Reconnecting...


So if you have been reading this blog you know that things have been hectic and stressful. So this week was my first week back on my regular schedule of working Monday-Wednesday. I realized this week how off kilter I was. I also realized there are certain things that I need that make me feel grounded and "normal" These are:

Being with my kids and giving them some fun - the summers are always hard during my event planning time but boy do I feel better when I can say to the boys - "Let's do anything you want to do" and we take off and go have some fun!

Doing something creative - it is amazing how much I need to have some kind of creative outlet whether it be knitting, scrapbooking or blogging! On Stephanie's blog she was recently talking about scrapbooking and how it is her outlet and it totally reminded me of one of the important reasons why I scrapbook. Through the whole process of creating layouts (touching and cutting paper, arranging photos, journaling etc.) there is a recharging of my soul and it inspires me. I would also throw tennis into this category.

Connecting with friends - Wow I have been out of the loop on this one recently! But this week I was able to hang out with Shannon and take our kids to the park and go swimming. So not only did I do something that the kids loved but I got to do a lot of talking with a girlfriend and that is a blessing! Somehow talking with girlfriends (serious talking not chit chatting) relieves stress for me. I am always someone who cuts to the chase with friendships. I am not the surface kind of girl and I realized I had been neglecting some friends around me. I have two girlfriends from church that I have been meeting every other week at Starbucks for the last 4 years but we haven't met in a long time and I need to start that back up again.


So what are the things that you do to reconnect and stay grounded? I'd love to hear from those that read this blog!

Matt holding the tournament chip I won!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...
because they won't let you leave Vegas!

I have been home from Vegas for almost a week now but we have been having a heat wave here in the Bay Area and sitting at the computer and sweating wasn't appealing plus I have been really busy. Anyway, here is the breakdown of what happened. We got to Vegas Sunday night and checked into the Rio which is where they are holding the WSOP (World Series of Poker) and is held from late June to mid August. We then went to the room where all the events were being held so we could play some of the satelites (one table tournaments where the winner gets chips into one of WSOP events). I should have just stopped playing after I tell you this story because it is the best I did the whole time I was there. So I sit down at my satelite table and we are waiting for it to fill up and one of the guys calls over a professional poker player to join us. "Oh No" I was thinking because the last thing I want to see at my table is a pro. They already are either rich enough to buy into all the WSOP events themselves or they are sponsored so I feel like "let the little guys have a chance and don't play in the satellites." Anyway it was a British guy that has been on TV and his name is Simon "Aces" T. So we get going and to make a long story short it comes down to the pro, another man and me! I was so excited I couldn't believe it - I was so close to winning! So the other guy starts talking to us about "chopping" (instead of playing to the end you divide up the winnings with whoever is left). So I told him no twice because I really wanted that tournament chip and I couldn't get that if we ended with three players. The next hand I get is Q 9 off suit and I am 2nd to act so I go all in. The guy I said no to twice calls me and he has A 4 so I think am done for and how dumb of me that I didn't take the deal. Well on the river there is a 9 and I won! The other guy didn't realize I had won and that he was knocked out until the pro told him. Then I felt really bad! But I got my tournament chip (we spilt two) and I got to play with a pro at my table - all the things I wanted to accomplish in Vegas and I had only been there two hours! I ended up giving my chip to Matt who also won a satelite so he would have enough to play in the WSOP Omaha event the next day (aren't I a nice wife?!). He got to play with Carlos Mortensen at his table (another pro) but he got knocked out after a couple of hours. Then the following day, he and his cousin Josh played in one of the WSOP No Limit events which they won seats for by accruing points playing online. Matt lasted several hours and Josh lasted about nine hours but neither made the money. Maybe next year will be their year! It was fun seeing all the different players - it was like who's who in the poker world. After they got knocked out, we spent most of our time at the Mirage because they have a great poker room there with one table tournaments that Matt won a couple of and no limit tables. So if he won, I lost and vice versa so we stayed about even. Anyway, when it was time to go on Wednesday (our flight was leaving at 4:00pm) we were waiting to board and they canceled our flight due to mechanical failure! Our whole flight got reassigned (after we waited in line for an hour) to two different flights - one leaving at 6:30 and one leaving at 8:00. They couldn't even fly us into San Jose (our original destination) but rerouted us to San Francisco where we would be bused back to San Jose. We were assigned the later flight and figured we would go back to the Strip instead of waiting at the airport for three hours. So we go back and meet up with his cousin at the Bellagio and then walk around a while. We head back to the airport at7:00pm and find out our 2nd flight has been delayed until midnight!! We were so mad! Not only are we delayed 8 hours, but now we will get in San Francisco at 1:00 am and our trip is still not over because we will have to ride buses down to the San Jose airport which will be shut down by that time and try to find cabs at a dead airport. Lovely!! What was even worse is that his cousin was flying out that same night on a different airline at 9:00pm and we had been teasing him about having to leave that late. His flight had also been delayed an hour and a half and he still beat us home! Finally we got to bed at 2:30 am and then had to wake up and both be at work in the morning. Least the boys had a great time while we were gone with their Nana and Papa and didn't even notice we were late. Boy when you go to Vegas for a couple of days you feel like you have been there a week and I was so glad to get home but not glad that we brought the Vegas heat with us!

