Sick.

I woke up this morning feeling like a truck ran me over during the night. Yup, I finally have that cold/flu thing that everyone else has had and that I was hoping I somehow missed. So, I have spent the day on my couch trying not to move because even my hair hurts.
I hate being sick. I do not recommend it to anyone.

I should have stayed in bed

I thought about just staying in my warm and cozy bed this morning and it seems that I should have followed through on that.
The morning started out just fine. I got up on time, made it to work on time and found a good parking spot very easily. Then it all went down hill. First, I went to shred a bill and my finger got caught in the drawer where the shreds go and it took a chunk out of one of my fingers. It bled quite a bit and continued to throb until about noon.
At 11 I went off to my dentist appointment to get my teeth cleaned. I was told that I have very good hygiene (can I put that on my resume?) Well, my hygiene might be a little too good as it appears that I am a bit of an overzealous brusher and therefore need a little sealant on one tooth near the gum line. So, I got back in a few days for that.
Since I was already out and there is a Starbucks on the same block as my dentist, I stopped by to pick up a treat for myself and my coworker. With a coffee in each hand I got back in my car and went back to work. I found a parking spot (not as good as the one in the morning) and walked back to the office, again with a coffee in each hand. I almost slipped once but managed to keep my balance. Then, right in front of my office I stepped on what looked like a puddle but what was really a very slick piece of ice. WHAM!! Down I went! Smack on my right knee. Somehow, both coffees stayed in my hand (I know what's important) and both lids stayed on said coffees causing a minimal amount of spilage. My triumph was short lived though as the incredible pain began immediately. I limped up to the office and got back to my desk and surveyed the damage. Let me tell you, my knee was not pretty. My pants, thankfully, are still intact. My knee has a nice little gash on it (not too deep) and is already beginning to bruise and become stiff. If any of you out there have ever slipped on ice in the winter, you will understand how awful it is even if you don't get a bruise or break skin. The experience jars your body in such a way that you start to ache and feel it from head to toe. I've taken drugs to try and prevent this body aching but I'm pretty sure that within the next hour, I will hurt from head to toe.
The best part is, it's only 1pm here. I have a lot of the day ahead of me.....

What Every Girl Needs

Whenever I am in Lake Geneva with my mom, we make a point of hitting up the Nine West outlet store there. They have the best sales! So, on Monday when I was there, I picked up these beauties.


Grand total for both = $31. I am very excited about my purple shoes!

Home, Sweet Home

As lovely as my trip to Seattle was, I am very glad to be home now. I spent one night relaxing at my parent's in the country where it's very quiet and now I am back to the noise of the city. But, it is my city and I love it. I am also grateful for a chance to take some time off after the trip to get refreshed.
With each event, I am growing to love my job more and more. I get to meet some of the most amazing people! Each trip is full of people who are earnestly seeking what God has in store for their lives and are an example of what it really means to live by faith. They come from all walks of life. Some just starting out in ministry and some wanting to move forward with planting their third church. This week I got to meet a World Champion in Track and Field, a couple who opened their hearts and home and adopted children who were already teenagers because they felt such a strong call from God to do it, people who are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, a former mafia member who has been through hell and redeemed by grace and wants to share that love with others who are hurting. I met people who have suffered through tragic loss and amazing joy and through it all they seek to obey the God that they love. It's a very emotionally charged event and even though I am not the one who is there to determine the next chapter in my life, I sense and understand the enormity of it all. I get to sit in the room on the final night as each couple is evaluated. They are covered in prayer by people who genuinely care for them and who are earnestly seeking the will of the Lord in their decisions. Nothing is taken lightly. It is a privilege to be a part of it.
Our event this week was held at a church in downtown Seattle. The church has been there for about 100 years and is a beautiful old building. It was also a little like a giant stair master. I should have counted the number or stairs and how many times I went up and down them!



Oh, did I mention the A-Mazing cupcakes that the caterer brought one night? Wow!! And, yes, they tasted as good as they looked.

We had the most amazing weather while we were there so I will leave you with these shots of the mountains (The Cascades, I believe) as seen from my flight out of town (which actually landed at O'Hare early!!!).

The Latte Chronicles

This post is dedicated to my one true love (at least for now): Coffee!!
I will update each day with a photo of my morning indulgence.

Wednesday:

This one looked prettier before I walked up the street with it and remembered to take a picture. Tomorrow I will be better, I promise!

Thursday:
Today was a two latte day.
Here was my morning latte. Both baristas today were very good looking. :) The morning barista was kind of an exotic hottie. I have to admit, this one was the best tasting so far.

Here is the afternoon latte. This one was made by a very all-American-Seattle-boy hottie.

You might notice that with this latte I accidentally purchased some espresso beans to bring home.

Friday:
This morning I enjoyed a very lovely Americano. There's no foam and therefore no foam art to go with it. It was tasty though. However, today has been so busy and crazy that I had absolutely no time at all to take a picture of it. So, imagine a regular cup of coffee..... that's what it looked like.

I love the west coast!

I arrived in Seattle about noon today and I must say, it feels good to be back on the west coast. For some reason, things just feel right here. Maybe it's because the water is back on the side it's supposed to be on.... Or, maybe it just feels right because it's above zero here (Chicago was about 7 degrees when I left and I think it was below zero with the wind chill).
I was fortunate enough to have my own personal tour guide today. One of the guys who is going to be at my event this week is from the area and was kind enough to pick me up from the airport. Along the way he was kind enough to point out the sights to me. Unfortunately, I didn't pull out my camera on the car ride, so I don't have pictures of those things.
However, I did bring out my camera during our venture to Pike's Place Market.


Because it's a Tuesday and not really 'the season' and it was the end of the day, there were many empty stalls. But, there was still lots to see.

I wanted to get some of these but I don't think that they would make the trip home.




This was the booth where they throw the fish over your head when you order. I saw them throwing but wasn't fast enough to get a picture of it. I don't eat fish but I decided I could probably manage to enjoy throwing them over the heads of tourists.

I decided to get a little fruit to have as a snack for the week. So I stopped by here.

And got these beauties

Hey! Look what else we found! It's the original Starbucks! Otherwise known as 'Mecca'.

We didn't go in because really, the coffee at this one tastes the same as at any other one. Plus, I'm in Seattle and there are TONS of fabulous places to get a good cup of coffee. I will be documenting my coffees for the week. Stay tuned...

We did stop at a little tea shop though that had samples of their signature tea. It's a cinnamon and orange tea and is was tasty! So, I bought some.

We stopped by the "ABC" wall.
It's a wall covered in gum that people have chewed. Completely fascinating and yet totally disgusting all at the same time.

Oh yeah, and the rest of the views aren't too shabby either...



Did I mention how excited I am to have this huge bed all to myself for the rest of the week? Sometimes I love hotels!

Silly Kitty!

Apparently, cats think that pizza boxes are good places to take a nap.