Flying A!

The Dawn

I've been up early lately: 4:00AM (Friday) and 5:15AM (Sunday) -- morning insomnia has again reared its ugly head.

Or has it?

Instead of tossing and turning for hours, I got up both mornings, went for walks around the neighborhood, discovered a new Starbucks, and greeted the bagel shop around the corner at their opening.

There could be a thousand physiological reasons why I can't sleep. The psychological one I'm going to give is that my life here may also be beginning to dawn -- I'm supposed to see the parallelism and this might be the only way I will.

Of course, I could also just be delirious from a serious lack of zzz's.

Six Feet Under

'When death is your business...'

So begins my latest guilty pleasure: Six Feet Under. Given that I much prefer watching marathons to weekly serials (Project Runway excluded, of course), I've found Netflix to be my friend. I recently started Six Feet Under and have also found myself trying to stay disciplined enough to eat, drink and sleep instead of being glued to the unfolding drama of the Fisher family. From quirky Ruth to troubled Brenda, conflicted David to prodigal Nate, I'm wholly wrapped up in the writing, the characters, the relationships. I can't help myself.

So, the question is this: is it wrong to prefer the show to say... breath itself?

The answer is this: it's been incredibly 'convenient' to have been sick this week. It prevents me from running myself down even further and what do you know, I've been staying in and am already on to the second season. Shame. :)

Sally in NYC

My dear friend Sally left Manhattan today after an awesome five days. We had an excellent combination of both non-stop adventure and time to relax.

Sally arrived in New York Thursday night. With not much time, we had dinner at Noodles 28 and then jetted to my volleyball match on the UWS. We walked back through Central Park to get some night views of the midtown high rises.

Friday ventured around town Friday while I was at work. She was adopted by a family from Utah and joined them on the Greyline on/off bus tours so got to cover a lot of ground, from the Empire State Building to Times Square to the New York Public Library to Rockefeller Plaza to Wall Street and the World Trade Center. Well done, Sally! She then joined me at work and we ventured out to Queens to the Mets v. Rockies game at Shea Stadium. Good times altogether, made moreso by our seat neighbors, The Incredible Shrieking Girl and Frank the Tank. After the game, Nimish, Sally and I ventured to Williamsburg to MyMoon -- a place I've spoken about in the past and to which I wanted to introduce Sally. Once again, it didn't disappoint. Great place.

Saturday morning, Sally and I started the morning with Gary at The New Amity Restaurant where Sally surrendered her daily Starbucks non-fat mocha with cinnamon mixed with the shot for pipin' hot New Amity coffee. Again, well done, Sally! That got the day started on the right foot and we had many adventures to come. We stopped at the Ralph Lauren flagship store on Madison and were greeted with Chardonnay! We just happened to visit on the first day of the new fall line in their home furnishings section and they treated us to a shopping experience like none other. What an awesome $20 investment, Ralph. Smart business. It made our entire day and I'm even blogging about it. Just for that, a link to Polo.com. Priceless.

Sally and I then ventured down to Canal Street, through the streets of SOHO, and enjoyed lunch at Room18 in the Lower East Side... with Flying A and Prada bags in tow, of course! Our shopping excursion was made complete by a quick visit to ABC Home Store where we reunited with Scott from my visit with Angy Merola who helped us with more swatches as Sally mapped out bedspread opportunities.

So, you'd think with all of this shopping our day would be coming to an end, yes? Oh, but you would be wrong, avid reader! The day was just beginning!

Saturday night, Sally and I made it to The Canal Room where we danced and sang the night away to Evolution: a Journey tribute band. And was it ever a tribute! The lead singer was the very essence of Steve Perry, both in look and sound. It ROCKED. What rocked even more was Sally asking for -- and getting -- a table in the VIP section. It just so happened that the server's friends were there for a bachelorette party and had more space than they needed; they let us take over a little corner table for two. A round of shots on us to say thanks and -- CRACK! -- the ice was broken! We became fast friends and had a BALL all night. The six women fell in love with Sally and the party only got better as Evolution belted out even more favorites.

We then visited my favorite hotel of all time: 60 Thompson, not far away. We enjoyed late appetizers and a couple of drinks in what's an even hotter venue now than it's ever been. We had our first star sighting here to boot: David Grohl of the Foo Fighers (and formerly of Nirvana). He's short.

