Ski Trip

I can't remember the last time I went skiing, but I've held on to all my gear. So I was thrilled to be invited by one of my vendors to a big lodge in Vermont for the weekend. Food, alcohol, ski equipment, lift tickets and bus travel to and from the city were included, so I couldn't say no!


There were somewhere between 25-30 people at this lodge house, only a few of whom I knew prior to the weekend, but the house was amazing. There were so many bedrooms and bathrooms, I had a room and bathroom to myself! The place had a pool and jacuzzi (which I indulged in every evening), a ping pong table, and a pool table. There was more food and drink than we could possibly go through, and dinners each night were a group affair of preparation and enjoyment.


The first night, I didn't want to overdo it and stayed fairly conservative though the party was full-on. But I was anticipating the next day of skiing and determined one quiet guy was in a like mindset. We agreed to meet the next morning and head out early as everyone had planned. Come Friday morning, we were the only two ready to go at 8:45, so we headed up before the rest. (We heard later the rest made it to the mountain around 11:45.) We skied all day together and were pretty well-matched. We started on green trails (the easiest) and then did blues (moderately difficult) for the rest of the day, meeting up with everyone at lunch and again at the end of the day. Quiet Guy was a little better than me, and I would watch him ski ahead of me (much faster than I felt comfortable going) although he would stop and wait for me periodically. Towards the end of the day, we shared a lift ride with an older guy (maybe 60) who was a regular and very chatty. After exchanging names, he commented about us, "Ah, young lovers." We both cracked up laughing and I explained we had only just met the day before. He said, "Well, sometimes that's all it takes," and I further explained that Quiet Guy is married and we were just friends. But this guy showed us some trails we hadn't previously taken and we skied with him until the end of the day. I only begged off of the last trail.

That night, there was another rip-roaring party at the house, but I was so tired, I turned in around 10:00. However, they were living it up so loudly, I eventually put in my headphones and listened to some quiet music to drown them out and get some sleep.



Saturday morning, Quiet Guy and I were up again early. Again, we were the first and only ones out the door at 8:30. When we took our first run, I could tell my legs were tired from the day before, and my right leg kept cramping up. We stopped after awhile for some Gatorade and a banana and that helped. But I still wasn't keeping up as much as I had the day before. I was hurting, and I felt bad that I was holding Quiet Guy back. I pushed myself all through the first day and half of the second to keep up -- we even did a couple black (most difficult) trails -- but I was hurting. When we met the rest of the crew at lunch, I told Quiet Guy to go out with some of the other more advanced skiers. Unfortunately, we just missed them at the rendezvous point (although we were on-time), so he went off by himself. I went out with another group, but I still was feeling pretty weak. I did a few more trails with them and headed back to the main lodge to warm up. Still, I skied for 6 hours the first day and 5 hours the second.

That night was our last night, so the party was non-stop! There was food, games, music, dancing, Olympics in the background...it was awesome. I stumbled up to my room a little after midnight, and I was still one of the first to turn in. I just couldn't party that hard after skiing so hard.

Sunday, we rode back to the city in the bus. It was a quiet bus, with most of us napping for the first half of the four-hour drive back. And thankfully, I had today off because my legs are KILLING me. I know I WAY overdid it, and today I've just rested, alternating ice and heat, stretching and loading up on protein and ibuprofen.

Church Lady?

From my first month here in NYC, I've been going to the same church, John Street United Methodist. It's the oldest UMC in the U.S. with its beginnings in 1766. The current church building is actually the third, built in 1841. It is dwarfed by the mammoths on either side, but has a quaint appearance.

Before I officially joined the church, I made inquiries that led to the formation of the choir. Our 8-9 amateur choir made some beautiful music, and with our choir director/organist's passing in November, I have missed singing and joking around with the group.

Several of the choir members cajoled (harassed?) me to try Bible study on Monday nights. The key deciding factor for me was the home-cooked meals, featuring entrees by our NY Italian original Anna. The food is fantastic, but I have learned more about the Bible and again have treasured the fellowship of the small group.

