Kicking off the new year in London...

After a nice Christmas at home, we headed off to London last Thursday for a fun trip to start the new year on a good note. We arrived the morning of New Year's Eve and spent the afternoon sleeping off the jet lag before the evening festivities. After dinner, we took a rather circuitous route to our viewing location on the Waterloo Bridge to watch the fireworks overlooking the Thames River with the London Eye and Big Ben as the backdrop. The bridges were being progressively closed as they filled up with crowds. The whole experience reminded us a lot of when we were in Paris for Bastille Day over the summer. As we did then, we had to walk back to our hotel in the northern part of the West End after the fireworks were over because of closings and congestion on the subway. It was a long, cold walk, but we certainly weren't alone in it.

Happy New Year!

Not surprisingly, we slept in on Saturday morning, ahem afternoon. We had our first British meal of fish and chips for lunch then we spent a couple of hours touring St. Paul's Cathedral with an informative audio guide that was provided. Of course K wanted to head to the top, so we stopped first at the Whispering Gallery in the interior of the dome then continued on in the narrow, winding staircase to the Stone Gallery for a panoramic view of the city on a cloudy, dreary day. After our tour, we stayed for the evening prayer service.

View of Millenium Bridge leading to the Tate with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to the left

Leaving St. Paul's

 

Next up was a walk across the Millenium Bridge for a couple of hours checking out the art at the Tate Modern followed by dinner on the top floor of the museum with a beautiful view of the Thames and St. Paul's dominating the night skyline.

No surprise that this was the Andy Warhol room, as it was covered with this cow wallpaper!

 

We then quickly headed over to the Tower of London to witness the ceremonial locking-up of the Tower by the Yeoman Warders. It is a nightly ritual that has occurred without fail since the 1300's. It is limited to 80 guests per night, and tickets must be requested well in advance to attend.

Still jetlagged, I wasn't too eager to spend Sunday with K at the British Museum, but that's what we did...for 6 hours and still didn't even come close to seeing everything in the 2.5 miles of galleries! The British Museum is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. It really provides a thorough view of the history of the world. Needless to say, K was in hog heaven taking it all in. A few of the notable highlights in the museum are the Rosetta Stone from Egypt and the Parthenon Sculptures from Athens.

Rosetta Stone

We were both museumed out by the end of the day, but did manage to enjoy a nice meal in Covent Garden that evening.

Monday was another full distinctly British day. We started with watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, along with tons of other folks.

Another lunch of fish and chips was followed by an afternoon at Westminster Abbey. Again, we had a nice tour of the building thanks to the provided audio guide (narrated by Jeremy Irons, no less). It was surprising to see so many royals and others entombed on the main floor of the Abbey. In addition to the royal tombs, the Abbey contains the tombs of scientists such as Newton and Darwin as well as the famous Poet's Corner, where several notable writers are buried or memorialized, including Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, and Browning.

Westminster Abbey

After we left the Abbey, we made the short walk over to the Houses of Parliament (which were not in session) and Big Ben in time to hear the famous clock chime.

We then changed hotels that evening to stay in Kensington for our last few nights.

On Tuesday, K and I went our separate ways so that he could spend the day at the National Gallery while I did some window shopping starting with Harrod's.

Harrod's

We met up in the evening for dinner in Notting Hill.

Wednesday was a day where we wished we had more time. We spent the morning into the early afternoon at the Tower of London. I think we were caught off guard by just how much there was to see there. After an entertaining Beefeater tour, we then checked out the "House of Bling" where the Crown Jewels are kept and viewed from a moving walkway. We continued our tour of the grounds, but weren't able to see everything that we wanted to before we needed to leave to make our next stop.

Our personal Beefeater, Chris, who had a fascination with executions!

The site of six executions within the Tower. The rest were carried out in public just outside on Tower Hill.

The resident 6 ravens of the Tower. The legend is that the monarchy will fall if the ravens leave the Tower.

King Henry VIII's armor. He was a big boy!

Tower Bridge

My one must-do item for this trip was to visit Freud's home in northern London. And, yes, the famous couch is there (although no pictures allowed).

Freud's home in London at 20 Maresfield Gardens. The Anna Freud Center which she helped create is just down the street.

We finished off our day with "The Woman in Black" at the Fortune Theater, which has been playing for 21 years in the West End! It was a suspenseful, scary drama that was even more so from our seats in the second row in the center of the stage.

A few general observations from our trip:

-London is expensive! I didn't always take the time to get an accurate view of how much I was spending with the currency conversion (1 Pound = 1.6 U.S. Dollars, approximately). I am thankful though that my business has been doing well enough that I was able to foot the bill for nearly all of our expenses there. One of the big news stories while we were there involved the VAT increase from 17.5% to a whopping 20%! So, it's just going to get even more expensive to visit there. One good thing to note is that most of the museums are free (not the historical buildings though).

-We made this trip during the off-peak season for tourists. This had some advantages and disadvantages. We never had to wait in line to visit anyplace. This was in stark contrast to my previous visit there during the summer months and our experience in Paris last summer. The big downside was the weather - it was cold and dreary, but not enough to take away from our experience too much.

- Like most major metropolitan cities, the public transportation there is comprehensive and easy to use.

- K: The history contained within the city is incredible. From its beginnings as a Roman city to the heart of England and later the British empire, it has been the center of the English-speaking world for over 1000 years. It really puts things in perspective as an American with 200-300 years of your country's history to hear details about and see artifacts from hundreds of years ago that are still understood, preserved and celebrated today.

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.