Happy holidays...

It's no secret that K and I haven't quite figured out how to manage the holidays well. I'm hopeful though about Christmas this year. With last weekend being our first weekend at home in a month, we were finally able to get around to getting a Christmas tree. A little last minute, but it was decorated on Monday in a perfect spot in our new house. Now, the outdoor lights have been another story. I've been so excited that we actually had an outlet outside in the new place to hang up lights this year because we didn't have one in the lil' blue house where we spent the past 3 years. The lights actually went up a few weeks ago, but have been a work in progress until last night. We're probably going to need more practice with them though to get them up to their potential...

In contrast to last year when we were trying to save money to get my practice going after the new year, we're back to gift giving this year. I finished up Christmas shopping earlier this week, while K started and finished his shopping for me last weekend (with a bit of urging from me). It was nice for me to be back in a position of relative financial security that I could indulge others this year.

In terms of how we're spending the holidays, a low-key Christmas at home is what the doc ordered for us. My dad is stopping through town to have dinner with us tonight, then my mom is coming down from Dallas tomorrow to stay for the weekend. Lots of yummy food has been ordered so no stress about cooking for anyone. Just time to relax and enjoy each other.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Until we meet again...

Today was our last day in Colorado. We left the pampered lifestyle of Cordillera early this morning so that K could get in another day of skiing, this time at Copper Mountain. 4 days of skiing at 3 different resorts with 2 days of VIP access and 1 fun concert = a very happy birthday trip for K.

While K was off getting as many runs in as possible on his last day, I had some work calls to return and appointments to schedule/reschedule. Afterwards, as I was walking through the village, I saw this great sign in a shop window. Pretty much sums up my issues...

As we headed back to Denver in the late afternoon to catch our evening flight home, I felt that familiar feeling of not wanting to head back to reality. Not that our reality is a bad one. But, it was just really nice to have a break from everything for a while. We're already talking about our next trip back though. And, we leave for London in a little over two weeks, so life is good.

Lazy Sunday...

As far as lazy Sundays go, this one might be tough to beat. K took the early shuttle from the hotel back to ski at Beaver Creek today, while I opted for the lazy luxury of sleeping in in our oh so comfortable bed. I was looking forward to a quiet day of nobody needing anything from me. I got in a good workout at the hotel fitness center where the cardio machines overlook the mountains. Then, it was off for some quiet time just enjoying the beauty and peace that is abundant here. A recharging for the soul, if you will.

K had a full day of skiing again today. But, he didn't have much time to rest when he got back to the hotel in the late afternoon because we were headed back over to Vail for the evening. After picking up a souvenir in Vail Village that I had ordered, we walked over to nearby Ford Park where nightly free concerts have been held at the amphitheater since last Thursday for Vail Snow Daze. Weezer played the finale of the multi-day event tonight. It was such a fun show!

Luxury and complications at Beaver Creek...

We awoke this morning to a winter wonderland outside thanks to the overnight snowfall. Several of the ski resorts got dumped on, and the powder hounds headed to Breck and Vail where the new snowfall was 14" and 9", respectively. But, we headed to Beaver Creek for the day, eager to check out the mountain and resort there (and, if I thought $25 for parking at Vail was expensive, then I was even more shocked to learn that parking at BC is $33 - I should note, however, that we didn't have to pay for parking at either place). We were shuttled over from our hotel this morning where the van parked in a heated garage and we were escorted upstairs to the private club reserved for guests at our hotel. Water, OJ, and granola bars awaited us (as well as coffee and hot chocolate), a TV and computer with internet access were available to pass the time if the mountain wasn't calling your name, indoor ski storage with boot warmers ready and waiting, and ski-in ski-out access to the lifts just mere steps away. We could get used to this.

We headed up one of the lifts that provided access to the runs on another area of the mountain that had easier terrain for me to get started with on my first run out. I was super nervous about whether my ankle was going to cause me any problems, and of course, cautious about getting hurt in general. It didn't take long for me to realize today was not my day. I'm sure it was a combination of the mental and physical working against me. My anxiety was running unchecked and my ankle isn't at pre-injury strength. So, I wanted to get the hell off the mountain as quickly as possible and that meant taking a lift back down. Disappointed, yes, but not enough to push myself through it.