And after our choir director/organist's death, our pastor asked me to join the committee that, among other things, will help select the new organist/music director. It's something very dear to me, so I didn't hesitate to say yes.

And then,...the ladies I'd gotten to know through choir and Bible study twisted my arm to join the United Methodist women. They dragged me along to their lunch outing (we do a lot of eating), and gave me a copy of the book that was a gift for each one. I'm definitely the youngest -- I think there's one woman in her 40's and the rest are in their 50's, 60's and 70+ -- but they are sweet and funny. And then one of them made a comment that we were "Church Ladies" and should wear hats. It was a joke, but all I could see in my mind was Dana Carvey's Church Lady from SNL:


I'm not going to start wearing a hat, but I've come to really appreciate this community I've found and become a part of. And it keeps me out of trouble. Well...most of the time. ;-)

What's in a Number?

Is age just a number, or is it more indicative of experience and maturity? Perhaps it depends on the individual. I have generally dated men who are older than me, but I did date a younger guy for a short time before I left Dallas. In general, though, I don't go for younger guys. But it is nice to hear compliments from a man, younger or not. My ego was boosted by some compliments from a younger guy this weekend. It's nice to hear I've still got it. ;-)

Poor Kitty

My cat Sabrina had dental surgery today. Her first dental cleaning by my sister, Dr. Jenn, was done about four years ago. At that time, Jenn found she had some decaying teeth and had to remove three. At Sabrina's recent check-up, they saw some irritation in her gums and tartar on her teeth and suggested another cleaning. Sure enough, the x-rays detected additional teeth that needed to come out. Poor girl had three teeth removed today, as well as a small mole-like spot removed from her head. She seems to be happy now that she's home, and I have pain meds to give her for the next couple days while she heals.

It's so hard to watch her go through this, but I know it's for the best and will hopefully keep her healthy and here with me longer. I took a video when I got her home tonight to share with Dr. Jenn and the family. Her purr is very loud, due to her scratchy throat from the trachea tube for breathing while she was under anesthesia.

The Special Sauce

I've been neglecting my blog. If you're still here, I apologize.

I had dinner recently with the partner of my voice teacher, who passed away in November. I always enjoyed talking with my teacher's partner, and it was good to see him again. We reminisced a lot, but we talked about other things as well.

He told me they were together for 27 years. Wow. He said someone asked him what was it that they had that made it work. That's the question, isn't it? He wasn't sure what the "special sauce" was.

I think it's a combination of chemistry, common values and commitment. There has to be something that draws two people together initially (chemistry), but there also needs to be common values to have a shared purpose. And to get through the rough times, which we all know will happen, there has to be a commitment on both sides. Agree? Disagree? What do you think it is that makes a successful couple?

North vs. South

I took a business trip to Atlanta this week, and I was struck by some of the obvious differences between NYC and Atlanta, or possibly the South in general. For one, the temperature was noticeably warmer (in the 60's) but when I entered my hotel room, they had the heat on! I promptly turned it off.

The cabbie from the airport was super chatty and friendly, too. I just I've gotten a bit NY-ified, but it's difficult for me to make small talk sometimes. And I'm just not used to cabbies talking so much. This guy first pegged me as a Mary Kay consultant (there was a convention in town), and after I declined that label, he asked me if I was a lawyer!? I just don't like to give too much personal info, so I kept my answers brief and concentrated on my email (legitimately). He finally quieted down. And then when we got to the hotel, he said, "You're really beautiful. You have the perfect nose for modeling." I just thanked him and laughed. My nose? Really?

The waiter at the hotel restaurant was very chatty, too. Oh, and the menu was appalling in its scarcity of healthy options! And I chose the healthiest of the restaurants (the other was a sports bar with typical bar food like wings and fried things). They had lots of mashed potatoes, ribs, fried chicken. I was really hankering for sushi but was able to settle on a fish dish and a large salad. I'm determined to lose the extra pounds I gained over the holidays and maybe a few more, but it was easy for me to see why many Southern states have higher obesity rates.

Glad to be back in NYC. :-)

Rainy Day Activity

I've had a nice, quiet weekend. And today has been rainy ever since church, so I've stayed in and written for three hours. What am I writing? A memoir.