I had to treat Sally to Roma Pizza after all of the evening's festivities (and adult beverages). But Sally was having none of it... she didn't want pizza unless she got photos with the Roma staff! And what Sally wants, she got! She charmed the socks off the traditionally stoic proprietor and staff and was invited back to get a photo with the entire team. That Sally!

Of course, after the day's adventures, we were beat. However, Sally wasn't immune from the digital camera and continued the crashed out tradition on my futon, started by one Jesse Paulson.

Sunday was the start of the more low-key, but still amazing part of Sally's visit. We slept in, made a list, then set out to conquer our errands... a Starbucks run, toasted egg, bacon and cheese bagels and the Wizard of Oz. Having never seen the movie in full, we rented the video as we prepared for Broadway's WICKED...

WITCH ROCKED!!! tee hee

I don't know if I'm going to put it up there with RENT, but I have to admit, it has come pretty darn close. The show turned the Wizard of Oz upside down. It didn't follow the premise of the book too, too well, but it was done so amazingly, it didn't matter. The messaging and performances were mesmerizing... all seen from the 10th row, dead center. What is going to compare to this?

I then took Sally to the Meat-Packing district to Nero, an Italian restaurant I've enjoyed in the past. It was early so the restaurant was nearly empty. We got a great table in the back corner and sat so we could get a view of the restaurant and the people passing outside. It was an awesome dinner altogether and perfect for what we both needed after such an amazing Broadway play -- decompression. I'm not going to lie, I was moved, particularly by Elphaba and Glinda singing "For Good". You'll have to see the show, but I did gain an even newer and more powerful appreciate for Tier I and what it means to me, independent of time and space. That's all I'm going to say.

Sally and I then went to Rare View -- to enjoy a drink at a rooftop bar with incredible views of the city... only, it was CLOSED! Tragic! Against my conservative nature, however, Sally and I found a way through the locked gate and snapped a couple of photos of the lit Empire State and Chrysler Buildings. Nothing like a little delinquency to get the heart going -- loved it!

We did, however, enjoy a quick stop at WetBar in the Hotel on Lexington before heading back to the UES and enjoying several episodes of Six Feet Under, my newest vice.

Sally and I enjoyed breakfast at Le Pain Quitodien this morning on Madison @ 84th. She ventured into Central Park while I returned home to work. One of the things I failed to mention in all of this is that I got a nasty cold, such that I decided to work from home today and not have to spread germs to my colleagues in the office. Hopefully, Sally lands in Seattle tonight without the effects of my illness! It was nice to be home such that I could make/take calls and be here to say farewell to my friend as she left New York.

Here's the bottom line: it's such a treat to me for people I know and love to see the world in which I live. This might include experiencing NYC for the first time, or returning for the upteenth visit, given that this is my world, I love that people I know and love can share in it with me. Please consider visiting, if you haven't already. It would be my pleasure to have you here. I'm serious. Maloche me.

Boise -- Day 2

Today was a great day. I spent the majority of it online for work, but also took breaks to play 'fetch' with Tucker. My mom didn't work today so we pieced together lunch and enjoyed several courses of things we (OK, she) could pull from the fridge/freezer. Great lunch altogether. My Aunt Donna and my cousin Geoff's little one, Sydney, came by for the afternoon as well. There's nothing like a baby and/or a pet to entertain for hours.

My Uncle Jim also drove in to town tonight; we enjoyed dinner at a local Mexican joint and got to catch up a bit. I got a couple photo ops with my Uncles and of my Dad with his brothers. Had I gotten a photo at lunch Sunday with my Uncle Judd and sister Laura in Portland, I would have gotten the complete Uncle Set in one trip!

Off to hit the hay again -- pre-10PM. This is brilliant. Travels to NYC tomorrow -- I'm crossing my fingers that the bad travel karma has had its fun with me already and has moved on!

Boise, ID

So much for my orthopedic appointment. They gave my appointment to someone else given that they didn't hear from me on Friday to confirm. Never mind that my cell phone went dead without my charger that got lost flying West from Boston. No doctor for me this trip -- dag-NABBIT!

I spent the morning and afternoon working, with lunch with my cousin Tracy in place of what was to be the doctor visit. We enjoyed Square -- a crepe restaurant in downtown Boise that turns out to be the sole creperie in the state of Idaho.

As an ode to Dan Kirkwood, I grilled Halibut Steaks tonight for Pat, Donna, Christine, Tracy, Jason and Geoff. Good stuff. My parents got in late -- we chatted for a few minutes and are now in our corners of the home closing up shop for the night.

