The Stars Have Aligned for me to Return to Europe!!

It is true! I just bought my ticket last night!! My good friend, Jed, and I are going to Europe at the end of April!! We will fly into Zurich, Switzerland and then out of Rome, Italy. Oh . .. my ... gosh!! I have to pinch myself to make me realize that it is for real and it is going to happen!!

Jed has to go to Switzerland for some business and so put on his facebook status to see if anyone wanted to join him and I emailed him to find out when he was going and get the details and so here we go!!! It always makes me a little nervous to go on such big traveling trips, but how often does an opportunity like this come along??? And with people that are willing and ready to commit to actually going?? And can afford it, and our work schedules allow it, and the price isn't too hard to swallow, and you want to go to the same places, and I could name off a whole list of stars that have to align for it to actually happen. Thankfully I had already started saving for my mountain bike that I wanted to buy this spring, but the mountain bike will have to wait a little longer.... but not too much longer since we all have the tax rebate coming this year!! Woo hoo for the government's economic stimulus plan!

Anyway, our tentative plan is to do this:

• Fly into Zurich, Switzerland and romp around the town for a good portion of the day and then rent a car and drive to Bern, Switzerland
• Jed will do his business in Bern and then we'll do some stuff there.
• Catch a train the next day to Salzburg, Austria and check out the home of the Sound of Music - I have been dreaming of doing this for years!!
• Catch another train to Venice, Italy and spend some time there checking out the Grand Canal and everything else that Venice is famous for
• Catch another train to Rome, Italy and see the Vatican City and Colosseum...

Oh happy day! But that is only tentative. We've also been playing with the idea of Prague. But time is sooooo limited! I can only take off 6 working days so we'll be crunched for time. But Jed has never been to Europe and I haven't been to most of those places and so we are going to try to fit in as much as we possibly can. Any travel advice?? Oh and enjoy the pics of the things we will probably be seeing in a little more than a month!!

Zurich, Switzerland Bern, SwitzerlandSalzburg, AustriaVenice, Italy Rome, Italy

Ms. Me Goes to Washington

DC that is. I don't remember the name of the movie for the title of this entry. I even tried to think of some clever way to put my name in there. But I am just not very clever tonight I guess!

I am back from my trip to Washington DC! It was great. I had to attend a business conference there and knew I would for a couple months. And since I have some friends there, I tried to get in touch with them to come stay with them and see them. But it wasn't going to work out well in their schedule. So a month in advance of the trip and the day before I bought my plane ticket, I called mom and asked her how spontaneous she was feeling - and she said she was feeling very spontaneous! So she came with me on quite short notice! And we had a blast. We flew in on Friday and checked into our hotel. Immediately we went out to find a convenience store so she could have some milk. Apparently milk is very important to her because it was very distressing to her that most of the restaurants that we ate at didn't have milk and there weren't any other close convenience stores to buy milk at! Before we left the hotel that night, mom and I did receive an invitation to come join some young guy and his group of friends to play a "beer game." Whatever that is! We laughed it off and thanked him kindly for the invitation and then went on our merry way. The same "beer game" guy told us about a supposedly super yummy restaurant called the Capitol Q and we actually found the restaurant to eat there one night, but we took one look at it and figured that we would stand out like sore thumbs in that place! It was this tiny little restaurant with a glass front and a whole bunch of blinking, neon beer signs in the windows! I am sure the food is good, but would the customers be??? :o)

Saturday was rainy and cold and windy so we stayed indoors and checked out a couple of museums - namely the Holocaust Museum, the Natural History Museum (that is the home to the Hope Diamond and some diamond jewelry once owned by Marie Antoinette and the wife of Napoleon), and the National Gallery. Going through the National Gallery caused me reminisce over the time I spent in London! Oh those were the days!

