Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Going, going, gone! A quick update on the last few weeks

It's been hard to find the time to write a new post because I've been going, going, going since the last one. Not that I'm complaining - I love being busy and I've had mostly fun things keeping me from getting my preferred 8-9 hours of sleep each night. (Yes, I really do sleep that much if possible. Why do you think I never get sick??)

To recap: The weekend after I got back from Orcas I went to Las Vegas with Robyn and her friend Natalie from Chicago. Robyn worked the Vegas circuit, getting us a great deal on a room at Mandalay Bay and VIP entrance to two of the hottest nightclubs, Tao at the Venetian and XS at Encore. We also spent a full day at a pool party. It was a weekend of drinking replacing meals and inappropriately short dresses, and not one I could repeat more than once a year. But damn was it fun!

Just two days after Vegas we had to move out of a beautiful rental house which I've been sharing with Katie, Martin, and baby Jacob since February. Our lease was up but their house (which Martin has been steadfastly remodeling) was not quite ready, so we moved into a housesit while Katie's friends honeymooned in Spain.

About two months ago our fearless leaders in the Content Development team at Apex decided we should have an off-site retreat and asked me to plan the logistics. This ran the gamut from booking travel for 9 people from Philadelphia to renting cars to planning meal teams and sleeping arrangements to shopping for groceries for 21 people for 3 days. It was a lot of work but it all turned out really well. Turns out cooking with your coworkers is a great way to bond! Everyone had a fantastic time and we hope to repeat it on a yearly basis.

When I got back we had to move yet again, from one housesit to another. Luckily I stored most of my belongings during the first move in their attic or in my sister's basement so I've essentially been packed for Argentina since September 8. Then it was just a mad dash to today, September 30. I did lots of fun things in the meantime like a s'mores bonfire at Golden Gardens, the Greek festival at Saint Demetrio's, and helping Katie and Martin finally move in to their beautiful house, which I hope to also occupy upon my return (probably in May).

In terms of "I'm leaving (again)" events, I had a huge going-away lunch with co-workers, going-away drinks at Linda's, and a family dinner in which I got my combined birthday/Christmas present: an amazingly tiny and super fun video camera! Be ready for videos from the southern hemisphere, as soon as I can figure out how to upload and edit them... the first will be of the absurdly cute baby Jacob who just turned 4 months old.

These last two days have been pretty hectic, which is to be expected. But I had to get a last-minute blog in and I also uploaded 90 photos to my Picasa site, complete with captions, so check them out! They date back to March I think so it covers a lot of ground.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to writing again from Argentina! I arrive at 9 am tomorrow morning, wish me luck. I hope the butterflies in my stomach are a sign of nothing but good things (and not, for instance, an innate knowledge that my customs clearance will be disastrous with 2 laptops, 3 cameras, and no return ticket to prove my exit from the country). Cross your fingers for me...