Enjoying the view before I decided to head back down

I regrouped back at the hotel ski club before K came down to meet me for lunch. After that, we went our separate ways - I checked out the resort village, while K went up to check out another area of the mountain. We met back at the hotel at the end of the day then opted to check out the dining options in the lower town of Edwards. And, it turned out to be a good choice. We had some good BBQ then K checked out the brews at a local brewery. 

View of Edwards far below with the sparkling lights

View of houses in Cordillera

Back in Colorado...

K and I are making our annual ski trip this weekend to celebrate his upcoming birthday. We have been lucky enough to make 1-2 trips per ski season, but this is the earliest in the season that we've been (aside from when I lived in Denver during my internship year many moons ago). We have generally gone skiing over holiday weekends in January and/or February so that I could avoid having to take any time off work. However, since that's no longer an issue now that I am running my own show, then we thought we'd capitalize on some good flight deals and come in December for his birthday. The ski conditions are typically more uncertain at this point, but we have lucked out with some great early season snowfall. With several inches of snow expected each day that we're here, hopefully we'll get some great powder conditions. I do love me some good powder.

We've got the travel aspect of things down pretty well by now for this type of trip, but we're trying a few new things this time around. We opted to stay in the foothills last night to get a head start on the drive into the mountains this morning. We also flew into Denver on Thursday night instead of Friday night which is what we usually do (again to minimize time off from work), which had the perk of avoiding the ski traffic into the mountains that is common on weekends from Denver. We're also staying and skiing further out than we usually do. I heart Breckenridge, but you also can't complain about the massive size of Vail (well, the one complaint is how expensive everything is - $25 bucks for daily parking!) and we're also eager to try out the skiing at Beaver Creek. So, we're staying at a swanky hotel located on a privately owned mountain overlooking the Vail Valley, also known as the Kobe hotel (where he got himself into some legal trouble with a young woman a few years ago). No, this is not something that the hotel advertises or that I knew prior to a couple of months ago. Interestingly, the hotel and Kobe scandal were prominently referred to in the new Stephen White novel that I was reading a few months ago and then we happened to run across it as we were looking into our hotel reservations for this trip. So, we thought, why the heck not? Let's see what kind of place an NBA baller stays at...as we roll up to the valet in our rental Kia.

I opted not to ski today, while K was a bundle of nerves and excitement about hitting the slopes as soon as possible.

Just arrived and getting ready to take the lift up for his first run of the day

After a hectic 24 hours before our trip (I'm still amazed that I was able to get everything accomplished that I did), I was in the mood for a slower paced, relaxing day enjoying the beautiful scenery today. And, yes, I'm a bit nervous about how my surgically repaired ankle is going to handle the slopes again. So, I'm holding out for starting at Beaver Creek tomorrow - where the motto is "Not exactly roughing it..." Gotta love that!

I hung out around Lionshead and Vail Villages today doing some window-shopping, eating, and checking out the local art. A few of the many cool sculptures around the resort:

Meanwhile, K had a somewhat challenging first day of skiing - limited visibility due to snowfall, rough trails, and bum knees. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

After the lifts closed, we made our way farther west out to Edwards. I've never been farther than Vail on I-70, so the additional miles west (past Leadville) were a first for me. The views as we approached Edwards and then particularly our hotel were spectacular. Time to get settled in, enjoy a nice meal, and then hit the fitness center.

The new normal...

Ah, productivity feels so good. Finally on the other side of being sick for over a week, I managed to capitalize on my renewed energy and corral K into getting a few things done around the house after we got back from Dallas late yesterday afternoon. I was able to maintain that focus and take care of multiple errands this morning before work this afternoon. And, I feel a great sense of satisfaction, a feeling that I don't seem to experience much lately. K and I have a hard time juggling work, fun, and regular household responsibilities. It's been tougher than usual over the past few months, ya know during football season. I'm so thankful that football season is over (and that we'll be out of the country for most of the important upcoming bowl games), and I'm eager for our productivity to get back to pre-football levels. We still have a few projects/purchases that we need to take care of before I/we truly feel settled in our new house. I'm sure there will always be things that we want to do for the house over time, but we still haven't really reached a baseline, in my opinion, of getting settled.

It certainly doesn't help when we are on the go as much as we are sometimes. July and August were heavy travel periods for us, then we had a lull for a few months during football season, and now we're in the middle of holiday travel. Ohio, Dallas, Vail, and London, oh my!