I have to admit, Boise does something funny to my head. Whenever I'm here, something inside tells me that I could live here. WHAT? I know! Have I lost my mind? But I'll tell you this -- Boise is affordable, growing, vibrant, capturing a metropolitan feel, full of outdoor adventure and opportunity, dog-friendly, within 70 minutes of Seattle and Portland. I drive through neighborhoods and picture my life with a large home, nice car, dog. Then the record scratches and I realize that that dream may never have been meant for me. It's the strangest process, but recurs every time I'm here. This could be me -- No, there's no way this could.

For now, I'll enjoy the silence and wait for that record to start playing again and when it will suddenly hit that scratch I can only call reality.

Seaside, OR

After a long journey to the West Coast, I made it to the 25th annual Seaside Open Volleyball tournament! Jesse picked me up from the airport and we road tripped to the Oregon Coast -- one of the many wonders of the world.

I played men's doubles with Tony Little. Unfortunately, my aged, wounded self couldn't compete at the level I was hoping, but we still did pretty well and made it to Day Two of the tournament -- always a goal.

Day One
Beat Carl & Mike in three games
Knocked down Alex & Vlad in two games
Lost in three games to the eventual finalists, Dennis & Ryan
Started our match against RockStar RyanGNickols and his partner, Kuah

Day Two
Finished our match against Ryan and Kuah -- won in two games
Were eliminated in two games vs. Bart & Little Ray

It was awesome to play with Tony; he's a SuperStar. We finished tied for 7th overall, out of 40-some teams, so that's not so bad. It was great to see so many friends yet again. It was amazing to be on the Oregon Coast and to again experience something much more big and powerful and impressive than man: the ocean.

As with so many adventures, there are too many stories to tell, but many that stick out, even in retrospect:

Laughing off set-backs
Road Trips!
Backup contacts
The Budweiser Clydesdales
Seaside sand between my toes
Watching Jesse and Brian rip up the AA division
Playing with Tony Little
Getting some sun!
The Mayor and First Lady
Tillamook Cheese slices
Scott Colby: Hotter Than Your Girlfriend
Not knowing or caring who won the Men's Open Final because just being there and being with my friends was the whole point.
Crowd shots
Jell-O shots
Time with dear friends: Jesse, Steph, Danelle, Robert, Jeff, Stacey, Staci, Megan, Patrick, the Causeys, the Littles, and so many more.

I'm in Boise, Idaho now, in the supreme silence of my parents' home. It may be too quiet to sleep! I was able to secure the doctor's appointment to have my shoulder checked out and am looking forward to solving this pain and moving forward with a plan to fix what's broken. I'm also looking forward to limited stimulation, a slow pace, and family.

Bad Travel Karma

Jesse was right -- this one is a little more than just me having bad travel karma. However, I had two more flights from hell this past week: getting to Boston from JFK and Seattle from Boston.

As you're well aware, a terrorist plot to blow up planes en route to the US from Britian was uncovered late Wednesday night. Unfortunately for me, I found out in a 3-hour security line at 4AM in Boston's Logan International Airport.

Nearly every one of the hundreds of people waiting to get through the one-line security check-point were completely irate... from the wait to having to throw away a new lipstick to having to repack and recheck personal items. Most of the people had no idea what had happened the previous evening given that it was 4AM and their morning objective was to get to the airport, much less check world news. When TSA finally decided to clue people in on what happened, things got MUCH less tense and everyone was thankful for security. The magic of communication.

So, yes, after three hours in the security line, my flight was delayed about two hours to accommodate the long security lines. I missed my connecting flight in Chicago, but Via from Alaska Airlines and I worked a miracle and I was able to get on a later flight to Seattle to get in in time for Jesse to pick me up from Sea-Tac. All was well... even when one of my checked bags didn't arrive. Again, destination is everything, even after an hour of sleep after a week of limited zzz's.

Bottom-line, communication is key and adventures are worth it.

Sunsets. Puppies. Vanilla. Palm Trees. Relax.

Enjoyed Boston by sea last night on a Spirit of Boston boat cruise at a Boston Interactive Media Association (BIMA) event. I'm going to concentrate on the memory of the sun setting over Boston to release me from the trauma of today as yet another travel day.

With the terrorism plot uncovered last night in London, my morning has included a 3-hr. appointment with security in Boston, a cancelled flight and a missed connection. I will tell you this, however, my Alaska Airlines customer service agent (Via) was a SuperStar and got me on a Seattle-bound flight after working with and for me for over 45 minutes as I raced throughout Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Barring any additional delays, I should be boarding soon and landing in Seattle in about six hours.

