Missing C

Last weekend C was on a business trip. This was the first weekend we spent apart since we met. I knew I would survive just fine on my own (okay...my Mom did come over to keep me company), but I still missed him. I guess I missed him so much I got a cold. Still trying to figure out how I can pin the cold on him.

Anyways...looking forward to a fun weekend with my guy.

What if Man

I think in every woman's life she comes across a "what if man". This man is in no way related to "mister right" or "the love of her life". The "what if man" is the person that her mind occasionally drifts to when she finds her day has become idle or something triggers a memory and she think to herself what if......

I have talked to several friends and relatives and asked them if they have a "what if man" and many do. It is that one person that might have developed into something "if only ....". Here are some examples of "if only's": he lived closer, Mr. Right hadn't come along, timing had been different, she hadn't been dating Mr. X, he hadn't been going through XYZ, etc...

In talking to friends it is also very clear that although they might occasionally think of their "what if man" they would not go back and give it another try.

You see when it comes down to it, when you truly weigh your options, trading "mister right" for "what if man" is a silly thought to entertain.

I personally believe life pushes us in certain directions for a reason. All of those "what if men" are put in our lives so we will be ready and open to our "mister rights". I am very happy with my "mister right" and looking back I wouldn't change a thing. My "what if man" helped me get where I am today and I couldn't be happier.

Let me know what you think, take my poll on the left side of the page.

33 and Counting

This weekend was beautiful in North Idaho. The weather was gorgeous, though a little on the hot side. C came up here from Spokane. I think this was the first weekend in months that I have been home. It felt so good.

On Friday we put our kayaks in at city beach and paddled Sand Creek. It was hot hot hot.

We woke up on Saturday and spent some time working on my yard. Oh the joys of trying to put my house up for sale. I think I might be crazy for trying to sell. The thought of actually packing and moving is terrifying. Ughh... Anyways, C was a huge help. When the shade was gone making yard work miserable we decided to go for a hike down to Maiden Rock.

The hike to Maiden Rock was lovely. It was shaded by the trees. The only bad thing....the mosquitoes. I have counted 33 bites so far and I am sure there are more I am missing. I had the bug spray in my pack and then took it out...stupid, stupid, stupid. I am itching as I type this right now. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Kona loved the beach, we couldn't get her out of the water. Finally she started shivering and we knew it was time to go. The trail to Maiden Rock is downhill in and uphill back. Let's just say I am so out of shape!! How did I let myself get like this (again!). Here is the scene: I am huffing and puffing up the trail, smacking and cursing mosquitoes, while C occasionally smacks me because he sees a blood sucker getting its fill. Would I do it again? Absolutely! Oh....I forgot the mention the lovely rash on my chest from sunscreen.

On Sunday morning we finished my yard work. In the afternoon we kayaked the Pack River. We were on the river about 3 hours which was perfect. (Note to self: research a more comfortable kayak seat.) We had a lovely picnic along the way.

All in all, a fabulous weekend!

Global Komen Race

This week I went to Washington DC for work. I extended my trip so I could spend an extra day being a tourist and then participate in the first ever global Komen race. This was the first time I have been to D.C., and I can't wait to go back. On my tourist day I visited the international spy museum, the halocaust museum, and did a monument walking tour. I had a great time, even though I had to walk a really long way from the Lincon Memorial to my hotel in the pouring rain.

The Komen race was amazing. My work is a series sponsor so we got the VIP treatment. I got to shake hands with vice president Joe Biden. I also saw other celebrities such as Sarah Chalke from scrubs, Candy Coburn (an upcoming country singer), Lalah Hathaway (singer), princess Katherine and prince Alexander of Serbia.

And the icing on the cake. When I was checking out of my hotel I saw Dr. Ruth!!!

Guiness, Murphy's, Jameson

So I am way way behind on my blog. In May C and I took our first official big trip together. We went to Ireland. We spent a week and a half driving around Western and South Western Ireland. Ireland is absolutely beautiful.

I am not going to say traveling together was perfect...it wasn't...for some reason I was super cranky. Spending 24/7 with someone is tough no matter who you are with. But, in the end C put up with my bull and we ended up having a great trip.

Here are just a few of the places we visited Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Lisdoonvarna, Dingle, Michael Skilligs, Connor Pass, Kinsale, Cork, Charles Fort, Doolin Caves, Dingle Penninsula, etc... I kept a detailed journal of our adventures so I am not going to go into great detail. But, I will say that Ireland is definitely worth a visit...or two.

Oh Canada...

A couple things I have always loved about Canada are the crazy signs and the words/names that have innuendos in the U.S. but apparently don't in Canada. Or...maybe the Canadians just have a better sense of humor than the U.S.

Here are 4 fun signs, sayings, things I saw in Canada:

1. There is a town called Tata

2. There was a wrap shop that had a rabbit theme. Their tag line was "a great place to get stuffed".

3. The rap group "Swollen Members" was performing Saturday night.

4. We ate hot dogs from "Willies Winnies"

Horizon Airlines Sucks!

After a long week of travel I was anxious to get home. I was traveling with P from work. We got to the airport and when we checked in they told us our 8:30 flight was delayed until 10:00. On our boarding passes they printed a boarding time of 9:30. Since we got to the airport about 6:00 we figured we had tons of time to kill so we ate dinner in a restaurant prior to going through security. At 8:40 we went to security. I checked the departure board and....drum roll please...our flight was departed!!!! What the $#%&!!! We went to the gate and they said our flight had just left. We showed them our boarding passes with the "9:30" boarding time. They said we should have watched the departure board. Ummm....I know I should watch the board, but why are you telling me 9:30 when the flight is going to leave on time. Once you tell people a later time you should stick by that time. And we weren't the only ones, 2 other ladies that checked in early too also missed the flight.

P was traveling back to Sandpoint, so a shuttle driver was already in Spokane waiting to pick him up. Our poor shuttle drive had to drive over 3 hours for nothing. All in all this little misprint cost our company around $350.

Okay....now here is where Horizon Airlines wins customer service points. Because it was entirely our fault that we missed our flight they would not put us up in a hotel. (Forgot to mention this was the last flight out). I call our travel agent and they book us in a Embassy Suite Hotel. Still pissed off I continue to bitch to the agent. After threatening to never fly their airline again and stating that I was a corporate traveler we eventually got a credit on our account and two $25 coupons. A lot of good that is going to do me....from now on I will be flying Southwest Airlines. Why can't airlines just admit when they are wrong. Maybe you shouldn't print a "corrected" boarding times if you don't really know. If it had just said delayed I would have been watching that board like a hawk.

Why is it that we allow airlines to provide such horrible customer service. Is there any other service that blames the customer when something goes wrong. Where do they get off calling you a dumb ass?

Thank you to Embassy Suites for being so friendly and helping us make light of the situation. The bathrobe was a nice touch...I wasn't sure how I was going to sleep in my jean skirt. Sure the toothbrush you provided was extremely flexible and the toothpaste packets were very hard to open, but at least the customer service was impeccable. You rock!

Please take my poll at left to make me feel better.

Horizon Airlines...You SUCK!!!!