I've been blogging for five years next month. And several readers and people I admire have encouraged me to write a book and have questioned what happened before the blog -- "how is it that you have two divorces???" So the book begins with that sordid history from 1995.

However, it's emotionally grueling to write some of that. So it's been happening in small bursts and long avoidances. But with the new year, it's a great time to tackle it again.

I have realized my writing style is much better for blogging -- more succinct and to the point. I don't like to belabor the minute details. I joked with my sister Jenn that this might turn out to be more like a pamphlet than a book. So I just Googled "how many words in a book," and found a blog post that gives several examples of books with 20,000 to 100,000 words.

I'm currently just over 11,000. So maybe this will be more than a pamphlet after all. Now if I can just find someone who's interested in publishing it once I'm done...

A Girly Event

Last night I went to the grand opening of Intimacy's new location. For those who aren't in-the-know, Intimacy is the ultimate in bra-fitting. The owner, Susan Nethero, has been featured in most of the women's mags and on the shows How to Look Good Naked and Oprah. I had been introduced to a similar store by my sister Steph in Houston, and after seeing Susan on TV, I knew I had to check out her NYC store. In addition to the great fit and outstanding costumer service, Intimacy carries only high-quality lingerie. It IS more expensive, but it makes you feel like a million bucks and when taken care of properly, can last a long time. Plus, they offer free alterations for the life of the bra, so as it stretches over time, they take it in. Since moving here 2 1/2 years ago, I've been a patron of their store on the Upper East Side up in the 90's, but the saleslady I work with told me they were opening a bigger, better location on 62nd Street.

Their grand opening event had champagne (yum) and teeny-tiny hors d'ouvers. While it's a beautiful shop, it's not huge, and it was quite full with all the guests and staff. I saw Susan Nethero across the room but didn't seek her out. I checked out their displays and signed up for a fitting -- where the saleslady I've worked with three times before brings me a variety of styles and colors to a private dressing room. I also had to get one of the Hanky Panky's they were bedazzling just for the sheer indulgence and the fact that it made me laugh. Who would bedazzle panties?!? Well, I guess I wouldn't personally, but I now own a pair. He he!

And then I turned from the bedazzling table and Susan said, "Hi, are you having fun?" And we proceeded to talk for about 10 minutes. She was perfectly lovely and not at all pretentious or conceited. She mentioned, as I've seen on her site and heard her say before in interviews, that she really believes in empowering women, and her way of doing that is helping them look their best.

I love the store, and I will continue to patronize it even if I don't win the shopping spree drawing (but I hope I win!), but the best part of the evening was talking to Susan. I love meeting people who are passionate about what they do and are successful at doing something good for themselves and for others.

Final thoughts on Amsterdam

Before I left for Amsterdam, I did a little online research. One of the things I learned about was olliebollen -- a fried bread with raisins that is a holiday specialty. I tried it twice, and it was very tasty!

My last full day in Amsterdam, GED and I went to the Rijksmuseum. That night for dinner, he cooked for me again, and again, I was so impressed with his cooking! One of the two dishes he made was so different than anything I'd ever eaten -- a tomato based sauce with hard-boiled eggs resting in it. I admit, I was a little hesitant and didn't think I'd like it, but I loved it!


GED told me he doesn't like pictures, and I got this shot of him treating me like intruding paparazzi. It makes me laugh.


But now that I've shared the best of all my photos, I guess I should address what I haven't: how I feel about it all. And part of the reason I've avoided doing so is because I'm not sure. There are definitely feelings on both sides, and we had an honest conversation about the very real challenges. The fact is, if we were to explore these feelings and potential relationship, we would need to live in the same city, in the same country. Because of his young children from a previous marriage, it would need to be me that moves. And it's a very difficult decision. Besides the obvious -- leaving my country, my culture, learning the Dutch language, being farther away from family and friends, leaving my job and the reputation I've built here -- there's also the fear of will this last? Am I ready to leave my singledom for a committed relationship? Is he? It's a lot to process. So, GED and I continue to talk, and while I'm not ready to close that door, I'm not ready to make a decision yet either. As he said when he saw I had tears in my eyes at the airport, "this is not goodbye."