Boston, MA

I'm in Boston - beautiful Boston. However, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. More travel drama both at JFK airport and on the plane. We boarded about an hour late and once on the plane, they closed doors, only to have the air pressure controls malfunction and the DOOR BLEW OFF! The air conditioning unit blew, so we sat at the gate for yet another hour while they tried to manually restart the engines and replace the air conditioning motor. Good times altogether. And yes, in the meantime, we BAKED in the metal tube. I got to the hotel last night ~9:30 after expecting to get in ~6:30. Having left my apartment in NYC at 2:30, it turned into a seven-hour commute on a 42-minute flight. Eye-yah.

Here now though. About to meet my colleague for coffee and to finish mapping the day!

OH, random star sighting yesterday in New York: Molly Shannon.

Beyonce Ferdandez

I haven't laughed this hard in quite some time. Thanks Beyonce!

Not a Lotta

I haven't had too many adventures of late as I prepare for those to come next week and the one after. That said, however, I've realized that my life is definitely settling here in NYC. I'm getting used to the rat race a bit and what used to feel like adventure has now normalized to a degree. What I'm seeing and what I'm doing is exactly what I'd see and do anywhere. The question is, did you, my avid reader, see this all along and have simply been humoring me with your reading loyalty? If so, I appreciate you all the more for it. :o)

Things to note of late:
- I love The Family Stone. New #1 movie of all time. I know -- sacrelige!
- It's not as hot in NYC thank the heavens above! I needed the 100* days to learn to appreciate and welcome the 85* days -- which were miserable to me a month ago.
- The Mustang Grill ain't all that. Strong drinks; small, not-so-strong portions.
- Crazy travel week ahead: NYC to Boston; Boston to Seattle via Chicago; Seattle to Seaside, OR, for the weekend; Portland to Boise; Boise to New York via Seattle. Hello Miles!
- Work has been disheartening, but I'm excited about what's to come.
- I'm starting to get proactive again in life in general. I've impressed myself this weekend.

More -- most likely from the road -- in the coming weeks!

Hot as HADES

I swear that the gates of hell opened somewhere over the east coast and vomited its heat all over New York. Pendleton is hot. Boise is hot. NYC is hell. While the thermostats have only toyed with 100*, the humidity makes me feel as though I'm swimming on land.

Cooler temps are to arrive tonight, however. I can't tell you how excited I am for 85* + humidity. Talk about a paradigm shift.

JWI Weekend 2006

What a weekend! My trip to Seattle turned into a Summer Highlight and I can't wait to tell you about it...

Thursday Night
What was to be a long flight west turned even longer as all west-bound flights were delayed from the tri-state area due to inclement weather. So, we loaded the plane on time at 5:30PM and finally took off at midnight. Yes, 6.5 hours stuck on the plane before we even left the ground. That preceded a 5.5 hour flight (they made up 45 minutes!) and I finally alit in Seattle around 2:15AM Friday morning, having hoped to have landed closer to 9:15PM. Alas.

Here's what I learned... destination is everything. While the delays were excrutiating, the thought of Seattle on the other end more than made up for the angst. I also learned that there is actually something more uncomfortable than a middle seat for 12 hours... it's a middle seat next to someone who requires a seatbelt extension because they're so large. What's more uncomfortable than that for 12 hours? A fidgety large person pressed up against you on a hot plane for 12 hours. Needless to say, I made it in one piece in time for...

Friday!
The Day of Fun started with breakfast with JesseP, included an Optometrist visit and Schezuan Bean Flower (more food!), reliving the PSBomb, an errand for Gary Little, a stop at DRIVE HQ, a Starbucks pop-in to see Amy in her green apron, and a visit to the dermatologist. All good fun… made complete by the Captain’s arrival chez John & Amy. John and I were able to catch up in the Seattle sun overlooking the Puget Sound, sharing Disneyworld and other life adventures.

Our adventure soon became bus-chasing through downtown Seattle until we found the one we were after. “Sun Tea” Nalgene in hand, we made it to Easy Street Records where we caught Pete Yorn live at his in-store performance. Note that the show will be released as an EP… be sure to listen for John and I requesting ‘The Man’ and having our wish come true! Of course, Pete may have only played it because he heard our plans to storm the stage if I didn’t get ‘The Man’ out of him. He was cordial, however, and we were as well given he played our fave! Pete was also cordial later as he signed my EP and Amy’s poster, even posing as if in the act of signing such that it looked as if I wasn’t delinquent in putting out the camera. Thanks Pete!

