March Madness

March was one for the books! Work travel took me to some really great places, and I had the opportunity to combine work with a little bit of fun. In between meetings in LA and San Jose, I had a full day to myself. I rented a car and toured Carmel and Monterey. There was so much to see in so little time, but I think I hit the highlights. I stopped at the Carmel Mission museum, walked around the shops downtown, and then drove along  Scenic Road. I could have done that twice! With the ocean on the right side, and the most amazing homes on the left, I really needed two trips down the street to see it all. After I was done in Carmel, I took the 17-Mile Drive to Monterey, stopping at Pebble Beach and the Lone Cypress. Again- amazing homes and breathtaking views. If I was able to do it all over again, I would skip Monterey (too touristy) and stay in Carmel. Better food and sight seeing by far!! Hank and I will definitely be going back for a romantic weekend.

While in LA, the keynote speaker at my work event was none other than Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.  Getting to hear him speak was really special. He was so engaging and passionate about education- it was really motivating to hear his thoughts. We chatted briefly, and then he signed the back of my iPhone. Bucket list- check!!

I got to go home for a week before heading back to California- this time to Palm Springs (you'll hear no complaints from me). I had never been before and was excited to see a new place. The weather was absolutely perfect, but I didn't have a ton of time outside of the work event to enjoy it. I did receive an invitation to the Indian Wells tennis tournament, and watched an exciting match with John Isner, and saw the tail end Serena Williams playing. I've never seen a pro tennis tournament before, and really enjoyed it. I also got to ride the aerial tramway to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. I'm not normally one to be scared of heights, but this was almost a little too thrilling for me. The view from the top was totally worth the trip up though.

Lest you think that my work travel is ALL glamorous...I will share this funny Air BnB experience. Our new marketing guy (who is all of 24 years old) booked my stay in PS. All of the hotels were sold out due to the conference and tennis tournament, so we turned to Air BnB. This is where I *thought* I was staying:

And this is where I somehow ended up. An apartment with a hair salon in the dining area. Too funny! Not sure how the reservation got mixed up, but I survived and made the best of it. (I'll also be booking my own reservations from now on.)

With work travel done for the month, it was time to have some fun in Austin. One of our running friends invited us to the Dell Match Play, with access to a hospitality suite for the day (free food and drinks FTW!). The event was held at the Austin Country Club, where the course is right on the lake. The views are beautiful, the weather was awesome, and it was such a fun way to play hooky from work for the day. It was the inaugural year for the event, and it went so well that they will be coming back for at least the next 3 years. I consider it a can't miss if you have the opportunity to go. We got to see Jordan Spieth up close, and also had Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy (hello, muscles!) sightings.

Jordan Spieth in the middle.

This was our view of the 15th hole from the hospitality suite.

Last but not least, we did a little bit of housework as well. Hank transplanted a Magnolia tree to make room for a veggie garden, and so far everything seems to be growing. We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, bell peppers, zucchini squash, red onions and parsley. We have absolutely no idea what we're doing, so I'm just focusing on keeping everything watered and free of bugs.

Hank also finished a project that had been bugging him immensely- our unsightly laundry room. In true Holland fashion, we didn't get a good "before" picture that showed the wire shelving. Hank was so excited to rip it down that he totally forgot. He started the project off by installing bead board, but after loving our shiplap in the living room so much, he tore it down and did "cheap" lap instead- just regular plywood ripped down at Home Depot. A lot less expensive, and still the same general look. It's nice to have covered storage now, a fresh coat of paint, and a pretty new light fixture.

So that recaps a very fun and busy month. April is already off to a great start with several charity events and a weekend in Houston. More posts to come.

On the road again....

I've been on a five year hiatus from work travel (it was my life before I started working at Apple), and I feel a little bit like I got thrown back into the fire my first two weeks on the job. Let me recap last week for you.

Monday- Austin to Boston (after a 3 hour flight delay), then a drive to Portsmouth, NH
Tuesday- Portsmouth to Boston (for 2 hours of sight seeing) to Milford, MA
Wednesday- Milford to Meriden, CT
Thursday- Meriden to Hoboken, NJ (quick pit stop to visit a good friend) to Philadelphia, PA
Friday- Philadelphia to Orlando (flight) to Austin (after a 2 hour flight delay)

Pics from Boston and Portsmouth

Counting the drive through New York, I was in a total of eight states in five days. We had four days of customer events and meetings, and it was absolutely glorious! I haven't been this tired in a long time, but it was exactly the kind of work that I needed to feel energized and excited again. I spent a super lazy day at home on Saturday, snuggling with Hank and the animals, and then left again Sunday morning for a week in Madison for training.

Madison Capitol Building

Hyatt Place Madison- My home for the week

I absolutely love Madison. I'm staying downtown, and it's so nice to be able to walk down the street to a coffee shop or an Indian food restaurant or a sports bar. On Sunday I made my way to Fromagination- quite possibly the world's best cheese shop! I'm not too far from the University of Wisconsin campus, and hope to make my way over there in the next few days to pick up a Badgers shirt for Hank. It's cold, but not too cold. This Texas girl doesn't mind a little taste of winter! It's also nice to just be in one place for the week. I got to unpack and have more of a regular schedule. Last week I barely worked out twice, and this week I should be able to almost every day. We're tapering for our marathon that is less than two weeks now. I'm trying not to freak out about that, and just focus on learning as much as possible while I'm at the office headquarters.

Life returns back to my new normal next week- with an entire week of home officing. I still haven't finished the office, even though Hank bribed me with a new Lululemon outfit to get it done. Hoping we can at least finish painting and get the desk put together on Sunday. It would be nice to have a space to work in other than our dining table. Until then, I'll continue enjoying my time in this fun city, but look forward to getting back home with my family.