On the road...

Once again, I was on the road for a good chunk of time returning late last night after 18 days on the road. I bounced from city to city, event to event, ending with a little vacation at my sisters place in Del Mar, CA. I got to see old friends from high school, college, old-VTers, event friends and industry friends. I made new friends and contacts. I put a lot of miles on my frequent flier card and various rental vehicles. I wore through sneakers after spending 10+ hours a day on my feet in the sun. I am many shades darker then most Vermonters will ever be. I ate some good food, some bad food. Sushi and Mexican in Cali were off the chart. I drank my fair share...that's what you do when there's an open bar or someone putting your drinks on their corporate tab.

Being on the road always changes me in some way. I learn valuable things to apply to work, I grow as an event manager, I expand my network, I remember how to be open to talking to anyone. Sometimes it's the people that cause a change in me, sometimes the event, sometimes little details.

I already miss the beach. It might be from years of growing up at the beach or near the beach, but it holds a very close place to my heart...I feel at peace when sitting watching waves crash and feeling the sand between my toes. I'm looking out my office window right now at some tall plants that are swaying in the wind in a way that reminds me of the waves of the ocean...it's making me smile.

When I express my love for California, I've often had comments back from my friends here in the Northeast that having weather that great every day makes you not appreciate it. I disagree even more now after being there for 2 weeks. I woke up everyday so excited to get outside in the sun. So excited to utilize the beautiful weather even if just to sit outside and read. People there enjoy every minute of it. My sister relishes every minute of sun and she's lived there for over 6 years. They have gray mornings and days, days that make you yearn for the sun. Again, maybe my youthful years in sunny states tie mood to sun so closely that I DO truly appreciate nice days, even if they come in sequences of 365 at a time.

I'm still figuring out exactly what I am taking from this trip...it seems there are a multitude of things that have begun churning in my mind. I definitely learned a lot, which I always do traveling solo and working hard. I've made and sealed friendships that I will have forever. I've made some headway in lingering questions. Aside from my withdrawal from the sun and sand, it was a great trip. That trip alone has created some new upcoming trips to see friends. The traveling never ends!

My new BFF

Ok...I'm going to begin this blog by saying it is about the most far-out post I have, and possibly will, post.

I was recently told about a show that aired on NBC, a show about Victoria Beckham moving to America to prepare for the Beckham's transplant to the USA. I admit, the fact this was coming from my over 30 male office mate was somewhat shocking. Not to mention his feedback being so positive! All you ever see of Posh is a very stern looking face hidden behind big shades and her skinny little self toting some hot new bag. Well, it is only fair to give someone a chance to redeem themselves beyond what you see through the paparazzi's point of view. I logged on to NBC.com and took a look for myself (they stream the whole show on the website).

Victoria Beckham is my new best friend. I love her. I'm not ashamed to say that. Although it was only a short 45 minute peek into who she really is, I love her! Here are some reasons why:

Physical:
1) she's skinny as all hell but in a good way
2) her hair...amazing
3) clothing? love it
4) cheekbones and boobs
5) she is just generally hot
(i realize i sound gay for Posh...that's ok)

Personality:
1) she's a cheeky lil Brit through and through
2) her humor is often dry but packs a punch
3) she is down to earth...hates talking about money, wants to find the perfect house b/c it is such a huge amount of money to spend (hellooo...most people who make hundreds of millions of dollars don't flinch at 10mill)
4) she uses the word "Major" in the way that southern people say "bless his/her heart"...i.e. when used in a trash talking manner, it null and voids the negative portion of your statement. For instance, she was commenting on a crazy rich old woman with too much plastic surgery and crazy hair and said "her hair is MAJOR". Love it. Adding it to my daily vocab.
5) she love love loves her kids and hubby.
6) she doesn't understand why some women in America don't wear knickers (i.e. Britany).
7) "it's great to be fabulous"
8) when she found a negative post about herself on Perez Hilton's blog, and then found out the coffee shop he works out of, she went down there to talk to him about it...and was hilarious. Hilarious for many reasons, my fave being when he offered her a cookie, after genuinely thanking him, she said "oh i can't eat that in public...i don't want people to think i actually eat...that'd ruin my image!" in a very sarcastic manner. love it.
9) she doesn't believe in the flat shoe fad...she thinks heels are the only kind of shoe to wear
10) when pulled over by the police she said "i didn't know whether to pose or get arrested!"

Other:
1) She is married to David Beckham. Enough said.

