Wedding weekend

Road trip to Indy to celebrate the wedding of an old friend. Congratulations Chris and Ann!

LAX to MRY

45-minute flight up the coast in a weensy plane.
My first glimpse of the Pacific this trip. Love!

Waiting to leave STL

It's a photography trip, so we're all documenting our journey to meet. It's awesome to think of all these like-minded women coming together. So very cool.

Why it's so hard to leave

I'm not sure which one of us was more upset at the airport. I couldn't help but think, "What the f*ck am I doing?!"
I told her that when she gets older, she'll go with me on trips like this. I can only hope she'll still want to.

Good day to fly

Off to New Jersey. Seat near the front. Window. No one next to me. Starbucks in belly. It's a good day to fly.
(Trying not to miss my bug and my hub.) (Failing miserably.)

What kind of day has it been

A day packed with experiences and sights. Joy and tears. A goodbye and a reunion.
It was a good day, well lived and felt deeply.

Dinner for one

I had no dinner plans tonight. It was heavenly.
Normally I go out with colleagues. This is always very good, in that I get to know people with whom I work. But sometimes, after a long couple days packed with meetings, I just want to eat quietly and maybe enjoy a glass of wine. That rarely happens.
I went to an Italian place right across the street from my hotel. First time there, but won't be the last. Mmmmm. Yummy.
Back at the hotel, in jammies and in bed. And it's not even 8:30! Bliss.
Missing my girl and my M like crazy though. Can't wait to get home tomorrow.

It's raining, it's pouring, the airport is boring

Waiting for my 8:10 to KC. Tried Business Select this time - no security wait and boarding #A5! Also learned to look ahead and find the lane without the damn full-body scanner. I don't care about the scan...I'm all for safety and security. I'm just sick of being scanned every dang time I fly.
I read an article recently about the airport of the future. There will be three lanes, one for those who have been thoroughly vetted and who are frequent travelers. Those folks won't be stopped and made to go through all this hassle. The airport of the future can't come soon enough.
Leaving STL with a clear desk, having stayed up last night to pay and file bills, balance the checkbook, etc. I'm not sure why that makes me feel easier about traveling, but it does. What does not make me feel better is the sobbing from Zozo the night before. Thin little arms encircle my neck and I hear, "Mama! I don't want you to go to Kansas City!" It's a verbal knife in the gut. Poor M, he tries so hard to make it better: "Hey! Knuckle-bump! Daddy-Daughter time! Mom's gonna miss all the fun. We're gonna have a blast!" At which she sobs harder.
It's only because Mom is the parent who, after a long, hectic day and faced with the daunting prospect of making dinner, says, "Hey...wouldn't it be great to have Cheerios for dinner?!" whereas Daddy is the responsible parent who ensures our family eats healthy, balanced meals. Everyone knows Cheerios for dinner is way more fun than a nice piece of salmon with fresh green beans, fruit and yogurt.
This trip to KC is at least blessedly short, as they usually are, and its main purpose is to say goodbye to my French boss. After a decade in the States, he's being called home to corporate HQ in Libourne. I'll still work for him, but we all know everything changes when you're across the ocean versus across the state. He's adorably French, and a fantastic leader. I will miss him.
Other meetings scheduled up the yingyang, of course. The days will fly by. Pun intended!

Last Day

For me, anyway. I dropped her off for the last time at preschool today. M takes her on Friday as I'll be in KC on business again. That's probably a good thing since I burst into tears upon leaving school this morning. I called M, sobbing. He laughed gently, and made me laugh, and predicted that I'll be a complete mess Thursday when she starts kindergarten.
All I keep thinking about are big steps in her life. The day she was born. The first day she walked. The first day of preschool. Where did it go? And will it ever slow down?
Even if it doesn't, I'm just happy I'm along for the ride. "Parent" is the best job title I will ever hold.

Jellies at Shedd

Incredible exhibit. We are now big fans of jellies.
I added no color to these. It's how they lit the tanks. Love love love the color! Makes my spirit happy.

Sweet Home, Chicago

I have been remiss in posting here. Too much travel (if there is such a thing). Home now, for at least a few weeks. I want nothing more than to vacuum my house tomorrow.
Going to try to get this space up to date, too. No promises, though. Cleaning the house comes first!

Waiting for breakfast

Zoe's first time hanging out in the Observation Car.

Waiting for our train

It's delayed about 1.5 hours. I'm amusing myself by making photographs.
One of the many reasons I love photography. I'm never bored as there is always something to look at/shoot.

STL - CHI - NYC

So much going on these days, and hardly time to document it all!  I've been shooting a ton, which makes me happy happy.  I am slowly getting over my "it's not really photography with an iPhone" hang-up, which is another one of my purely self-inflicted notions.  I see all the wonderful images continually posted on Instagram, and I consider that photography, so why not my own?  Still, clutching the Nikon for three days straight in Arkansas did me a world of good.

This weekend is jam-packed with work (giant industry conference in town - my town!) and the concert to end all concerts.  Then a couple of hectic days before we head out for a long weekend in Chicago.  We're taking the train, much to Zoe's delight.  It's her first train trip, and while it's not an overnighter, both legs are booked on a Superliner so we may get a chance to eat in the dining car (versus the cafe car...big difference).  We get back from that and I flip the next day and fly out to NYC for site selection for my company's bi-annual global convention.  It's rough to stay in the finest hotels and eat at legendary Manhattan restaurants and visit huge landmarks, but someone's gotta do it.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll at least be posting iPhone images here regularly, so stay tuned.

Downtown sights

Yesterday, when it wasn't raining.

Independence Weekend Snaps

Rainy morning

But her raincoat and her smile made everything bright.

Instagram Fun

This app is way too cool.

Bridge

Any time we near a bridge, I feel compelled to pull out my iPhone.
I love architecture. Especially architecture that embraces form WITH function. Lately, this view has gone beyond architecture into the smaller objects that make up our everyday lives.
Utilitarian products and technology aren't required to be ugly. There's no law somewhere that says the more useful something is, the uglier it needs to be.
And yet, far too many manufacturers live by that idea. They neglect to consider the necessity of aesthetic design.
Now, ya'all know that I'm a huge fan of Apple. Not to be all fan girl or anything, but there is a company that GETS it. Function AND form. High quality products that work well and look good. Pleasing to the eye. An enhancement to our surroundings even when not in use.
We recently purchased some Motorola radios for the Corvette. They work fine, but man, are they ugly. I look at them and cringe. They're all bumpy and knobby. They look like giant bugs. Who wants to look at giant, bumpy, ugly bugs?
I've been noticing form as it relates to function a lot lately. I recognize the value in objects that look great while they function. I don't think that's too much to ask. Shouldn't we all strive to make our world beautiful, as well as useful?
Yep. All this from an iPhone snap of a bridge. My brain likes to go off on tangents sometimes. A lot of the time. Nearly all the time.
Aren't bridges beautiful?

Concert

We saw Poison and Motley Crüe last night. Gorgeous weather, awesome music, and phenomenal people watching opportunities.