Success!!

I have successfully completed my first big, complex group! Not ever, but first since I jumped back into the event planning arena. I didn't realize it until this week, how much I missed being in front of guests and making them smile. It's true in every aspect of my life - all I want to do is make people happy. I'm good at itand I enjoy it immensely. There is no greater satisfaction to me in life, than to know that I had a hand in making someone's day.

This group was awesome. It's a foundation run by a Major League All Star. It's a foundation that provides scholarships to exceptional students. To qualify, they have to be a high school student with a 3.5 GPA or better and do some type of extra-curricular activity, be it a sport or a club. They also must do a certain amount of community service. The group is based out of two cities, and this is the first time they've traveled out of their respective communities to do service projects. They picked New Orleans because of all that's happened here - built a baseball field, created a playground, made furniture and trash can holders for the Boys and Girls clubs, etc. All in all, a spectacular group of kids.

The planners are amazing as well. I truly hope they come back to NOLA - for fun or with this group again. I now have even more people to visit when I go to my favorite city on the planet. It's amazing to me to see the smile in my client's face when I say "Yes, we can do that" to even the most impossible task. There's truly nothing like it. I can't take all the credit though. Despite some initial skepticism, the team that I work with and for is incredible. Without each and every one of them, I wouldn't be able to confidently say, "Yes, we can do that" to those impossible tasks. I don't and will never take each of these people for granted. I work for an amazing company that only employs the finest. I'm grateful for that beyond words.

I may have my moments of "what was I thinking?!", but I really do love what I do, and where I'm doing it. I don't plan to be here forever, but I am going to enjoy every moment of it, even the crappy ones. That which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?

Hemming and hawing....

I do a lot of it. I question everything I say or do or imagine. I over-think just about everything, from a passing glance to the shoes on my feet. I stress out over little things, but when the sky falls, there’s a peace about me.

The latest thing I’ve been on the fence about is…well…I’m going to try to not be specific. I had a major heart to heart with about the only person I trust in this city. I mean, there are people that I trust, and there are people that I TRUST. He’s not quite to the latter, but close. As close as I have within 1000 miles anyway.

I’ve been pondering a conversation, one that hasn’t taken place. One that I may not want to take place. I’m afraid of the result, but if I don’t ask, I’ll never know. This is me, over-thinking. Which would be worse, a result I don’t want, or not knowing if I could have it all. And when I think about that, would it even be having it all? Or would it be a fleeting moment or moments?

There’s this thing in life, distance. Be it physical or emotional or whatever. It’s a bitch. The issue currently isn’t distance, but it will be in the future. It will either get better or it will get worse. So, do I ask the question and risk getting an answer I don’t want? Or do I just enjoy the present and hope that the rest will work out? I know, I know…hope in one hand and shit in the other. If it’s just the physical, that’s easy, no? Well, maybe not easy, but temporary and workable.

I guess what I’m trying to say, is it better to not know and just enjoy what’s in front of you, or is it better to not get what you want (even if you don’t know exactly what that is)? It’s a 50/50 shot I guess….no risk no reward? Or appreciate what you’ve got while you’ve got it?

Nicknames....

Apparently I've acquired a new nickname at work. I have many, most of which are warranted, all of which are unique to the person coining them. Usually they include my name.

My new favorite is "Record Skip". This nickname was coined because of a random flippant comment that came out of my mouth, of course with no filter on it. My colleague literally had nothing to say. He started to speak and then it registered....

"My stupid useless uterus is cock-blocking me!"

No further comment necessary.

Worst. Date. Ever.

This story always entertains me. Several years ago, I loaded a profile onto Match.com. Overall the experience wasn't terrible, but nothing ever materialized for me. Most of the guys I met I went out on a couple of dates with, and all they ever seemed to want was sex. Which is fine, maybe throw that on your profile or something. (I have serious issues with people not saying what it is they want. It would make life so much easier if they'd just put it out there.)

Well, this guy. This guy. He was....something. Met through Match and e-mailed for a couple of weeks before deciding to meet at Azia for drinks. We sat and had a couple drinks, couple apps and a great conversation. He was somewhat shy, as am I, so the pace of the conversation was a bit slow to begin with. He suggested we head over to Pancho Villa across the street. We had a couple of margaritas and some guac (I'm a guacaholic). As the evening came to a close, he asked if I'd like to go out again. He seemed really average to me, but I agreed to another date, if only because I believe in trying almost everything twice. We shared a sweet kiss and parted ways.