I love, love, love the flexibility of managing my own schedule that private practice offers. I generally have the mornings free to workout, relax, or run errands since I see most of my clients in the afternoon at the end of the school day for the kiddos. This has certainly been an adjustment for both me and K as I may not get home until after K does. So, he's been taking on more of the dinner prep duties, which has been a nice treat for me. Quite the role reversal for us.

As for work, my practice is steadily growing. I'm not overwhelmingly busy, nor do I want to be. I'm still in a position where I am doing everything myself - scheduling appointments, billing, and the clinical stuff. Hands down, taking care of the billing and dealing with insurance are my least favorite (and, most frustrating) parts of my job. It has brought me to tears on multiple occasions. Not kidding. I'm still dealing with the unknown of how much I'm going to collect at any given time. So, the biggest drawback for me is never knowing how much money I'm going to have available at any point, but the perks of making my own schedule (and taking as much vacation as I want...and can afford) and being a clinician again make it worth it.

And, about that running thing? Stay tuned for an update on that as well.

What moves me...

Yes, I know it's been many months since I've posted. I've actually been thinking about posting lately, but the idea of having to start back with the what the heck have I been up to post just kept deterring me. So, in order to ease back into the process, I thought I'd start with a quick fun post about our weekend...

After a really tough trip to Ohio last week for Thanksgiving, I was really looking forward to having a mel-style weekend in Dallas, even if it was only a quick 24-hour trip. The reason for the trip was to attend the first Founder's Dinner for Jackopierce on Saturday night. It was a private, exclusive event for the band's "foundation" (essentially those core fans who were willing to splurge big bucks for the tickets). We had a nice dinner at La Duni followed by an intimate concert with the boys who played a full show of songs that the guests had requested in advance (mine was "Capable Girl" from Bringing on the Weather).


A few moments from the show:

Jack talking to Cary in between songs

Jack with the same guitar he's had for years

Sing it, Cary!

Jack drinking the shot of tequila that led to the revival of "Mexican Tune"

Thanks for a great show (and, I am that girl who goes for the set list after the show)

As we were driving back to the hotel after the show, K asked me if I had a good time. It struck me as such a silly, unnecessary question. It was a JP show, so of course I had a good time! I realized that there's really just a handful of things that I get really excited about and invest time/energy/money in. And, while that list has certainly changed over time, Jackopierce is a constant on it. The first time that I heard them was when they played a special concert for Homecoming at SMU in 1994. They had such a following from their alma mater, as well as other colleges around that time. After that, I remember seeing them at Trees and so many other places in the next few years, mostly with my good friend Russ who I introduced to their music. We were devastated when they announced they were breaking up in the late 90's and overjoyed when they started playing again together in 2002. K has married into this scene, and thankfully, he's been a good sport about going along for the ride with me.

K & m do San Diego...

As my practice was finally getting off the ground in May, I started considering coming to APA this year with the goal of getting some relevant information on building a private practice. Then, I got a lucrative assessment in June that would cover the primary travel expenses, so that sealed the deal. And, did I mention that the convention was in San Diego? That was a no-brainer.

After an exhausting beginning of the week at work, we headed out to SD on Wednesday. We arrived later than expected due to flight delays, so the early session on Thursday morning was just going to further contribute to my sleep deficit (that has really been accumulating for the past month beginning with our trip to France).

Neither of us have been to San Diego before, so my first real glimpse of the beauty of the city and the temperate climate came as I walked the few short blocks from our hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter to the SD Convention Center early Thursday morning. The weather was so cool that I needed a light jacket, and the morning fog had rolled in which would dissipate by early afternoon. I grabbed a quick pastry from Starbucks for breakfast and admired the view of the bay from the terrace outside the upper floor of the convention center. That was when I realized this city is a pretty special place.

A sunnier view in the afternoon

Dole ship from Costa Rica

I'm amazed that I was focused enough to forgo the sightseeing and exploring a city new to me in favor of getting the most that I could out of the convention for three days. I definitely learned some new things, got some good resources, and got some good deals on products (I love that a "Bozo" punching bag is considered a business expense for me). My goal of getting some information to help me build my practice was achieved. A lot of the presentations that I attended with that focus really validated my experiences thus far and stimulated my thinking about things to consider as I move forward. All in all, APA 2010 was a success for me. 