I mean, seriously...she's awesome. Watch her and become a convert like me - Thursday 7/19 at 9pm on NBC.

Summer travel

My job requires a lot of travel, predominantly in the summer. It really is a bittersweet perk. Traveling for work is what keeps me interested and inspired. At the same time, Burlington summers are pretty much the best. Last summer I was gone for basically the entire month of August, only popping back into Vermont for Emi and Kevin's wedding. This summer I have bopped around a bit for various events but the thick of it is yet to come.

I realized that I have the next 2 weeks and weekends in Vermont and am so excited! That is one great thing about being gone so much is I appreciate my time here that much more. I do, however, wish I had more travel during the bitter cold winter months.

I will be shipping out on July 26th for approximately 2 and 1/2 weeks. I go to Atlanta to throw a party for Harley-Davidson and squeeze in some catch-up time with old high school friends. From Atlanta I head directly to California. Luckily I have a day or two of down time so will be staying with some friends in Carlsbad who recently got married. Then straight from there to Carson, CA (aka south LA) for X Games...basically a week of event madness. Apres X Games I'll be scooting down to Del Mar to take a few days off and stay with my sister...a little R&R, beach time, good dinners, cooking w/my bestie aka sis, and recharge the batteries. Back to Burlington for 2 weeks and then to Rochester for a long weekend for the Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend. Phew.

It can be pretty intense, suitcase living, but it has become second nature to me. One of the greatest things about my work travel is that events like X Games are a family...it's the same people every year and we all look forward to being reunited for a fun week. The friends I'm staying with in Carlsbad I actually met through events...he is the team manager for Spy Optics moto and bmx teams and we have been going to the same events for 3 years now. So between seeing old event friends and getting to visit high school friends and my sister, all coincidentally without having to pay for flights, it's a pretty sweet deal.

This kind of travel is so different, yet similar, to my pleasure travels. There is still the slight bit of anxiety before shipping off for multiple events, knowing clients will be there judging and watching. There are still many hours spent in airports and hotels and cabs and car rental counters. There is still the task of packing effectively for multiple types of outings, dinners, crowds, events, temperatures. There is still the reminder that I have to open up and meet people and create a bond quickly. It is invigorating and gives me a similar rush to my other travels.

International Rendezvous

One of my favorite aspects of traveling solo is it affords you the opportunity to make new friends. Not that traveling with people eliminates that possibility, but solo travel almost forces you to do so. You are out of your comfort zone of safe places with safe faces, and being alone is magnified when in a foreign country.

Upon my somewhat recent travels to Brasil, I spent a week in Barra da Lagoa on the island of Florianopolis. It was here that I forged some great friendships. I am one of those people who is really good about maintaining contact with friends made on the road...I collect and exchange emails and follow up every few weeks to see how these new friends are doing. It is not only a great way to live vicariously through others travels, but great to keep in touch with people you often share a lot with in short periods of time. Not to mention having a couch to crash on in many countries around the world. In Lagoa I made friends with an Australian lawyer named Steve. He stopped practicing law after about a year at the Supreme Court after earning his J.D. He decided to take some time to travel the world on a year, round-the-world ticket. This past weekend he landed for the New York City portion of his trip. Having known about this for some time combined with the manageable 5.5 hour drive, I made plans to meet him in the city.

It was great to actually reconnect with an international friend on somewhat home-turf. Steve had been traveling in mostly 3rd world countries for the past 6 months so was intoxicated by the Big Apple. We ventured the streets, laid out in Central Park as he strummed away on his guitar, viewed NYC at night from the Empire State Building, showed him some nightlife and caught up on life. It was extremely interesting hearing his point of view on the world after spending so much time amidst poverty and now comparing it to the excessive lifestyle of New York. Even from when I first met him a few months ago, there has been a shift...something I could tell was gained from time on the road solo, bouncing from hostel to hostel, bartering his way through visa offices, hopping on rickety buses and avoiding incidents on the streets, surviving bad illnesses and loss of bags, money and pride.

I have to say that being in the Big Apple with someone who was appreciating every minute detail of it was something that gave me a different appreciation for it. I found myself noticing all the various street artists and colors of shirts in a window, children playing music in a park, groups of people taking excessive amounts of photos, seemingly oblivious to the other hundreds of people laying nearby, children in their "I Love NY" tshirts. In a way, it was like going to Disneyworld with a young child...it is like truly seeing it for the first time. As we grow up, it seems our ability to pick up on the most beautiful, perfect nuances of something is diminished...until you see it through the eyes of a child or first-timer.