We made plans for the next week; I agreed to meet him at his house and we'd go from there - dinner and perhaps a movie either in a theater or at his place. Now, keep in mind I rarely give up on anything, here begins the end. I arrived at 5, the agreed upon time. I rang the doorbell. Nothing. Again. Nothing. And once for good measure. I called, no answer. At this point, I'm annoyed, but will give him another 5 minutes. Literally as the clock ticked to 5:15, he called. He got home from work and fell asleep on the couch. Keep track kids, this was red flag #1.

He eventually comes out, apologizes profusely and we head to some Chinese joint who's name I can't recall. I had soup and we had a couple apps. The tab comes and he throws in enough money for his half. Wait, did you not ask ME out? I'm all about paying for myself, if it's agreed upon beforehand, or if I'm really not having a good time. But YOU. You asked me out. And were late. Red flag #2.

I'm definitely a three strikes girl. I'm also a graceful exit girl. So when we get back to his apartment for a movie (I had left my car there anyway), I find out he has a dog. Not a big deal (I'm allergic but can deal), but he obviously had not trained his dog. He cleaned it up and I thought he was just going to flush it. He did. But then he went to the restroom. WITH THE DOOR OPEN. ON THE SECOND DATE. Red flags #3 and #4 within a minute of each other.

Now my brain totally goes into exit strategy mode. Little did I know it was going to get worse. He put in a movie, and maybe 10 minutes in, he gets up to go to the bathroom again. AND AGAIN FAILS TO CLOSE THE DOOR. If he had closed the door, I likely would have put my coat on while he was in there and left when he came out. Door being open though, not an option.

As soon as he sits down on the couch he tried to kiss me. I got up quickly and headed for the bathroom. I needed something. Anything. Any reason to leave. I'm a TERRIBLE liar...so I was going to use the early meeting excuse. I was ready to rock. I washed my hands, pulled it together and opened the door.

HE WAS NAKED ON THE COUCH

Completely, butt ass naked. After throwing up a little in my mouth, I let him know I had an early meeting and would be heading out. Told him not to get up, I could let myself out.

I then went to my local bar, and told the story of my worst date ever to anyone that would listen. I got several free drinks and quite a few phone numbers out of the deal, so it wasn't a complete bust. A few days later I received an e-mail from him asking when I'd like to go out again. I politely said that I didn't think we were going to be a good match, and that I was about to get very busy with work.

I thought that would be the end of it, but apparently this town is ridiculously small. The first time I saw him after that was at a beer event in Uptown. I see him about every six months, and always chuckle about it to myself and anyone else around. The worst date ever. With Creepy Naked Guy.

Whew.

I have just arrived home from my first official big catering function - a family reunion for about 100 people. Overall it went well - the client was extremely happy....but there were a couple of bumps in the road that I will address with the appropriate personnel.

The last couple weeks have been an absolute blast. I had a couple of super downer moments, none of which I will get into here. Yet. You like reading about the fun stuff anyway. I'll roll back to a couple Tuesdays ago, when I was greeted with my first Minnesota faces. My friend Angel was here for a conference and brought her friend Karen with. It was sooooooo unbelievably nice to have some familiarity in my life. We met up for dinner and a stroll down Bourbon. Hit up the Funky Pirate Bar to see Big Al Carson - who's AWESOME! TONS of laughs were had and I'm super sad they're gone now.

My Thursday plans got switched to Wednesday...we were going to check out this super cool wine bar, but decided on a night in front of the TV instead. It's a place called W.I.N.O - Wine Institute of New Orleans. You buy a card or start a tab, and you're able to sample 1, 2 or 4 oz. pours of 120 different wines. They have an amazing cheese selection and the hummus is To. Die. For. I'm blanking on what I did that Thursday...when it comes to me I shall recap it.

