September 13, 2010
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My first business trip away from home went well! But what a rude awakening … I had envisioned a break, where I’d get more time to exercise, shop, or even hit the spa. But nope, I spent the evenings in the hotel room catching up on email. Ironically, one email I received the first night informed me that the class I was taking was now scheduled in Folsom. The silver lining to my trip (which made it totally worth it) was that I got to see my sisters, brother-in-law, cousin, and parents! They just happened to stop by the Bay Area on their way to China.
It warmed my heart to hear that Calie knew I was working (“mama work!”), as I was concerned that she might think I left permanently! Hats off to those who travel for work – it was a lot harder than I expected … and I was only a short company shuttle away for 3 days.
I got back Thursday night, and that coming weekend we headed up to South Lake Tahoe for Labor Day weekend.
Day1: We met up with Melissa and family at Zephyr’s Cove. We had a picnic lunch, and the kids played in the sand for a few hours. Dinner was barbecued burgers and sausages (charcoal is a lot harder than gas!) with sides of grilled corn and salad. We ended the day with card/board games.
Day2: The next morning, we went on a family hike to Vikingsholm (~2 miles roundtrip). The view was great and the kids did pretty well, with the exception of Calie who insisted on being carried the whole way. Hint to future hikers: Get there early, as parking is hard to find!
In the afternoon, Melissa and I went to Reflections (Harrah’s spa) for their steam room, jacuzzi, and massages. It was exactly what I needed! Then it was off to 19 Kitchen~Bar for dinner. We had a great corner table over looking Lake Tahoe. It was a good thing I resisted the fresh bread (only had 1-2 slices instead of the whole basket) because my entree had 2 thick ahi tuna steaks! They also gave us a bowl of cotton candy at the end of our meal – which we took back to our kids. Thank you Melissa for a great birthday dinner (and all the work advice too … gosh, am I a great conversationalist or what?!) We got home in time to watch fireworks with the rest of the family from our balcony. After we put the kids to bed, we played Mahjong … it was pretty fun, although the scoring was very complicated. I had no strategy except to end each round as fast as I could to prevent the better players from getting higher scores. I definitely need practice!
And as for the bunkbeds that the kids were so excited about the first night? Melissa and I slept in them – impromptu sleepover! With the windows open for cold fresh air, I had the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long while.
Day3: We all had breakfast together (followed by cushion fort building), and then Melissa’s family left to beat the traffic. We headed to Round Hills Pine beach. It was actually the nicest of all the Tahoe beaches I’ve been. It wasn’t crowded, the sand was smooth (no pine needles like at Camp Richardson), and the water was fairly shallow for a ways out. The kids had fun, but it wasn’t really the same without Alex and Nicole there.
We headed home after lunch. Traffic out of Tahoe was pretty bad. Calie napped most of the way, and Zachary played iPhone games. It took us almost 4 hours!
Hooray for a 4-day work week! Thursday, Kathy invited a few girls over for a clothing swap. With so many of my friends losing weight and dropping sizes, I made out like a bandit! I just need to keep staying ~10lbs behind (or is it ahead?) of them.
We had wine and chocolate cake for dinner, followed by stories of Karen’s recent China trip. I didn’t get home until close to midnight – being awake at work is overrated.
This weekend was pretty fun. Friday night, Intel held a Vegas themed fund raiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The food was surprisingly good, given that it was catered by the onsite cafe: seafood ceviche, prime rib, and 5-spice duck were my favorites. We didn’t win any of the raffle prizes, but at least the donation went to a good cause! (Note: The below blue dress is from Kathy – thank you!)
On Saturday and Sunday morning the kids went to their swim lessons. They are making progress and seem to have a good time in class, so I signed them up for another 8 weeks. On Saturday, Zachary had his first soccer game … and they lost 0-3. They played hard, and I could tell Zachary was holding back tears. It’s hard for his team with so many new players, but overall it was a good game and the kids didn’t seem discouraged. In the evening, we went to Sam and Melissa’s house for a dinner. They used a grilled pork chop recipe from Mustards, but I think their version was better – unlimited sauce! Of course, I could not pass on the homemade apple pie … good thing I went on a morning run!
Today (Sunday), we went to the mall to get Calie’s 2-year-old photos taken. We also bought a package of family pictures since it’s so rare we have everyone in one photo. The kids were well behaved, so afterwards, we went to Dave & Busters for lunch and games.
Oh and last but not least, this past Friday, I got to send in my goal weight … 135lbs! By no means skinny, but I am a much healthier weight than I was before I started on the program. I’ve lost 16lbs and can fit into my pre-baby clothes easily – too bad they are hopelessly out of style by now!
I hope I can maintain or even lose a few more pounds before the final weigh-in (2 weeks from now.)