Sunday was very windy and cold so we stayed indoors again. This time we went to the White House Visitor's Center, the National Archives (National Treasure, the movie, has it all wrong - it doesn't look anything like in the movie), the National Gallery again (but just for lunch), and then the Air and Space Museum. I didn't originally think we would go to the Air and Space Museum, but since the American History Museum is closed for renovation (until this summer!) we went there because they had some of the more popular items from the American History Museum there. I saw Abraham Lincoln's top hat, the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, a sun-stone from the original Nauvoo Temple, and Jackie O's inauguration gown and cape - it was beautiful - I would wear it today!

Then my conference started on Monday and went, formally, through Tuesday. It was good. I learned some valuable things. I just don't always care for conferences because you have to sit there and listen to speakers all day long and try to stay awake! Luckily I had my sour breath mints with me so they helped to keep me awake. And I had to work really hard at it because my boss was sitting right next to me! And he would occasionally lean over and say something when I had just dozed off! Ugh. I've got to figure out some way to not fall asleep during meetings. Maybe I will have to go back to doodling like I did when I was still in college. It worked then.

Monday night we had the joy to meet up with my friends, Elysa and Lake, that live in DC for dinner! We met them at a Spanish restaurant and ate tapas. It was very different, but very good. And of course the company was superb! It was so fun to catch up with my former, laugh-at-our-yoga-class, roommate!

Wednesday morning was the best part of my conference! I got to lobby my congressional representatives! Me and one other guy from Utah went to each of the 5 representatives' offices to meet with their staff if at all possible. Neither one of us had made appointments like they prefer. But since we were out from the west they were pretty accommodating - which makes sense! Since I imagine they don't get to see too many of their constituents. We went there to share our thoughts and concerns about some of the bills that are out on the floor right now. We basically asked them to vote for the New Employment Verification Act, against the Americans with Disabilities Act Restoration Act, and create a bill for the new Family & Medical Leave Act changes that the Department of Labor has proposed. All of which will substantially effect what I do in my line of work! It was a really neat experience and I have to admit, I am much more inclined to email them directly now whenever I feel the need to share my opinion about any sort of bill out the floor. Yay-hoo for our country! Mom was even able to tag-along with me for this portion of the conference.

Among our visits on Capitol Hill, we took pictures in front of the Supreme Court building and went into the Library of Congress to check out the main reading room. So amazing. But they wouldn't let us take pictures. That was kind of a bummer - but it makes sense since there were actual patrons there. And no we didn't go looking for the President's Book of Secrets - remember it is fictional from the movie National Treasure 2.

After Capitol Hill, mom and I took our box lunches my conference provided back to our hotel and watched a little movie (For Love of the Game) on TV and was nearly tempted to finish watching it. But when we saw that it didn't get over until 3:30 pm and we still had to see all of the monuments, we took off. So we started with the Washington Monument, then the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Wall (loved it), Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial (just a tad weird), Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (this one would have been super cool if the waterfalls would have been running), and then the Thomas Jefferson Monument. (By the way, I have no idea which ones are monuments and which ones are memorials - please pardon my ignorance!) :o)

Then we flew home early the next morning! It was a whirlwind trip - I am finding that is the usual case with me and my vacations. I think some day I need to take a whole week trip and just have a relaxing time such that I come back and don't say, "It was a whirlwind trip." Maybe this summer sometime. Hawaii anyone?? :o)

Girls Mornin' Out - Snowshoeing Style

Can I tell you how much I love snowshoeing? I love it. Pretty much the best thing. . . well, maybe I like skiing better, but snowshoeing follows it very closely. And it's free! And I get a workout when I do it! And . . . it's awesome. Everyone should do it.

Anyway, enough of my sales pitch. Some good girlfriends and I went snowshoeing up the Alpine Loop road. It was so beautiful. The snow was deep because it snowed the night before. And my awesome fleece is still awesome.