Rotterdam

The day after Antwerp, GED took me to Rotterdam, "his" city. He explained that it looks more like an American city -- modern architecture -- because it was bombed heavily in WWII, leaving only 3-4 buildings that have the more traditional architecture.

I loved the bridge on the entrance to the city. GED said the locals call it "the swan."

One of the most interesting housing units were these cube-shaped dwellings. GED said he had been inside one before visiting a friend and that the oddly angled walls were unusual but cool.

Antwerp

When I planned my trip to Holland, GED asked me what I wanted to see. I've been to Amsterdam before and saw many of the top attractions, including the Anne Frank museum, the Van Gogh museum and the Heineken museum. I told him I really wanted to see what life is like in Holland and maybe visit Belgium, which is just a couple hours drive away.

So on Saturday, GED drove me to Antwerp, Belgium. He lived there a few years ago and was able to navigate the city easily. We walked around and I enjoyed the quaint architecture, the remaining Christmas decorations, and the reminders of home in a Tex Mex restaurant, a store named New Yorker, and Ben & Jerry's.

New Year's Eve in Amsterdam

Back at work, everyone asked with raised eyebrows if I had fun in Amsterdam, thinking I engaged in scandalous or illegal activities. I did have fun, but I didn't go to Amsterdam because of the Red Light District or the prevalence of marijuana.

I arrived on New Year's Eve in the late afternoon, and Green-Eyed Dutchman (GED) met me and took me to the apartment that he's currently renting from a friend. It's a great place right on one of the canals, and I really enjoyed the view, watching the canal freeze over just about every day and the ducks and seagulls swimming in the cold water until they got to the edge of the ice and started walking. After a long night/day of travelling, I took a shower and put on fresh clothes and enjoyed my first home-cooked meal by GED. He's of Indonesian descent, and that night he made me an Indonesian chicken dish with vegetables over noodles. I was very impressed. It was delicious!

The trams stopped running around 7 or 8 that night, so we just walked into town to enjoy the festivities. It was about a 20 minute walk to the main center of town. We walked passed Dam Square, which I recognized from my previous trip and from our trek to his apartment earlier from Centraal Station, and GED looked around and asked aloud (to himself) which direction was Centraal Station? I immediately pointed which way it was, and he looked surprised. I have a very good sense of direction and my confidence convinced him to trust me. Although GED is Dutch, he's not from Amsterdam, and since moving there three months ago has spent most of that time on business trips out of the country. He hasn't had much time to get acquainted with the city, but I still teased him that an American was giving him directions.

The Dutch celebrate New Year's with lots of fireworks. Everyone seemed to be setting them off all around us. I squealed and jumped several times on our walk. Passing through the Red Light District, we made it to Nieuwmarkt Square and got a couple beers. We stood outside along with people from many other countries and watched as the fireworks increased up to midnight. Here, see for yourself:





And the rest will be in another post...

Amsterdam

Just a quick post to let you all know I'm back and share a few images of beautiful Amsterdam in winter. More to come. I'm just exhausted now.

Perfect '10?

The '00's had their ups and downs, but now we're at the dawn of a new decade and I'm looking forward to what 2010 will bring.

When I look back over the last year, I realize I dated a lot but I also had a lot of break-ups. But none of them hit me as hard as the back-to-back deaths of two dear friends in November. After the initial grief, I find I'm in a very happy space, taking life as it comes and focusing on the little things that bring me joy. Yes, I wish I had someone special to share my life with, but instead of focusing on the lack of someone, I have been finding so much to love in all I do have. I live in a fantastic city, I have a good job, I've got a great new friend in NM, and I have a wonderful loving family. Oh, and I'm 3 sizes smaller than I was at this time last year! (Yipee!)

