Last week, a friend had mentioned an upcoming class she would be taking on crystals in the area and I immediately looked into signing up. After reading about the contents and outcomes, I signed up as well. The name alone intrigued me, Crystal Grid. It was about setting intentions for the New Year.

This past weekend I spent in the city celebrating with four of my girlfriends. We had plans that kept us busy doing one thing or another. The weather was unseasonably cold, which made it a bit difficult to move about the city with ease.

As old and new friends gathered together, the Jingle Babes, as we named our group, headed out by trolley into the brightly lit city sky. People were gathered all around and everyone was in the Christmas spirit. We spent the next four hours exploring the city in all its colorful splendor.

Earlier in October, my friend reached out to me to see if I would be interested in seeing a Food Network personality we both follow. The evening would be complete with a book signing and then a couple hours of listening to her story and answering questions. Even though it was almost ninety minutes away and on a weeknight, I was excited to go.

As part of a recent women’s retreat, we were asked to gather into a circle at the beginning of the day. Chairs were already in place, as each woman arrived and claimed her temporary spot. It’s always interesting to watch the dynamics of personalities as the group of strangers come together.

This past weekend, I went away with my bestie and her husband to Door County, Wisconsin for a long, overdue get-away. My friend and I had planned the weekend for months and had signed up for a “Cultivating Mindfulness” retreat.

In an act of kindness and appreciation I couldn’t believe what they created and shared our last night in the office. They had planned, cooked and beautifully arranged a special traditional meal, called Boodle Fight for us to share as a team, one last time.

My extended business trip will be coming to a close soon. As I look back at the time away from the place I call home, it’s been interesting and rewarding. I’ve met new people, experienced new adventures, learned about a different culture, and feel blessed for doing so.

The first weekend arrived as I pulled out the instruction book of sorts on the appliances, but they didn’t really give many directions, however, the washer/dryer combo looked easy enough to figure out. I sorted my clothes and started to throw in the first load but had to reduce the clothing amount, due to the small size of drum. OK, I can adapt, after all, I had all day if needed.

A recent business trip took me half way around the world; a thirteen hour time difference to be exact. I try not to worry into tomorrow, however, this time there wasn’t any effort, the flight took me there….HA. For some reason I couldn’t quite figure out the timing for days.

A short while ago, I was presented with an opportunity to help improve the life’s of people in a far away land. Helping these people will ultimately affect those presently around me, and some days feels like a heavy burden. The two groups will work together to become a strong united team that’s customer focused and driven.

Four of the five ended up having to take two cars because of all the items each person brought. It was quite the spectacle as the unloading began. We needed not one, but two shopping carts that were available for use. The service elevator was jammed full from top to bottom, I couldn’t get to my phone or I would have taken a picture; it was hilarious.

Being a mid-west girl, I happen to live in between two bustling cities. It seems there’s always plenty of adventures to discover; but there’s certain adventures I find myself going to again and again. A few weekends ago I went with friends to Milwaukee’s Irish Fest; which happens to be the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture. It had been a few years since I’d been back; I really missed it. The event was nestled along the rocky shores of Lake Michigan, which made for a beautiful backdrop, and the day and weather couldn’t have been nicer.

Most of the early morning sky looked like a typical summer day; sunny one minute and cloudy the next. However, later morning clouds began to roll in that just hung in the air. As the time neared closer to the phenomenon, people began hustling and bustling about, filing outside one by one to get a look. 

If you’ve followed my posts in the past, you may have read how much I love being near water. While vacationing in Bermuda, my girlfriends and I spent most of our time either in or near the water…..you could call us, Nauti-Girls…..HA.  The trip’s timing happened to coincide with America’s Cup yachting race, however on the days we were in the area the teams were either practicing or resting. All teams had been eliminated with the exception of New Zealand and the USA which would be competing for the victory.

The ship had everything a person could dream of, or even imagine. Early each morning the day’s itinerary was slipped under the door. It was a four to five page document filled from corner to corner with all the day’s events and opportunities. It was overwhelming to say the least. There were several events every hour on the hour and most times it was impossible to decide. You literally could be doing an activity every minute of every day.

Recently, a girlfriend and I decided to go for an impromptu late breakfast, and ended up at a cute little outdoor place we could enjoy the beautiful summer morning. One of the specials of the day was listed on the menu as Sunshine and Bubbles. The name alone got our attention.

Our hotel was in the middle of Times Square, which made it simple to get around without hailing a cab or taking the subway. Unfortunately, rain gushed like water being poured out of buckets, and wouldn’t you know, all five of us girls forgot to bring umbrellas from our hotel rooms. We ended up staying much longer at lunch than we had anticipated since people outside, both with and without umbrellas were soaking wet just the same. Once the rain had settled into a manageable downpour, we stood in the doorway and jetted across the street as soon as the light signaled for the crowds to pass.