I got word as our flight was landing on Thursday that my
friend from my Deloitte Tax days, Jenny, would be at one of the conferences.
Hooray! I had a dinner date on Sunday (we went to an uneventful Mexican place
that did have awesome outdoor seating) after Jackson left so that was an
exciting surprise. Monday evening we went to a restaurant close to the
basketball and baseball stadiums called the Arrogant Butcher. We made it in
time for happy hour pricing and had a dinner of appetizers. It was so fun to
just have a girls night that I had no idea would happen. I have always enjoyed
Jenny so it was awesome to get to spend time catching up! We went to the gym
after dinner and just had some girl talk time. It was great. Then that
conference ended and she headed back home while I stayed for part two. (It
always sounds so appealing when I sign up months in advance to knock two
conference topics out right in a row.)
I was on my own again. Wah! Tuesday afternoon’s seminars
went quickly and then it was time for a happy hour sponsored by the conference.
Woo hoo, a happy hour with 150 accountants. I’m just kidding. Kind of. I met
some nice folks to chat with and even tracked down the outside attorney I’ve
been working with for over a year and hadn’t met in person yet. That was neat.
I decided to just grab dinner and head back to my room for the evening. Lame. I
know. Did I mention my choice of company was 150 accountants? Right.
Wednesday afternoon the conference finally ended. Hooray!
Indiana here I come. NOPE! I got word that my flight was delayed. WAH! I
haven’t seen MacKenzie since Thursday morning and Jackson since Sunday
afternoon. I was ready for a reunion. Alas, it was not meant to be. Yet. My
flight now did not leave until 7:30 p.m. so I needed a plan to fill my time. I
had to checkout of the hotel at noon so taking a nap wasn’t on the table.
Bummer. I decided to go grab some lunch and happened to notice a movie theatre
next door. Jackson looked up the movie times for me (my phone was dying) while
I ordered lunch. He found that This is where I leave you was playing at 2:15
and he thought it looked like a good movie. I decided to go for it. I’d only
been to one other movie alone that I can remember (Julie and Julia, if you’re
wondering) and that was before the Colorado theatre shootings, but I decided
I’d be brave and go for it. The movie was only $5 that time of day so I was
elated. I love a good bargain. The movie turned out to be just awesome. I
listened to Tina Fey’s Bossypants book earlier this year and have had a new
appreciation for her ever since. She was one of the stars of the movie and did
an excellent job. I laughed. A lot. I cried. A lot. I cried so much that as I
was walking out the guy sitting closest to me asked if I was ok. He’d never
heard someone just “let their emotions loose” while watching a movie before.
This tells me that he’s never had a girlfriend and did not see the movie
Titanic in a theatre.
Anyway, going to the movie alone really opened my eyes to
how much of a stigma we as a society put on doing things alone. It is silly,
really. While I think Jackson would have enjoyed the film, we couldn’t really
speak during it without making fellow moviegoers angry. I think we all need to
learn to enjoy our own company again. Being alone also makes me more outgoing
and friendly. I found myself chatting with my taxi driver much more so than I
normally would. (note: Jackson talks to our drivers normally. He loves to talk.
I’m usually glad to have the break from being the receiver of his
conversations! HA!! I’d say that I am kidding but he knows the truth so I won’t
bother.) I made new friends at airport security of all places. The TSA agents
at PHX were super friendly and engaging. One even called me “miss” which lead to
the threat of a hug. Ha! (Note: I’m not kidding. I did offer a hug. It doesn’t
take much to please me these days.) The group sitting near me at my gate had
just hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (a feat on my “bucket list”) so I
got to hear all about that and see their photos. It looked awesome! I don’t
think I would normally have spoken to them which is probably fine, too, but it
was cool to hear about their journey! I’m wrapping up my trip now; blogging at
41,000 feet above the United States. I’m looking forward to a late, or is it
early now that it will be around 3 a.m. when I get in, reunion with my little
family. Tomorrow promises to be day full of laundry and catching up on things
before I take off again for ANOTHER TAX CONFERENCE (UGH!!!) on Tuesday morning
through Friday. You guys. My brain. It cannot take much more. I am not going to
know how to talk about anything but tax by the time all of these conferences
end. Consider yourselves warned. ;)
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| MacKenzie was happy to be together again, too! |
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| My favorites! |
Talking to the women in the airport about their hike to the
bottom of the Grand Canyon reminded me about the little “bucket list” I keep on
my phone. I decided to revisit it to see how I’m doing on progress. As it turns
out I am not doing that well. WHOOPS!
Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
See Mt. Everest
Visit Glacier National Park (the entrance likely doesn’t
count)
Run a mini-marathon (I’ve “jalked” three. My first run will
be in May 2015)
Swim with sharks (this is marked off on my list in a joking
manner because I swam in Florida then saw someone catch a baby hammerhead. I
meant more like dive with great whites in South Africa.)
Learn to swim properly (this might never be marked off…)
Drive a racecar around a track FAST
Cruise around the world (again, this will probably never
happen now that I have actually cruised and hated it)
Live in a foreign country for one year
Read the entire Bible
Visit Africa
Learn a second language
Publish an article in a reputable tax journal (Oops, my nerd
is showing!)
Pass the CPA exam (beginning to study would help with this
one…)
Rid the globe of cinnamon (A girl can dream, no?!)
Write a novel
Adopt a shelter dog
Attend a round of the Masters
Meet (and hug, tightly) Tim Tebow
Takeover Jim Nantz’s job when he retires (sportscaster)
Never walk by a homeless person without at least offering a
smile, kind word and hopefully some cash without judgment about whether or not
they’ll use it “properly”(I do this but it is kind of ongoing so I cannot
really mark it off)
Do yoga two times a week (why is this so tough? I love
yoga!)
Be an encourager, not a discourager (woof! This is hard!)
Buy Jackson a sailboat
Live in NYC
Win the lottery and give the lion’s share of the money away
Be willing to smile- no matter what
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