off to Tampa for one of B’s best friend’s wedding. We are staying at a swanky hotel right on the beach, and I CAN'T WAIT!!

Then things slow down a bit...for me anyway. B will be traveling quite a bit for work in October. Good thing I'm not training for a marathon or anything. ;)

Off to NYC!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and greetings from a very bumpy 35,000 feet!

Although I had a bit of bad news yesterday, with my dermatologist letting me know my biopsy came back as skin cancer, I'm in a super fab mood today. At least the spot is not melanoma and is 100% treatable. They scheduled Moh's surgery, which is very common and the most effective treatment, for April 3...which just so happens to be my sister's due date!! Ugh. But we're all I'm secretly hoping Ava Jane is an April Fool's baby. Fingers crossed!

Today I'm heading to New York for the NYC Half Marathon and a search engine marketing conference. I couldn't be more excited about this trip!

First, I get to spend the weekend AND run tomorrow's race with my awesome cousin, Missy. We were both selected for the lottery entry 2 years in a row, whoop. Not only are we close because we're family, but she is honestly one of the most amazing women I've ever met. Family is of the utmost importance to her, she is one of the most hardworking people I know, she loves to run and travel, so obviously we have a ton in common. And she's getting married to a wonderful man this summer (who was supposed to join us this weekend, but sadly injured his knee). So excited to see you, Miss!

The marketing conference I'm attending this week is hands-down my favorite. It was the most educational of all the conferences I attended last year, and just about every seminar on the agenda relates to what I do on a daily basis. SO thankful for the opportunity to continue growing professionally!

And finally, I get to spend time with my fabulous friend, Anna! We met back in 2004 when Brent and I were participating in the Disney College Program, and we've kept in touch ever since. I was fortunate to be able to visit her twice while she lived in Arizona, and this will be my third time seeing her since she and her husband moved to NYC...thank you, business trips! Oh yeah, and we're going to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night!! Soooo pumped to see him live! Set your DVRs to record NBC on Tuesday. If you know me, you know I'll be doing everything possible to be seen in the audience. :)

Don't forget to wear your green! Here's a St. Patty's Day toast for you:

Here's to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A handsome man and an honest one.

A cold beer – and another one!

What I'm loving Wednesday

I decided to jump on the "what I'm loving" bandwagon, after getting the idea from Simply Smithwick (one of my FAVE blogs!).


I'm loving that I got to spend yesterday afternoon/evening with my precious niece, Bailey.

I'm loving that I get to run the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday and spend the weekend in an INCREDIBLE city with my cousin, Missy!

I'm loving that I have the opportunity to attend a wonderful, renowned marketing conference in NYC next week. #lovemyjob

I'm loving that I also get to see my good friend Anna while in New York, and that we're going to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon!!

I'm loving that my family will be together this evening to celebrate my Momma's birthday.

I'm loving that I will have another beautiful niece in just over 2 weeks! :)

And I'm loving that I made the St. Jude Heroes/Country Music Marathon brochure! Front and center, too. Thanks to the hubby for finding it. :)

{I'm the one in the yellow shirt, black shorts, and navy visor)

So much love this Wednesday. What are you loving today?

Home {family} is where the heart is!

It's a cliché phrase, no doubt, but one that has really struck a cord with me recently, having been in and out of town so much. While I feel extremely lucky to have been given these wonderful opportunities, I am positively spent.

This past week, I was in Las Vegas attending two different conferences. One I spoke at; the other my company was exhibiting at. Vegas is in my top five favorite places for sure, thanks to amazing shopping, incredible food, and Cirque du Soleil. But this trip really took it out of me. The panel presentation went really well (despite my PowerPoint being altered slightly), and I was even asked to come back and speak next year! The tradeshow we were exhibiting at was a success as well.

Angela and me at the tradeshow reception

While there was so much positive that came from the trip, after being on my feet for 7+ hours and walking down the strip in heels, four nights of tossing and turning, and a couple uncomfortable situations...let's just say I was MORE than ready to get home. I don't think I've ever missed my hubby and Buster so much and actually being in the office. My assistant has been a life saver these past few weeks, taking care of just about everything while I've been out. But there are still those projects I feel better about completing myself, and it makes things much easier when you're in the office for more than just a day.

I got home late Thursday afternoon, ran errands, washed clothes, and passed out. The next day, we had to be at work around 6am (which felt like 4am, still being on West Coast time) for a company safety meeting. Got a crisp $50 bill out of it, so I'd have to say it was worth it! Almost 11 hours later, I headed to the hospital to pick up my Dad from his cardiac ablation procedure. Fast forward 24 hours, we're still there due to him unfortunately going back into atrial fibrillation. He remained in good spirits and had a few visitors, and I was finally able to take him home late Saturday. SO very thankful for my aunts and uncles for all they did for him. Family truly is the most important thing in life.

Bailey and me taking care of Dad/Papa :)

My Saturday night: eye mask, ice on the foot, heating blanket, and Buster
= PERFECTION! :)

Sunday, I was able to sleep in and then went on a 10-mile run. I took off Friday and Saturday, with so much stuff going on and my feet absolutely worn out from the week. My left foot has also been giving me some problems, so I'm trying to take it easy. Lord, just get me through the NYC Half, and then I PROMISE to take a break...well, cut down on mileage at least. :)

My aunts and I threw my sister a baby shower yesterday afternoon, and it was absolutely beautiful. My Aunt Kathy was thrilled to fill her house with pink, having all boys. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with family, laughter, and sweet wishes for Laura's baby girl. We're so excited to meet you, Ava Jane!!