Now, while I have had rather full days at the convention, K was in full-on vacation mode. He made a visit to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier, Ocean Beach, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. 

USS Midway

"Unconditional Surrender," WWII Commemorative Surrender statue

“A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military"

View of Ocean Beach from the 1/3 mile long pier

K braved the chilly waters of the Pacific

Don't mess with the lion

...or the gorilla

I also got to join him for some of the fun when we went to the Padres vs. Pirates game on Thursday afternoon. We had checked the Padres schedule prior to coming to see if there was a home game while we would be in town, but we obviously made a mistake because we thought they were away the whole time. We caught the last game of their series with the Pirates with a last minute notice about the game. The ballpark is located just steps away from the convention center and is overlooked by several condos and hotels (including ours).

K & m at Petco Park

 

 

 

We'll be back, San Diego. I think there might be a RNR SD marathon in my future...

Big K's Top 10 List...

This was a very busy and exciting trip. We visited so many places and did so many things it was hard to pick just 10 highlights. But here were mine:
1. The Louvre: For me, very few things could top spending the better part of two days in the world's greatest museum.
2. Final time trial: We spent all day eating and drinking in front of a Bordeaux wine chateau while riders came zipping by within feet of us.
3. Finish on the Champs: After nearly 8 hours spent on the side of the street, we saw the 8 laps of the finish and a very cool farewell lap by all of the teams.
4. Dinner cruise on the Seine: We had to hustle straight over from the long day on the Champs to get on the boat, but a couple hours of champagne, wine, food, and unbeatable views with the tour group were a great way to end the trip.
5. Podium start in Salies-de-Bearn: After an adventure driving the back roads of the French countryside due to road closures, we were dropped off with little idea of what to expect. We found our way to a podium, still not knowing what was going to happen, and were treated to watching all of the riders make their way up to sign in before the sprint stage to Bordeaux that day.
6. Cathedral Notre-Dame: This was a beautiful building inside and out. The carvings on the stone entrance portals, the stained-glass windows, the dozen or so side chapels devoted to various saints, all were sights to see. The best part of the whole experience, however, was the climb up the towers to get some great views of central Paris.
7. Reims: After nearly a week in the hustle and bustle of Paris, we took a short train ride to the capital of Champagne and enjoyed a slower-paced day of champagne cave tours, a tasty lunch, and a visit to the cathedral where French kings were crowned.
8. The Orsay: This was a great museum in a beautiful building. As a result of sleeping in followed by a late lunch, we only spent a couple of hours exploring.
9. Bastille Day fireworks: Rain and a late start kept us from seeing the parade, but the fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower were spectacular despite the huge crowds and long walk back.
10. Up the Eiffel Tower: This would have been higher on the list except for the long, long wait in several different lines. Nevertheless, the rides in the elevators were exhilarating and the views were breathtaking.

Stage 20: Longjumeau > Paris…

Sunday (07/25) was the final day of our “holiday” and what a trip it has been! We left Libourne early this morning via train and made our way back to Paris. So nice to see you again! We arrived at our hotel shortly after 11:00am to drop off our bags, then walked just a couple of blocks to check out the scene at the Champs-Elysees. I was insistent on having an unobstructed view of the action to come, so we had to try out a few spots to ensure that I was at the front of the barricade. Even if I was one person deep at that point, I would not have been able to see anything given how vertically challenged I am.

We finally settled on a spot shortly before noon, with the realization that we would not be able to see the sprint finish or the podium since we didn’t spring the extra cash for the primo grandstand seating. I quite mistakenly had the wrong impression that the riders would be coming through around 2:30pm based on the info sheet I read last night. Oh, how wrong I was! The caravan was actually the one to arrive at that time. Compared to the other two times that we’ve seen them, the caravan wasn’t throwing out promotional items this time. After the caravan finished, we expected the riders shortly thereafter. We had a long wait. They didn’t arrive until 4:45pm or so. That’s a long time waiting in the same spot! Thankfully, we had cloud cover and lower temps in Paris compared to the weather in the wine country yesterday.

The riders made 8 laps around the Champs-Elysees, with a breakaway forming in the initial laps that would eventually be caught of course. Go Cavendish! We were able to see the riders 16 times since they passed by us on each side of the street. However, the peloton was cruising, and it was difficult to identify individual riders since they were moving by so quickly. But, I did clearly see some of my faves at least once. As they passed us on their final lap on the way into the finish, it was a bit anti-climactic for us since we couldn’t see the exciting finish or the podium. But, we had heard that the teams all make one final (slow) lap together after the podium is completed.