The Quick Boise Trip

So a couple weekends ago, I took an extremely quick trip to Idaho to go skiing with the family and a friend at the new resort that is being built near Cascade, Idaho. It is called Tamarack. So appropriate. Tamarack is a type of pine/evergreen tree that actually loses it's pine needles - but first they change colors. So cool.

It was a pretty fun resort, although it is definitely a work in progress. They need to come visit some of the resorts in Utah to see how it is done. But the terrain was varied and long and the snow was pretty good. It is going to be a beautiful resort. They are building some huge chalet/hotels. And the place is surrounded with cabins. So great.

But they need to work on their road-keeping and parking lots. I scraped bottom in my car as I drove up to the resort because there was a bank of snow in the middle of some tire tracks. Good grief! :o)

But you know. I can't complain too bad because it was a free day of skiing!! My brother-in-law, Doug, has some seriously awesome hook-ups.

The last picture of the whole group came with a price - the girl taking the photo dropped my camera in the snow. But thankfully, there is no apparent damage to my camera - so far. :o) From left to right: Me, Matt - the friend, Doug, Robyn, Spencer, Parker, and Jill. Oh - and you should have seen the cloud of snow-dust that I sprayed Parker with. It was over his head!!! It was awesome. The best spray job I've done in ages.

Wordless Wednesday - The Beginnings of a Life Long Love

Third time the charm?

Well, I did it. Don't ask me why I've been dragging my feet, but I have and I don't know why, but I finally called my friend's piano teacher. She sounds soooo nice. I am meeting with her at 7 tonight for a free consultation. So I think I will be taking piano lessons again! Woo hoo! I'm excited but I am also kind of nervous. I took piano lessons two other times in my life: in elementary school and then in high school. Both times, my teacher quit teaching about the same time that I wanted to quit taking lessons. I remember not being very good about practicing and that is why I am nervous! Will I struggle to practice again? Eek. I don't know. And actually, get this: the piano teacher lives a block or two away from my office so I might see if I can take my lessons during my lunch hour! How cool would that be?

Daily Universe is at it again! Ha!

So my favorite, ridiculous newspaper, The Daily Universe, is at it again! Making me laugh! Every Friday they run this section called, "Fridays Fab Five." Last week, I talked about the websites to waste time with and before that I shared my favorite letters to the editor with you. Well here is the newest installment of the DU. (Maybe I should make this a recurring blog entry.) :o) Ha! Love it. Must love the DU.

Inspired by an article on MSN, this week's Fab Five offers advice on what NOT to say to the opposite sex. Here's the BYU-specific list of what you should never say:

What not to say to a guy:

1. "Why don't you ask me out?" Apparently, this happens. Ladies, never suggest yourself as a date. It puts him in an awkward situation and makes you look desperate.
2. "He's so hot." When you're talking about another guy. Move stars, maybe, but never say it about someone you know.
   
3. "Let's share dessert." Girls, you want the whole thing. Guys know that.
   
4. "Are you going to wear that?" This is what the guy hears: "You look hideous, and even though we're ready to go, change your clothes or we're not leaving."
5. Any discussion of marriage on a first date, or even a tenth date. Talk about freaking a guy out. If it's about marriage, don't bring it up.
   

What not to say to a girl:

1. "You look tired and/or comfortable." Guys, this tells a girl she looks like she just rolled out of bed, and chances are she probably spent time getting ready that day.
   
2. "Is it that time of the month?" Touchy. If it is, now she's even grouchier, but if it isn't, you're in trouble. Girls have emotions, but they aren't all PMS. It's insulting.
   
3. "Are you really going to eat all that?" What she hears: "You fat cow, I can't believe you're having a cheeseburger AND fries!"
4. "What's up with your hair?" A girl's hair is one of the most important things to her image and makes her feel either beautiful or ugly. Never insult the hair.
   
5. Refer to them as an object/title. For example, never say, "The girlfriend and I will come over." The girlfriend has a name, jerk. Let the days of objectification be over.