Friday was back to the Quarter. My friends were still in town, so we met at my hotel, had a couple drinks and apps, gave them a tour and then embarked on our evening. The original plan was to meander down Royal Street, stopping at whatever struck our fancy for an app and a drink. Of course, we detoured off our plan, and right into a Pimm's Cup at some hotel bar. Not just any hotel bar, but a rotating hotel bar. Yes, it's kitschy, but it was pretty cool. I had been there previously with a friend, and while it took some getting used to, overall it was a pretty cool experience. We were going to hit up an Irish Pub down the street, but ended up grabbing Mexican food at Felipe's. It's like Chipotle, only better and cheaper. We were going to try to avoid Bourbon street, but we ended up meeting some other friends of theirs at the Cat's Meow. I believe I've recapped the rest of this evening in a previous post....

Saturday I picked up the girls at their hotel and we went out to a local (to me) bar to watch soccer and grab lunch. After recapping their week, we called a cab and they headed to the airport. I napped most of the rest of the afternoon (much needed) and had resigned myself to an evening home alone. Welcome to Loserville, population Me. Around 10 in the evening, a colleague called asking if I had any interest in going out with some new people at work. Let me check my calendar....um....YES! We met at Rendezvous bar (fitting, no?), and from there to Balcony Bar (where the infamous kickball drinkoff took place the week prior). From there we were whisked away to Monkey Hill where they had a decent band playing and then finished up that portion of the evening at Philips.

I'm used to going out for happy hour, and being home, in bed, asleep by 10 at night usually. Even on weekend. Here however, no one really goes out until late (like 11), and since the bars don't really close, they stay out until the sun comes up. This does not make for any sort of rational sleeping habits, I tell you. Anyway, I met up with the girl I was supposed to live with when I moved here and we played Apples to Apples with some of her friends until the wee hours of the morning. It was super fun, and great to meet some new people. Sunday I slept in, was a horribly lazy bum, and eventually made it out to the kickball fields. Joined a friend for ice cream and had an early night.

This past week has absolutely flown by. Actually, the two months I've been here have been an absolute blur. Last week was filled with kickball and doctors appointments and soccer and cocktails. I was sadly unable to play the first week of kickball this week - hopefully next week I'll be back to normal. My team is super fun as is the whole league. It's in a different part of town than I normally hang out, so it's nice to see a new part of the city. Had a massive heart to heart with a colleague who I hope I can trust, took a trip back to being a kid and watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and had a bunch of ice cream and pastries. I really need to watch what I'm eating around here...all this rich food has the potential to result in not so happy things for me.

All in all, its been another amazing couple of weeks. This weekend is filled with the Running of the Bulls, soccer, kickball, more soccer and perhaps even Despicable Me. My knee is getting better by the hour (though that could be the painkillers my orthopedist gave me), so hopefully I'll be back in the Krav studio by Tuesday and contributing to our kickball team in some other way that beer drinking and clapping.

Did I mention the "Slap Cuzzies"??? If not, they're awesome on many, many levels.

I know you’re all dying to know…

What happened to the knee. Let’s start with a PSA: Tequila is fine. Mechanical Bulls are fine. Tequila + Mechanical Bull + Old Skiing Injury = Recipe for Disaster.

I learned at the ripe age of 18 that trying to impress people was silly. Well, let’s modify that. It’s not silly. It’s silly to try and impress someone when you know nothing about them. I speak from experience here. I was skiing after class one afternoon, and noticed a rather cute boy on the slopes with me. After several times down the hill, we ended up on the chair lift together. Conversation was had, badgering me to go of the jumps took place and eventually, wanting to impress cute boy, I acquiesced. The first two times down the hill went rather breezily. The third times the charm, right? Only the wrong charm. Fast forward to me falling rather ungracefully, and ending up in the hospital with him.

Only to find out he had a girlfriend.

Fast forward to the present, and we’re sitting here, knee ace-wrapped and covered in ice. I’ve been popping Advil like it’s going out of style. I’ve been through this before, many times, either due to my wicked dance moves or Whiskey Tree with ‘The Fetus’ (NOT my name for him). And usually all is well in a couple of days.

