Filling in the Space

Sometimes life goes in full speed, doesn't it? I've been quite busy the past few weeks.

Two weekends ago, Chris came to Phoenix. It was wonderful seeing him as usual. Friday after I picked him up from the airport we have a lovely dinner at Cibo. Cibo is a cute little urban pizzeria. The food was fantastic, especially the cheese tray special. It came with dipping sauces! We spent the rest of the evening watching movies - Identity and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Saturday we mostly lounged around the house and got ready to have people over. We had a casual party centered around a poker game. I invited a bunch of people I've started getting to know in Phoenix and felt like Saturday night was a nice opportunity to continue getting to know them. We ate, drank, played poker, and ended the evening by playing Ben's Wii. Attendees - Jennifer, John, Christy, Matt, Ben, Gina, Dave, Barb, James, and Jason.

Sunday went way too quickly because both Chris and I had to fly out that evening. (Me for work, him back home.) Our planes were delayed so we got a little bit more quality time together in the airport diner. Sunday night I landed in chilly Chicago.

Monday and Tuesday I visited customers in Milwaukee and Chicago. While I was in Chicago I had the distinct pleasure of having dinner with Andrew and Cinnamon. They took me to a wonderful sushi restaurant where we were served by the famous Sushi Mike. All of the food was delicious, but the company was the best. I got to know two lovely people a little bit better.

I also had the opportunity to have dinner with Chris' sister and brother-in-law. They live just outside of downtown Chicago in a lovely, lovely home. Chris' brother-in-law made an incredible cashew encrusted salmon dinner and we drank champagne! It was really fun hanging out with them and getting to know them better. After dinner I made a quick visit to the bar near the top of the Hancock Building where the view was incredible.

Wednesday and Thursday I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana visiting another customer. The meetings went great and I was back to Phoenix Thursday night. Flights in and out of Chicago were all hosed up so I got home late, late, late on Thursday.

Friday after work I drove out to Palm Springs, California (about 4 hours from Phoenix) to meet my parents and their dog, Mia. This was Mia's first airplane trip, which she apparently handled well. It was so good to see my parents. We had a lovely time walking around town, tasting wine at a great little shop (Wild for the Vine), and eating dinner. Mostly it was just nice hanging out. I felt like I hadn't really spent any quality time with my parents in months. On Saturday, we visited my great aunt Jennie at her home in Hemet, CA. She turns 94 this month and luckily she's still in good health. I enjoyed seeing her as well as getting to visit with my father's cousin and her husband who drove out from L.A.

On Sunday, my parents drove back to Phoenix with me. We made a stop halfway in Quartzsite, Arizona. Quartzsite is a little town known as a major RV stop in the winter (probably for the gorgeous weather and ample parking space). We enjoyed wandering around a swap meet and a gem show while we were there. When we got back to Phoenix, we cooked a delicious steak dinner and crashed hard. It had been a long week/weekend. Mom and Dad flew back to Dallas on Monday and I've had a usual week of work.

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