For New Year's, I'm heading to Amsterdam. GED lives there now and invited me to spend a few days. We've been speaking for the past couple months, and he gave me one of the most heartfelt apologies I've ever heard. We've been friends -- and sometimes more -- for 11 years now, and that's not something I can easily or want to throw away. And I hate being alone at New Year's. So, although I'm excited to be going, I'm also not putting any expectations on what this means or what happens next.

Happy New Year to you all! May 2010 bring many more exciting experiences to blog about!

Christmas Memories

Christmas was wonderful, although my visit went much too quickly! I had 2.5 days in Austin with Jenn, Anthony, Anna & Colin (and saw my uncle Tom, as seen in this pic) and then 2.5 days in Houston with my parents, Steph, Al, Paige, Graham and Evelyn.


Here's Jenn reading the Christmas story, with dog Francesca listening in. I took Francesca on a run -- or perhaps I should say she took me -- between the wind at my back and her energy, I ran much faster than I usually do on the treadmill!

Colin is still very snuggly, and one of my favorite moments was watching a movie with him on my lap. He's almost too big to do this, but I really love getting those snuggles! Anna is growing up FAST, and she got a lot of pleasure out of picking out gifts for me, including bright pink lipstick and a beautiful beaded necklace and earrings.

After church, the kids came over to Nana & Grandad's and we did crafts. I showed them how to make funny glasses out of pipe cleaners, although Evie didn't want to wear any. She's happy that the Christmas Chihuahua came out to sing "Feliz Navidad." After Evie went down for a nap, Nana and I went shopping with the twins. Paige was my buddy, staying close by and hugging on me or holding my hand almost constantly. :-)


Graham -- or Grahammie the Hammie -- tries on the blinking nose for the Rudolph model in the front yard.

Graham made me smile when he gave me a goodnight kiss and then ran to his mom blushing and saying, "I can't believe I gave Auntie Emily a kiss!"

And here Evelyn pretends to nap, watching her Grandad, who really was nodding off. As soon as he closed his eyes and started to relax, Evelyn would say, "Grandad!" and wake him up. :-) She also delighted me and Nana when we came to see her after her nap and she ran to us giving us tight hugs and saying, "I missed you!" So sweet.


Again, I come home with a full heart. I feel so fortunate to have so many wonderful people in my family, especially all the little dear ones.

Merry Christmas!

I am so thankful this Christmas for so many blessings -- for family, for friends, for a decent job, for a warm place to live, for a church family, and for readers and commenters to my blog. :-)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

It snowed! When I heard it was coming, I was so excited. Of course, most NYers groan and don't look forward to 8-12 inches of snow, but it's still has novelty for this Texan-NYer.

My friend NM asked me if I wanted to meet for dinner last night, even though the snow had already started. Of course, I said yes. If you have the right "equipment," including snow boots, gloves, scarf and puffy coat, and the subways are still running (which they were), it's not so bad. We met on the Upper East Side at a great Chinese restaurant and watched as the storm increased outside. At some points, the wind was blowing the snow sideways, and at times it would go one direction and then change to the opposite. You could see sheets of snow coming down.

After dinner, we walked arm in arm to the subway stop. We agreed that it's beautiful at first, when it's still all white, not sludgy gray from the cars or yellow from the dogs' urine (hopefully it's dogs'). NM commented how she loves to set the first footprints in new snow (me too), and I love the squeaky feel of it under my boots. The only part showing is my face, and I bury my chin and mouth in my scarf, so it's not too bad.

Then I got back downtown, and there are fewer buildings here to block the wind. Wow, it was a powerful wind! Only the last block or so was really difficult. But before I hit the wall of snowy wind, I was giggling and taking pictures in City Hall Park. Most came out so snowy, you can't tell what I was aiming at, such as a lamppost or a beautiful evergreen. And I took a self-portrait so you can see just how much of me is bundled up.

This morning, I headed off to church. The crews have already cleared many sidewalks and streets, and there are piles of snow along the curbs. But it's still beautiful to me. I wish I had someone to have a snowball fight with!

Holiday Fun with Friends in Dallas

I can't believe it's been ten days since I blogged last. It's just been one thing after another. What a busy month! I've gone to four parties and already taken a couple trips to Texas. Then there's the incredible amount of work to get through, too. And I've "adopted" four kids for Christmas and volunteered at a local shelter, serving dinner. But those are the things I really enjoy doing this season.

