Vail and Jiggety Jig

We spent Sunday evening and Monday in the Vail suburb of Edwards, where Cindo lives. She invited our pals Bonnie and Eric over for marinated skirt steak on the grill. I'm proud of my sis - after Bolder died, these are skills she had to learn - lighting the grill and cooking. She nailed it! It was fun to catch up with B&E - they're heading to Spain soon on vacation. #jealous.

Monday morning we headed to Minturn to the Turntable for breakfast. Kitschy place - we snapped a photo outside. Aren't I a hottie? I didn't know Paul could play the guitar...

After a huge fattening breakfast we headed east to Vail (Minturn is off I-70 in between Edwards and Vail) to do a bit of shopping. Looking really as most of the wares in Vail are out of our price range. #01%. We stopped in a store where a lightweight jacket was $1,068. Gulp. I tried not to get my grimy paws on it.

It was a gorgeous morning and there was an event going on in town - a run was just finishing up and runners were wearing cool medals. I was jealous. The sun was shining and bands were setting up to play. I saw bloody marys being served.

We hung out with this guy - Albert he said his name was...

Love the climbing girl - and the other people too

After shopping in Vail we swung through Edwards and I bought a book - something in my budget. Then we spent time on Cindy's deck reading. It was nice sitting in the sun. Later we went to Bonnie and Eric's for supper. Shaloy and Jim came over too! They were just back from picking up a conversion van in Texas #carryoncamping! Good eats!

We said goodbye to Cindo that night when we went to bed. We got up at 4 a.m. and took off early for home. It's beautiful seeing the sun coming up in the mountains. And getting through Denver before the traffic starts up! We listened to "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" all the way, arriving about 4:30 p.m. Nice to be home again in Ioway. Jiggety Jig.

I clicked my heels together

And said, "there's no place like home" and magically, I appeared in my comfy chair in my living room! No...not really. I drove my car - my trusty Subaru - which is like a comfy pair of ruby red slippers.

Today I was itching to get out of town - back to Creston. It's been a long stretch of work - since late September when I organized our first Environmental Management System (EMS)Audit through this week, after completing six audits and now the workshop. I'm beat! As I said in my blog of a couple days ago - the workshop went well...it finished up yesterday with a half day. The evaluations were good. Yay!

Continental - a drink from the bar sounded enticing, but I held back!

When the workshop finished up yesterday, I went to luncheon at the Continental - on Locust at about 4th in the East Village with Laura and Christine. We talked mostly shop. I had a nice blackened chicken sannie. After that, Laura had to catch a flight back to Dallas.

I spent the afternoon figuring out how to update information on the EMS website. Then I heard from my honey PGG, that he was in town having work done on his car. We decided to meet at HuHot for supper. That place is good! You fill a bowl with raw meats, fish, crab, veggies and noodles. Then you pick a group of sauces to dump over the top and take it to an open griddle for men to grill for you. There is white rice to eat with it back at your table. Yum!

After supper we took a walk around Sports Authority, but didn't find anything we couldn't live without. All too soon it was time for Paul to head back to Creston. I went to Joan's to watch TV. My shoulders were so tight from a week of stress! Guess I'll need to contact my friendly masseuse Chris soon to get the kinks worked out. But for now - tomorrow, I get to work at home. I like that perk of my job!

So glad to be home

I had "smokin' shoes" to get out of the office today. I mean I couldn't wait. It was one of those weeks.

Some weeks I don't mind being away Monday - Thursday, until I drive home after work. It's kinda cosmopolitan (okay, yeah I know it's Des Moines, Iowa). It's by the state capitol. Buses go by and...well there really aren't many taxis. But it feels big city.

And I do love my job. It fits me - I get "it". I can put on my landfill hat and it feels so good to have that insight. I have a lot to give. But it's been stressful this past few months - the budget is tight and the atmosphere is, well...stricter. I'll put it that way. The legislative session has been especially tense.

This weather sucks and I can't get outside. Paul has put me on a shopping diet. Plus I haven't really even been in the mood - except for that one jacket I bought (even dieters need sustenance). Even cheery roomie Joan seemed grumpy and down this week.

So today I had a meeting in Ames in the a.m. and a 1 p.m. meeting with the big kahuna (the guy that reports to the DNR director) Wayne Gieselman called the Client Contact meeting. That's where we run the stuff by him and other groups like Farm Bureau that we're presenting to the Environmental Protection Commission. Our boss Brian is on vaca this week (Grand Canyon with main squeeze Danielle also from our dept. but not his direct supervisee so kosher) so I had to present the EMS grant criteria.

When that was done - about 2 p.m. I was cooked. Fried. So done with DSM, DNR, and I needed to be home. I made it to 2:30 and packed it in. And hour long bath with my book helped mellow me out (and wrinkle me). Kisses from my puppy. And one from my man along with a hug. Damn it's good to be home.