I’ve been on a mechanical bull once or twice in my life, so when it was suggested, I was up for it. I mainly wanted to see my friend on it, and the only way she was going was if I went first. Apparently it didn’t matter that she’d already done it earlier in the week. So, after barhopping around Royal Street and dinner at Felipe’s, we met up with some friends at the Cat’s Meow. We’re all having one of the best nights of our life and finally decide to have our way with the bull. After a pit stop at a tequila bar, we sauntered into our destination. I wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

We got signed up, grabbed a drink and got in line. I was trying not to watch the other girls on the bull, mainly because I didn’t want any of them to intimidate me. I think I’m pretty kick ass, but I know there are MUCH hotter chicks on the planet and since I’m not one of them, they intimidate me. Anyhow, we’re chatting, laughing, trying to figure out where to go after this, because really, how can you top a mechanical bull on Bourbon Street?!

(Un)lucky for us, we didn’t have to figure that out. I was on the bull so long, I eventually got bored with it. So I asked the guy to flip me off. The whole time, telling myself to fall off to the left. To the LEFT!! Why would that happen? That would be too easy! Well, I went off to the right, and the moonwalk-ness of the padding didn’t make for a solid landing. And my knee buckled. I had to haul myself off the mat with a basically useless right leg and somehow stand up without anyone being the wiser. I don’t think anyone was, which gives me some satisfaction (ah, the retention of even a little bit of dignity makes all the difference).

My gimpiness pretty much sealed the fate of the evening unfortunately. We were having such a good time! I stayed off it as much as I could over the weekend, thinking that it would be better in the morning, just like it always has been. Monday morning rolled around, and it felt almost worse. Off to the urgent care facility for me. Nothing is broken, thankfully, but there is something floating around in there, and some sort of arthritis is developing. Christ, I’m 29, not 79! How the eff can I have ‘some sort of arthritis’?! Anyhow, an appointment has been made with an orthopedist, and an MRI will hopefully be taken. I’ve known for a long time that surgery was in my future….I was just hoping it would be after the age of 30 and not before.

Send good thoughts to my knee. And for the love of god, don’t mix bad knees, tequila and mechanical bulls. All are fine separately, but the three together are just asking for trouble.

Sorry...

It's been a while since the last update....though I have a feeling I'll about to have more time on my hands....a silly little skiing accident years ago has re-insterted itself into my life. I spent this morning today sleeping in and searching for the nearest urgent care facility. I have a date with an MRI this week. More to follow on that.

The last 10 or so days have been wonderful - with the exception of a few ill advised moments on Friday night, most notably the dismount. Anyhow, I've been exploring and tour guiding and kickball observing and enjoying fleeting moments and stealing glances and savoring memories and receiving perfect planning scores and so many other things that I'm unable to recall at the moment.

I'll get into the details of the previous week later, but I'll recap the holiday weekend while it's fresh in my brain. It's going to be a superlightningquick recap, so don't blink or you might miss it. Friday I left work early to watch the soccer game. I was still high from my first survey from a client (Excellent, mind you!). There wasn't a lot to do in the office, and all of my clients in house were ecstatic. Instead of soccer, I took a detour for ice cream with a friend. Had an amazing chat, incredible ice cream, and just in general enjoyed the company. After that, I headed home, showered and got ready to meet A and K - my first official visitors!! Well, A was here for a conference, so it wasn't entirely for me. We met at the restaurant in my hotel, where our amazing bartender wowed the ladies with his cocktail making abilities. We quickly decided we didn't want to do Bourbon Street. Suffice to say we ended up there. Saturday I slept in, picked up the girls, watched soccer, took a nap, went out in Uptown and cleaned up at Apples to Apples. Sunday - slept in (finally! two days in a row!), watched kickball, watched exploding fireworks (BEST. FIREWORKS. EVER.) and napped on my colleague's porch. Today, urgent care, laziness, pizza and Willy Wonka.

Send good thoughts to my brother and his amazing family. After giving birth to their second handsome son, my brothers girlfriend was admitted to the hospital (on his birthday no less!). I believe she is home now, recovering...I'm sad I can't be there for them. It's the moments like these that you don't think about when you pack up your life. The people in my life that I love the most are so far away, and I can't be there for them. I can't wait to see everyone in August and hug them and tell them how much I care and miss them.

While I am having a wonderful experience in this city, there are certainly the downsides. So, if anyone out there wants to build one of those Star Trek transporter thingys, I'll be your first customer.