John and I then promised not to tell Amy, but we stopped at Dick’s so I could get a taste of home. A Deluxe and two Storm fan friends later, we raced down Queen Anne Avenue after our third bus of the day, but had to await the fourth one to get back to the condo where Amy was excited to start her night of fun with us. Mama’s Mexican Kitchen was our first stop as we prepared for the show… we made ‘Burrito’ a reality by delving into a couple of originals. Love Mama’s.

As you can imagine, Pete Yorn at the Crocodile Cafe was a ten altogether. John, Amy and I were troopers and secured a spot at the front of the stage to catch Pete and his band up close and personal. The show didn’t disappoint in any regard and we had a ball. Amy won the Song Challenge – Kudos Amy! – for correctly picking the song he played first from our three guesses. I’d like to tell you that the Captain welcomed us home with open arms, but instead it was the Prince of Sleep as we all crashed content on the summation of our Month of Fun culminating in the Day of Fun that my dear friends had scheduled for me. Thank you, you wonderful two.

JWI Saturday!!!
Satruday was the 9th annual JWI Volleyball Tournament on Mercer Island – OK, so it was officially the 8th, but no one has to know. What could have been a day of welcomed rain for the Northwest turned into a cool and calm 70-degree day… a day in which I got my first sun of the season! HOORAY!

What a great day altogether. Yes, I was sore for over two days, but each ache brought me joy… a reminder of a day of my favorite things – sun, sport, Seattle, significant people in my life. I’m not going to lie: I miss each and every one. It was a great day of ball altogether, even though I couldn’t swing with my bad shoulder. I had a tough go in pool, though with all of the parity, all of the matchups were close – and great fun.

So, yes, the answer is I finished last in my morning pool. As such, I was paired with a winner of another pool… in this case, one Ryan G. Nichols! Ryan and I played together in the Usual Suspects JWI in 2004 and finished 3rd out of eight teams. Given my steel trap memory, I remember with perfect clarity being stuff blocked by Jesse Paulson twice and shanking the final point to give Jesse and Rick Hoadley and entry in the JWI Final that year. However, that wasn’t meant to be with RG at the 2006 JWI…

Def. Mo Ramsey & Mark Kaminsky
Lost to Will Simms & Marcus Fowler
Def. Mo Ramsey & Mark Kaminsky
Def. Jesse Paulson & Jeff Cross
Def. Matt Weaver & Lee
Def. Jake Putnam & Phil Nugent
Def. Will Simms & Marcus Fowler
FINAL: Lost to Steve Whitacre & Mike Walton

Ryan and I battled our way back through the loser’s bracket to redeem ourselves against JP (sorry, Jesse!), upset Will & Marcus who knocked us into the loser-out games, then face an undefeated Steve & Mike team in the tournament finale. Ryan and I gave it a go, but ultimately fell 22-25 in front of the heckling masses. It was brilliant altogether! Though I wasn’t an ideal partner without an ability to be an offensive weapon, Ryan and I teamed up to be quite a combo. Yes, RG carried us throughout the tournament, but I’m sure I made first-team all RG Cheer Squad. I’m honored to have been able to play so well, with Ryan, and among friends.

As you can imagine, the Day of Fun and the JWI tournament more than justified the trip West. However, I actually couldn’t get enough and exteneded my trip through Tuesday such that I could take advantage of being home to get some work done, to take care of some errands, and to see some dear friends.

Sunday
I got up Sunday and enjoyed brunch with Charles Newton at Crave on Capital Hill. He and I also ventured to see the Pidducks’ home in Wallingford and to check out the remodel progress. Dan is doing amazing work there; I’m excited to see even more of the finished product. It was awesome to see Ellie Frances as well – she’s going to be a heartbreaker, you can tell already! I got to see Charles’ home and all of the work he’s done there and we ventured south to IKEA to check out bathroom storage ideas. Good times with C-Ennis altogether. I got in a nap, and then dinner at Schezuan Bean Flower with John & Amy, Jesse & Steph, and Stacey Dozono. Love that place; love those people. The night ended with Mario Party at the Paulsons (Well done, Wario! – you know who you are!!)

