What a long, strange trip it's been...Part I

Wednesday afternoon. I simply CANNOT believe that it's been nearly a month since I've posted. So much has happened and I feel like such a different person than I was last time I was here that it startles me. How can one person come into your life and change is so profoundly in such a short period of time??? Actually, it's more than just one person now because I feel as though I've been accepted into C's family...and I think they are just the loveliest people I've ever met.

Let's see here...well, the trip to NYC went really well, other than a few little logistical things like my 4-1/2 hour delay in Dulles on the way to Newark and the fact that it rained (HARD!) all day on Sunday. Other than that, though, it was spectacular and exactly as I'd hoped. The hotel was wonderful (especially the ultra helpful staff), the Met was awesome, walking down Fifth Avenue was every bit as thrilling as I'd hoped, and I got to really go to Tiffany's (even got my picture taken standing in front of the store window). It's a great city and I only wish I'd had more time to spend. I don't think I'll probably ever go back, and I feel happy that I had the chance to do what I did.

Once I'd cleared up my work visits, it was on to Virginia (and C) for a wonderful weekend. To start, he surprised me by being parked in the parking lot of my hotel when I pulled in from my (very long) drive from Raleigh, NC. He was supposed to be at work and had even pretended to be on break when calling me during the drive. Brat!!! LOL. I just screamed when I saw him there and then ran from my car to the truck to jump into his arms. We spent a few nice days together before I had to head back on the 5 hour drive to Raleigh. Once on the road (after the trauma of having to leave him), the weather started getting bad. Rain, thunder, and lightning. Needless to say, my speed was much curtailed from Thursday night and it took me a whole lot longer to drive than I'd expected. I was running behind, terribly behind, when C. had to get off of the phone and go to bed, which started me crying again. I suppose it was the fact that I was crying which left me not checking my rear view mirror adequately, because I suddenly spotted red lights in my mirror and I got pulled over. I was doing 80 in a 65 zone. Not good. I cried, out of frustration, pain at being so far from C., and the realization that I was probably not going to make my flight because of this. Got the ticket and set out on the road again at a very sedate pace and being very careful with my driving. Soon after the traffic stop (no more than 15 minutes, I'd guess), I found severe traffic on the road. I was being Ultra Careful Driving Girl, so I safely stopped with plenty of room and without even having to jam on my brakes. When I looked into my rear view mirror, however, I noticed that the navy Volvo behind me wasn't showing any signs of stopping, so I took my foot off of the brake and pointed the car toward the embankment next to me. Good thing, too, because she hit the back of my car and sent it right down the embankment. If I hadn't done what I did, I'd definitely have hit the person in front of me and might have gotten hurt, too. After straightening things out with the other driver, about 20 minutes later, I set out on the road again for the airport. I arrived at the Hertz counter and had to fill out a full page form with all of the information about the accident, which took about 1/2 an hour. By the time I got to United's counter, it was over an hour since my flight had left and there were no more flights that day. I wanted to cry again.

What I did instead was call C. and tell him everything. He told me that, if I wanted to, I was welcome to come back there and stay for the night if I could get a flight out of one of the local airports in the morning. Instead, I called one of my fellow PMs at home and asked/pleaded with her to get the entire week off so that I could just go to C's and veg out/de-stress. Fortunately, she said yes (bless you, MJ!!!), and I was in business. At that point, I had to call the cat sitter and my Trainer Hottie to let them know of my change of plans and then it was back out to Hertz to rent another car and I was on the road for another 5-1/2 hour drive. (Yes, that makes 11 hours on the road in the same day, combined with an accident and getting pulled over.)

Once I got back to C's, I just curled up in a ball on his daughter's bed and slept. I felt as though I could relax for the first time all week and I did. For the next 4 days (I went home on Thursday), I participated in a couple of conference calls for work and input my team's merit increases, but did almost nothing else. I spent mornings with C until he left for work and then afternoons with C's mom and dad just doing the normal, every day things that they do. I think that's where my feeling of being accepted really came from. I truly began to feel as though that house, those people, and that lifestyle are the things that I want in my life. A slower, more thoughtful approach to work is NOT a bad thing, my friends!!! Anyway, I went home (regretfully) on Thursday and (other than a 3 hour delay on the runway at Philly) all went well.

I'll write about the following 2 weeks in my next post!

Exercise since May 30: 1 hour weight lifting/toning (yes, you read that correctly!)
Not even LOOKING at LA Marathon anymore...now it's looking more like the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon in June. Stay tuned for more developments!

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