Well I survived the week. I think my mental capacity is a little damaged though! I had about the most stressful day yesterday and it all revolved around envelopes for our event's invitation (darn I should have brought one home to post). Anyway it is a long story but someone was supposed to have these envelopes ready for us and they didn't so we were scrambling last minute, got some and then found out they were not the right ones and we miraculously got some more that were not supposed to arrive until Monday. Then to top it all off I get on the internet and find the original envelopes we wanted in the first place but our printer said he couldn't find them! Just goes to show that I should have just done it myself from the start! So on top of that chaos was a whole pile of work and me and my boss running around. It was quite comical. Thank God we have a good relationship and she is so great at not taking the stress out on me which I have had bosses in the past that would reduce me to tears. It is actually quite amazing and I hope some of that will rub off on me! So we were running around - literally - shoving papers at each other, forgetting what we were trying to say, throwing our hands in the air etc etc. At one point our HR Director thought it would be funny to play a joke and he came into our office to say the envelopes we finally got do not fit our invitation. That put my boss over the edge and she starts laughing hysterically to the point where the Director backs out of our office with a confused look on his face and walks away leaving her still laughing. I really was nervous at a point until she calmed down. So that was my day and now I am off to.....

Vegas baby! The ultimate stress relived and I don't even party or drink! But I do play poker and now I will get to play poker all day long (provided I still have chips in front of me). This is our second time going with my husband's cousin and they are playing in a WSOP event (World Series of Poker). It is a complicated thing and I could take a couple of paragraphs to explain but don't want to bore you. Anyway they accumulated points together on a poker website and split one of the event seats (not the main event though). All three of us are also going to try and win a satellite into other events (sorry more poker lingo). We are talking strategy and hopefully I can remember all the details of what to do in different situations. Anyway I hope one of us wins and if it is Matt or I, I won't have to go back to my job!! Wishful thinking huh? But at least I will get a break and hopefully recharge my batteries!

A little freaked out!

I haven't blogged in a while and it may not happen this week so I will ramble a little bit so that I can say I blogged! I am a little freaked out! Why do you ask? Well, about this time for the last 10 years I embark on a feverish, rampage of work called Top Ten. It is an event that my department (only three of us) does every year for about 400 attendees and about 200 awards are given out. It is like the Academy awards and a wedding rolled into one and you have about a month to plan. We get the contest results tomorrow so everything will start. So that would freak me out anyways but bad news came yesterday, my co-worker's (one of the three) Dad died. Really sad and really sudden. So she is in UT for I don't know how long and I am sure very upset. So that makes me freak out even more because it will be little 'ole me during hell week and also covering her job. It's not the type of work that anyone could fill in while she is gone. Help!!

Ok- breath.....

It always helps to look on the bright side right?

So I'll think about my new little nephew that I got to hold yesterday who has a so much hair that it won't lay down and sticks straight up.

The movie Nanny McPhee tha I had put off watching forever because who wants to look at an ugly Emma Thompson, right? But it was great and I cried at the end while my boys looked at me like I was crazy. It had some great lines in it! Very cute!!

And I WON"T try to obsess over my computer that is NOT working and a printer that refuses to work with it. Opps - better go back to breathing and looking on the bright side!

I haven't posted any of my knitting in a while because I have been stuck on a lace knitting project that is taking FOREVER! This shrug I actually made months ago and just have not worn or posted. I have this thing about knitting things for myself and usually end up ripping it out, not finishing it or giving it away. Last Sunday, I finally wore it out in public. I went to my favorite yarn shop not even realizing I was wearing this and the owner, Jan, totally spotted it and could name the pattern and yarn I used (she's good!). Thanks goodness I bought it all at her store. I guess she helped validate my knitting (or in this case crocheting) abilities and maybe I will be braver at wearing my projects in public!

Pic of the Day!

This is from our Trip to Disneyland. We had a good time and getting three free tickets from my husband's cousin doesn't hurt! This was from Space Mtn. and Matt and I laughed so hard we were crying when we saw this. Does it make us bad parents that we find enjoyment from the scared and annoyed expressions of our boys? I hope not because I thought it was so funny I have to post it on my blog!

Just a quick blog to let you all know that I am really enjoying my birthday week! That's right - week. Normally it is just for one day but this time I have been blessed and spoiled. It started off Tuesday when my Dad actually came up to my work to take me out to lunch (for those of you who know my family this is a BIG deal and I was so happy). Him and Janet got me a beautiful sapphire necklace. Then when I got home, Matt's parent's surprised me early and brought me flowers, a card, spending money and the best present of all was a poem his Mom wrote for me! It was so sweet of her. I am truly blessed to have a MIL (and FIL) like them. Then I had to head out fast to meet up with my old HS girls small group. I was their leader for 4 years and now one has graduated HS and the others have completed their first year of college. We had a blast going miniature golfing. I forgot how loud young girls can be! Then on Wednesday, my boss and co-worker spoiled me with a big bouquet of balloons and a beautiful bracelet. Then they took me, along with my friend Amy, to my favorite lunch Sushi! Oh and before then I was in a dept meeting and I got a flower delivery - not regular flowers but a flower birthday cake from my sweetie! It was so cute (I'll post pics later). Today on my actual birthday, Matt and the boys each got me cool bracelets and Matt cooked me breakfast. Then my friend Julie came by and gave me the cutest shirts for my birthday. So now what am I going to do? I am going to Disneyland!!! That's right we are packing up the kids and picking them up from their last day of school and going to Disneyland! Could this birthday week get any better? I am just overwhelmed and feel so blessed for everything - great friends, co-workers and family!!