Chicago, IL
May 26-28, 2007

This past weekend I had the opportunity to fly with my aunt to Chicago. It was her first time in Chicago so I was able to play tour guide. We flew in Saturday night and stayed in Winnetka at the home of my great friend, SJM. He was generous enough to open his home to us even though he was not in town.
The heavens were smiling down on us on Sunday. The weather could not have been better: low-mid 70's, a cool breeze and blue skies. I first drove NJM to Highland Park to show her where I used to live and then we made our way to Chicago traveling along Lake Shore drive. It was so beautiful...tree lined streets, everything so green and in bloom. Downtown we walked the Magnificent Mile, shopping here and there, taking pictures, and just enjoying the myriad of things and people to see. The main event of the day was seeing "Wicked". It was spectacular and amazing! I had seen this show once before but for NJM it was a first. She was dazzled by the costumes, set-design, music, shoes...just about everything. It was a fantastic day in Chicago.



Sunday evening NJM went to Naperville to visit some friends and I drove to Aurora to visit my good friend HB. HB was recently married and it was fun to see her new home and to have time to visit with her husband and two step-daughters. It was so fun to get to know them better. L and K are so fun and cute! We feasted on spaghetti and then watched the videos from her wedding. It was great to re-live that event...at least the part that was recorded and that I was there for. The dancing, toasts, bouquet and garter toss...what a hoot! HB and her family surprised me with a birthday cake and singing. It was so fun to celebrate with them. K even made me a birthday card...so thoughtful! I am grateful for a friend like HB.


Monday: Happy Birthday to me! I have a tradition on my birthday. I stay up until midnight on the 27th to welcome the day of my birth and then stay up until midnight on the 28th to say good bye. Silly? Maybe, but it's tradition! This day was out of the ordinary but still great! I went running on the path that I know so well from my time spent in Winnetka and Highland Park. It was wonderful! Talk about memories. After getting cleaned up and going shoe shopping I went to visit with the Walkers in Mundeline. They have three cute, cute children and it was so fun to see them and have a chance to catch up with PW and MW. For the most part the rest of the day was spent traveling. All in all it was a great day and I received many birthday wishes on the phone, in a text message or in person. Another year older!

I absolutely love Illinois! I am already looking forward to my next trip, whenever that is. Given the chance I would move back in a heart beat.

Running With Angels 5K Run

About 6-7 weeks ago one of my colleagues suggested to everyone in the office that we run a 5K race together. The decision was unanimous and we all signed up. Saturday, May 19, 2007 was race day and it was fantastic! It was exhilarating and to tell you the truth I wanted to run again! It sounds strange but once I caught my breath, wiped away the sweat that was dripping into my eyes, had a few orange slices and water I wanted to run again if only to see if I could do better.

The one down side to race day was that my colleague who had inspired all of us to sign up, train and run sprained her ankle two days before the race and was not able to participate with us. Bummer! I felt that I was running for more than just myself, I was running for her as well. My time: 35:45 (unofficially). Now, I have a benchmark...a time to beat. My next race is June 23rd and I am already excited. The four of us run/walking came through the finish line within about 5 minutes (or less) of each other. That was the most fun...to see the others come across the finish line.

I arrived at the race location with two of my colleagues and before we could even park all of us were feeling a bit intimidated. There were runners on the road warming up and they looked fit, trim and experienced...like marathon runners. I tried not to get that into my head and instead remembered what my Dad has said to me as I left that morning, "...You're out there to have fun". It's true...this was supposed to be fun! I knew that I wanted to do well but I also needed to remember that this was my first race (I ran a 5K about 6 years ago but I'm not going to count it). The race started and I could not help myself, I started to run, working to keep my pace where it should be knowing that I had 3.2 miles to go. I walked three times during the 3.2 miles but kept a fast walking pace. Overall I would say I ran just under three miles and walked the rest. My goal for the next race is to run the entire 3.2 miles and to decrease my time.

For me this was a big accomplishment. I started training just over 6 weeks ago and I can tell you that my training paid off. I also know that my training can improve. I am excited to get out there and train harder and more seriously. I am adding in some [bike] riding as well to build my endurance and muscle strength. And I have commitments from two of my colleagues to run the 5K on June 23rd with me. This was not only big for me it was big for them. The feeling we all had on the way home reminded me of a cheer from 8th grade:

"Boy are we enthusiastic! We are feeling G-O-O-D!"

Of course there are arm movements, etc but you can't see that in this blog. Just shout it and emphasize the G-O-O-D!

Here are a couple of pictures from race day. The one on the left is pre-race and the one on the right is post-race.

Customer Service like I've never seen it!
Atlanta, GA

SRC and I traveled to Atlanta Wednesday night for two events on May 10th. We checked into the Buckhead InterContinental Hotel and immediately knew that I was going to enjoy my stay. The room was lovely and clean. The hallway from the elevator to the guest rooms had a nice dryer sheet, laundry room smell which I love. I got into my room and was soon opening the door to SRC with a request to come see his room. I walked in and it is stupendous! There was a small entry way which led to a huge living room area. To the right was a dining room and to the left was the sleeping room, closet and bathroom. The hotel staff had prepared some of SRCs favorite foods, the highlight of which was the strawberry shortcake. On the mantel of the fireplace was a bowl with peanut M&Ms, microwave popcorn and SRCs favorite movie. In the bedroom, on the bedside table was a framed photo of SRC and his wife. Talk about making someone feel at home. I was SO impressed with this type of customer service. Plus it was a huge deposit for SRC to see so many of the things he loves right there in the room. Throughout our overnight stay the service from the hotel staff was impeccable. I highly recommend this InterContinental property.
The first event of the morning was at the Georgia World Congress Center with the Governor of Georgia and the top Agency commissioners and their guests. Looking out over the room, which was packed, I would guess there were 200+ people attending. I was struck by how personable Governor Perdue is and how humble he seems. His main initiative is for Georgia to be the "Best Managed State". SRC had a chance to teach these agency officials and to engage in Q&A with the Governor. It was tremendous to see these two great men answering the questions from the audience. One thing the Governor said that stuck with me is, "Truth builds trust". The question had been asked about the balance between being "nice" and also being good leader who provides feedback, etc. The governor made the point that you can maintain your "niceness" while still being truthful about performance, action, etc. Something else the Governor said that I thought was so insightful is, "Vision without execution is hallucination". Isn't that true and well said?

The second event was with a financial advisory company based out of Atlanta. The group was made up of top performers and the up-and-coming performers...those who are the keys to the company's continued financial success. It was a nice size group with about 300 people attending. SRC had 3.75 hours to teach which was awesome and he did a great job. The chairman of this group was complimentary as well as grateful for the message that SRC shared and the things he taught. As I encountered the event planners and the invited quests I was so impressed with each person and how friendly and helpful they were.

It was definitely a great trip!