Astana led the peloton out for the first lap on the Champs-Elysees

Cavendish isn't worried about the finish yet

All four jersey winners on the podium

Team Radioshack wins team classification

The problem was that it was about 6:30pm by the time the first team made their way back onto the Champs-Elysees. And, we had to be back at our hotel a few blocks away at 7:00pm to meet our tour group for the evening dinner cruise. So, it was a conflict moment. Do we stay to see all the teams past our designated meeting time or do we miss seeing the key riders/teams that we/I are most interested in? At 6:55ish, we finally decided that K would run back to the hotel to let them know that we would just meet them at the boat. We both expected that we wouldn’t be the only ones who had delayed going to the hotel in favor of watching the team’s final salute. Turns out we were though!

Nevertheless, I am so thankful that we did! It was such a special moment to see Lance riding his final lap on the Champs-Elysees with Johan Bruyneel and to see Frank Schleck riding in his street clothes with his team (on one of Andy’s bikes, no less) following a major injury that took him out of the Tour early on. This was the finish that I was looking for.

Team Radioshack

Lance and Johan

Frank Schleck

Big George

Nice bike, King of the Mountains

Let's swap!

We then high-tailed it over to the Seine to join our tour group for a dinner cruise. We made it just in time, and quickly started downing the quality champagne and wine to wind down from the adrenaline rush that we had going. And, of course, the views as the sun was going down were not to be missed. What a truly incredible trip we’ve had!

The American Group plus Mate

To top things off, we are staying at a luxury hotel for our last night in Paris. It’s been such a wonderful, multi-layered experience over the past 2 weeks. We’ve enjoyed the company of our tour group, “The American Group plus Mate,” for the past few days. It’s hard to really sum up this trip. When we were making arrangements to plan and book this trip, I justified it to K by telling him that it was a once in a lifetime experience. However, on the other side of it, it was so good that it just might have to be repeated…

Au revoir Paris (until we meet again!)

Stage 19: Bordeaux > Pauillac…

Watching a time-trial up close and personal makes for a long day. I have the swollen, elephant foot and sunburn/tan to prove it. But, it was so worth it.

We arrived at our viewing location for Saturday (07/24), Chateau Palmer, in a small village just before Margaux shortly before 10am. We had VIP treatment all day with a tent set up nearby providing catering throughout the day. The last of the caravan was going through as we arrived, then we were surprised by a few riders coming through to preview the course. Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck were among them, with Andy heavily drafting off his team car for this warm-up. I was pleased to be able to get a personal message written in Livestrong yellow chalk on the street in between the cars and riders, although I got warned by a policewoman in French to be careful because it was dangerous.

Chateau Palmer

Custom Getaways private viewing location with catering

Message for Lance (too bad the chalk didn't survive until he came through many hours later)

Then, the fun began. The first rider departed at 10:25am. The time-trial course was 52k and we were located around the 30k point of the course. So, we started seeing riders coming through in regular intervals around 11:00am. One after another they sped right by us, just feet and sometimes inches away! We frequently consulted the GC standings to know whom to expect next. We were positioned on a straightaway following a turn so we got our warning that another rider was coming when the police at the corner whistled. The riders were preceded by a motorcycle cop and followed by a team car with a spare bike in case of a mechanical problem. With the final rider departing at 4:00pm, we spent all day literally standing, cheering, and snapping pictures as each rider whizzed by. What an amazing experience to watch Lance and the others time-trial right in front of us!

Lance with cameraman in tow

Lance

Big George

Hesjedal and the Canadians

Wiggins

Cancellara

Petacchi in maillot vert

Andy!

Contador

After Contador passed our viewing area, we quickly huddled around the large-screen TVs to watch him and Schleck finish the course, as this was for all the marbles. Again, the pro-Andy sentiment is quite strong among the fans that we’ve been around, so there was a lot of disappointment with the outcome.

We then made our way back to Libourne, through the traffic jam with the throngs of other folks leaving the area as well. A few of the team cars though were led through the traffic by multiple motorcycle police as were we all trying to make our way back to the highway. I guess the TdF is a pretty big deal here, huh? :)