San Diego and NYC

So I'm back in Phoenix after a whirlwind weekend and early part of the week. As much as I enjoy traveling, I always enjoy coming home. It's nice to have a home, which really feels right.

Friday afternoon at 4:30pm, my boss called a group of us together to inform us that our role changed. It means I now have a new boss, a new department, and an expanded role. It's very similar to what I've been doing but slightly larger. This change was unexpected, but I didn't think I'd hear at the end of the day on a Friday. I suppose good news just can't wait.

A couple hours later, I was getting on a plane to San Diego. I spent Friday night with Kristen and Chris. They have a lovely apartment in Mission Valley. Chris is quite the chef! For dinner, he grilled the most amazing steaks with an Irish marinade. He also grilled apples and pears with a homemade glaze. He rounded out the plate with garlic mashed potatoes. That meal could have been served at any fine restaurant - it was amazing. We didn't stay up too late talking because I planned on getting up early to visit my great aunt.

So on Saturday morning, I drove to Hemet, California, which is about an hour from San Diego. It's been awhile since I've visited my great aunt, Jennie. So we mostly caught up on each other's lives and discussed what she wants done with her things when she dies. She turns 93 next month and is very concerned about her death, despite seeming to be in good health. For the most part, I'm comfortable talking about death, it's just part of the cycle of life. So I made it through any uncomfortable parts of conversation and had a number of very enjoyable moments with Jennie. I really should make an effort to see her more often. She's lived an amazing life and has a lot of fascinating stories.

In the afternoon, I drove back to San Diego to hang out with Kristen and Chris before my flight back to Phoenix. We had a great time talking and hanging out as we always do. Before I knew it, I was on another plane. It's a super short flight between San Diego and Phoenix so I can't complain. I got home later than planned (I had issues finding my car...something I need to work on) and basically just repacked my bags because I was getting on a flight to New York City on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning I spent way too many hours in the airport as my flight was delayed due to weather. Luckily, a number of coworkers were going to the same conference in NY and were around to keep me company. Eventually, we got on our way and it was an entirely full flight. Pet peeve when flying on a full flight is when someone tries to make you feel guilty for having an aisle or window seat when they have the middle seat. There is no way in hell that I'll switch with someone in order to sit in the middle seat and it pisses me off when someone asks me to.

Eventually, I got to the city and time seemed to speed by. The conference went well and I got to know some coworkers better. Mom and Dad came up to NYC to crash in my hotel room. We didn't get to spend too much time together, because I was working, but we did have breakfast both mornings. They enjoyed themselves by seeing a couple Broadway shows and did plenty of sightseeing.

Before I could blink, I was back on a plane Tuesday night. Luckily the flight wasn't so packed as the first one. Plus it was evening so I slept a lot. It sure was nice to get back to where it is warm...I so dislike the cold. Now I'm back into the swing of things at work and home. Chris from Dallas comes to visit this weekend so I've got another exciting weekend ahead of me.

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