Monday
Monday was a work day… and a much needed one at that. I really needed to be in the Seattle office for a day. I’ve been struggling with the remoteness of our office in NYC and the fact that the teams there are all remote teams – divisional orphans if you will. It was nice to be around my DRIVE Seattle colleagues who know me, know my successes, and the story I’m trying to weave just now. I also got to spend some quality time with my immediate colleague Mike talking about work, our region, new developments, and where we are professionally. That was a much needed in-person evening at Collins Pub.

Tuesday
I flew home Tuesday with no fanfare... and was rewarded an exit row aisle seat with no one next to me. The flight east is so fast relative to west - brilliant altogether. I've now suffered through record-setting heat the past two days and as of tonight, we're finally getting much-needed thunder storms which should put this hell on ice for a bit. I've never craved 90 degrees more than I do right now.

In general, however, it's been one heckuva week since I last updated. More photos to come once I get a more stable connection. In the meantime, and as usual, please enjoy those moments I call my Weekend Highlights:

-Landing in Seattle after 12.5 hours on that plane.
-The Raccoon Greeting.
-Being able to say good morning every day to dear friends.
-Getting the full stamp of eye health.
-Schezuan Bean Flower.
-Reliving the PSBomb.
-Jaywalking in downtown Seattle.
-Smiles at DRIVE Seattle when I arrived – that felt good.
-Seeing Heather, knowing it meant I was being Gary’s b*tch, and loving every minute of it.
-Dermatologist Nurse Randy happy that I was safe and enjoying New York.
-Arriving at John’s only to set sail with the Captain on the rooftop deck.
-Beautiful Seattle!
-Running through Belltown to catch buses.
-Befriending Big Clara on the Uptown #2.
-Nalgene bottles and memories of Sun Tea.
-Introducing John to Antony & the Johnsons and his first reaction mirroring my own when I was introduced.
-Pete Yorn playing ‘The Man’ per our request.
-Dick’s! Dick’s! Dick’s!
-Rolls of quarters and valid bus transfers.
-Amy’s voice from within the condo and face peeking out the window.
-Outdoor dining at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen.
-Frou-frou drinks (that Amy!).
-Front Row concert ‘seats’.
-Being with John & Amy at the Pete Yorn show (knowing why that was important to them made it a gift to me -- thank you for letting me share this night with you, friends).
-Escaping the venue into a cool Seattle evening.
-Amy accidentally putting in my contacts and thinking she was blind.
-Ordering my Starbucks drink at a park and having it delivered.
-Seeing friends.
-That first few minutes of warming up, knowing what’s to come.
-John and I smack talking throughout the first game (John won).
-Revealing the ‘I Love NYC’ t-shirts for all of my partners.
-Customizing Mike Harper's by tearing off the sleeves – and having him actually wear it to humor me.
-Three stuff blocks vs. Will Simms & Tony Little.
-Hearing other courts trying to out-cheer me.
-Weiner Wraps!
-Sausaging one Danelle Chaddock – that’s right, it was me, yo!
-Being paired with RockStar Ryan Nichols as my tournament partner.
-Wiping away 2004’s ending with a big come from behind win.
-The Weaver Brother JWI 2006 Costumes
-Jesse’s straight talk/harsh words/threats for me to learn how to chip.
-Making it to the tournament final.
-John yelling for me to let it out or my head will pop.
-Moments of amazing silence – and realizing that I only heard people laughing/talking for the first time in six months – no cars, planes, trains, horns, sirens.
-Time with Stacy Terry.
-The after-party at Jays – seeing the two distinct groups, but knowing I could break through… and doing so.
-Being on the same page as John & Amy.
-Making an honest and expedient exit.
-The shower.
-Brunch with Charles.
-The Pidduck's raised home.
-Ellie Frances Pidduck.
-Schezuan Bean Flower x2!
-Mario Party.
-Friendly Starbucks baristas.
-Specialty’s croissant.
-Dome Burger.
-The DRIVE posse.
-Sharing an office for the day with Jason Runge.
-“Pepto and Privacy”.
-Real time with Mike Dunnigan.
-Six beers between us for only $24 – with tip.
-House shopping and YouTube-ing with John & Amy.
-<-QFC Adventures with the Paulsons.
-Enabling Steph to eat ice cream.
-Mario Tennis.
-Nothing but JP time all morning.
-The Mia Moment.
-Tracking down my debit card.
-Exit Row Aisle Seats.
-Neighborless flights.
-Looking forward to this bed as my bed.
-Air conditioning.

-Remembering each moment here with perfect clarity.