So, last weekend, I went to Dallas. Although I lived there for thirteen years before moving here to NYC, I don't get back there very often, as my family lives in Houston and Austin. But my long-time girlfriends -- Wendy, Lauren and Sherry -- and I have a tradition of getting together for Christmas lunch. I usually try to see as many friends as I can while I'm in Dallas, but I don't announce my trip because I can never see everyone. I generally plan visits for meals and coffee breaks, going from visit to visit. It's busy but fun!

My flight arrived on time midday Saturday, but the shuttle bus to the rental cars took forever. When I walked into the rental car center, I saw the line for the company I had made a reservation with was the longest -- at least 20 people deep! Aarrgh! But I realized I hadn't given a credit card with the reservation, so I hopped over to another rental car company that didn't have a line. They got me in a car quickly, but I was still running behind schedule to meet the girls for lunch. So, I was speeding. And I got pulled over. I hadn't even been in the car 10 minutes! I pretended not to realize I was speeding and handed over my NY drivers license to the cute officer. I apologized and admitted that I don't drive very often. (Of course, I purposefully didn't tell him I used to live in Dallas.) And he sweetly let me off with a warning!

Lunch with the girls was great but too short. (Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of us until Lauren had already left.) After that, I met another friend for coffee. Leaving there, I found my face was hurting from smiling so much. (Not a bad hurt!) And there was more to come. I was staying at one of my girlfriends' houses and went with Lauren and her husband to my previous company's holiday party. Only a couple people knew I was going to be there, and it was great to surprise and see many old friends.

(I know my eyes look a little crazy in this picture, but I was laughing and having a good time!)


Before leaving for the airport on Sunday, I got to spend some quality time with Lauren's three kids, who are 6, 2 and 5 months. So sweet! It was a nice, quiet morning in a very loving family home. And the girls posed for pictures for me.

Empty Calories

This time of year is overladen with diet temptations. Although I am much more a fan of savory foods than sweets, I do have a weakness for chocolate... and creme brulee, and pecan pie, and maybe a few others...but I'm honestly terrified of putting the pounds back on. I've already gained a few, and I'm anxious to get them off. Why is it SO much easier to gain than to lose???

Of course, it all comes down to calories in and calories out. I'm gearing up (mentally and in my workouts) for next year's triathlon, so that helps keep me motivated. But don't you hate it when you decide to splurge and eat that dessert because it just looks so unbelievably scrumptious, and when you put it in your mouth, you realize the taste doesn't compare with the beauty? It's such a disappointment. Empty calories without the enjoyment.

Sometimes dating is like that, too. They look great on the outside, but they turn out to be bland as cardboard on the inside. Or freaky. Or just emotionally retarded.

Take last weekend, for example. Technically, not a date, but it still proves the point. I went out for the evening with my girl friend Never Married, and we had a great dinner of tapas and sangria at the bar at Sala. (Absolutely our favorite thing is the datilles, roasted dates with almonds wrapped in bacon...YUM! And who needs desserts when you're eating bacon? But I digress.)

As we were finishing up, the bartender kept making our pitcher of sangria magically extend with additional happy juice to keep us around. We began talking to a couple guys seated near us. One is a physician from Florida, who was visiting his friend for his birthday. Both seemed normal, and fairly interesting. They asked where we were going next, so we told them and they decided to accompany us to the club. Florida Doctor bought us a drink there, and I ended up talking to Birthday Boy while NM chatted up the doctor. Everything was going normally. I can't remember any specifics of the conversation, but we were covering the basics, getting to know each other. And then he went and got all freaky. Asked me if I ever thought about kissing NM. Uh, no! So he asked me if I would. NO! Soon after that, NM and I decided to leave, and Birthday Boy asks for my phone number. I told him no, and when he asked why, I told him his request pretty much decided that. He proceeded to spew forth a verbal vomit of ugliness and vulgarity. Very strange!

Pics from Steph's Annual Christmas Tea