The food spread

"A" for Ava. Aunt Kathy is so talented!

Homemade strawberry cupcakes...SO good!

The invitation matted onto a fabulous pink/rustic frame from Happi Stores!

That night, I went to my friend's surprise bridal/bachelorette dinner. She and her fiancé left this morning for their destination wedding, so we wanted to have a quick "we love you" celebration for her. Kudos to her friend Kimberly for putting it together!

After the craziness that has been the past month, I have to say that home (and family) is truly where the heart is. So thankful for the real, honest people in my life, especially my family.

P.S. I've got some EXCITING news to share...but that will have to wait until tomorrow! And no, I'm not pregnant. :)

Fabulous Las Vegas with some fabulous co-workers!

What a wonderful job I have! Not only was I able to travel to fabulous Las Vegas for an exciting conference for our industry, but I was finally on a trip with some of my FAVORITE co-workers!

I arrived late Sunday afternoon and headed straight to my resort: the stunning Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas! Luckily the majority of the conference took place here, otherwise I probably would have been stuck somewhere like the Luxor (sorry, work peeps). My room wasn't ready upon check-in, so I decided to pick up all of our conference materials. The front desk then called to let me know it would be at least another 2 hours before I got into my room, so I made my way down the strip to the fabulous Fashion Show Mall...what's a trip to Vegas without shopping?! I did minimal damage, at least in my opinion (Brent begs to differ, I'm sure), ate a wonderful sushi lunch at hot spot Ra, and headed back to the hotel.

View from my terrace!

That night, I met up with my friends and co-workers, Cherie and Clint, who had been attending a different conference all day. We watched the spectacular Sirens of TI show in front of Treasure Island, then headed inside for a delicious meal at Isla Mexican Kitchen. If you've never been, it is a MUST. Their margaritas and guacamole selection are to die for!! After that, we waddled our way back to Cosmo for a few drinks at the exquisite Chandelier Bar. It was just after 11pm when I turned in...though it was after 1am my time!

Chandelier Bar at Cosmo

Monday kicked off with a run down the Las Vegas Strip. This is always a favorite to-do while in Vegas. Not only for the exercise, but for the excellent people-watching. If you go early enough (before 8am), you get the pleasure of seeing at least a dozen women doing their walk-of-shame back to a hotel, car, or wherever. It's quite awesome. Around 10am, I started manning our promo booth. That afternoon, a consultant and friend of mine and I had lunch at Blue Ribbon Sushi...the food was just okay, but the service was excellent! I would plan on going back, however, the prices were somewhat ridiculous. The rest of the afternoon was spent promoting our booth...

The whole premise of this conference was for Mahaffey to move into more of a marketing partner role vs. being an average vendor. In order to do that, I came up with an idea to host a video booth, where attendees and exhibitors could come and film a 1-2 minute video promoting their business and telling viewers what strategies they learned and were excited to bring back and implement within their own business. Mahaffey's name is attached to each video, which we called a Mahaffey EventCast (on a Mahaffey-branded YouTube channel), and our name was the talk of the tradeshow floor!

Monday night, the ladies attended the Event Solutions Spotlight Awards, which we were named a finalist for Rental Company of the Year. Though we didn't walk away with the top prize, we were happy for a rental partner of ours. The event itself was mediocre at best...we paid something like $150 per person and didn't even get so much as a light hors d'oeuvres selection!? We made up for it, though, with good company and a trip to the Cheesecake Factory!

Cherie, me, and Angela

Tuesday was a great day, kicked off with another nice run down the strip! It was a long day at the tradeshow, filming company after company, hearing what makes them stand out and their top takeaways from the conference. Mahaffey's Catersource Video Booth a great success!

As soon as the show ended, my super fun co-workers invited me to join them on "The Roller Coaster" at New York New York, which luckily happened to be directly in between both of our hotels. If you haven't ridden this coaster, it is a MUST do! SOOO much fun!

We loved it!!

After that, we all got ready and headed over to Lavo at the Palazzo...another Vegas to-do! I have eaten here twice before, though none of my friends had. Once again, it did not disappoint! Everything from the calamari to the flatbread pizza to the salmon to the incredible wine selection and more is just heavenly! Once we finished our amazing meal, the five of us (Cherie, Clint, Angela, Josh, and myself) made our way over by limo (the said cheaper mode of transportation) to MGM Grand, where we attended KA by Cirque du Soleil. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe this show! It was hands down the most acrobatic, entertaining show I've ever seen. What a treat to go to something so fun with such fun people! The night quickly faded into a blur...but what an exciting blur it was!! ;)

Love me some Angela! :)


The Mahaffey crew! :)


hahaha!

Wednesday was another long conference day...especially after only three hours sleep (so worth it, though!). A big thank you goes out to my friend coffee. Most of the group headed back to Memphis that afternoon, with the exception of Angela and myself. Once I wrapped up our booth and even filmed a marketing promo (more info on that to come soon!), I met up with Angela at Caesar's Palace for more shopping. Once again, I claim only minimal damage to my bank account. :) That night, we ordered some scrumptious room service and turned in early. It was back to Memphis on Thursday!

I sure do love Vegas, but it's always nice to return home. And this time, I was coming home with a new found respect and admiration for both my amazing co-workers and my job, which allows for incredible opportunities like this!