My dad and I flew out at 7:25am to Chicago for our annual management meetings. We pulled the whole aisle/window seat game hoping nobody would be in the middle seat and...IT WORKED! Yay! Had to finish reading a book that was required reading for the meetings. =/ When it was done, I started reading a book recommended by my friend, LaShaune, called "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" - Essays by Sloane Crosley.
We were picked up from the airport along with my uncle Mike and then taken to our headquarters to say hello to all the peeps. After an hour, we were taken to our hotel where we would spend the next 24 hours.
First was lunch, then meetings, followed by the award banquet. The last 2 years, my service center walked away as The Big Winner, so it was a bit humbling to not receive the same honors this year. =( We did earn 3rd place in customer service and then we had some drivers earn special recognition for their efforts, but it was a bit disappointing because I know we have the skills and the talent to perform better. I'm beginning my plan of action to regain our elite status for next year!
I decided to go walking with two of my favorite people out of our New Jersey operation at 5am. Maybe not the wisest choice considering I went to bed at 1am, but hey...I only see these people once a year! I took my Garmin with me so we would know how far we walked and we hit 3.75 miles in an hour - not too shabby considering I was all kinds of achy (maybe due to the coldish weather?)! I then showered and met the rest of the peeps for breakfast before we started our meetings. We had a half a day of meetings followed by lunch and then...that's it until next year! Most everyone flew home in the afternoon, but since my family is from Chicago, my dad, brother, and I always stay the extra day at my aunt and uncle's house. We went over there and hung out. I got my aunt and brother hooked on Angry Birds (cuz my friend Amy got me hooked on it on Thursday). We were sitting there playing it while my uncle and dad were watching football. Later we went for a yummy Mexican dinner and then I went to bed because the life had been sucked out of me.
I woke up at 5:15am to hit the gym. 14 miles was on the schedule for my running group, so that meant 14 miles on the elliptical. I downloaded a book on my Nano this time - "Devil in the White City", to help make the time go by faster. It was hard to get into the groove though - for one thing, this book is strictly a narrative - would have made for a better read, than a listen. I actually switched over to music for the last 3 miles for a change of pace. Secondly, these were different ellipticals than I am used to, so the miles were going by more slowly. I hopped off my elliptical at mile 5 and went on a different machine - not sure what it was called, but it looked sort of like The Gazelle, but a bit more complex. I only did it for 1/2 a mile because it was a killah and it took me 10 minutes just to do that much - yikes! Then I went back to the elliptical for the remainder. It took me 3 1/2 hours for the entirely of the 14 miles (ugh) and I was booking it, so that was kind of obnoxious! My family was nice enough to wait for me to go eat. I got back to the house, showered uber fast, and then we went to Walker Bros Pancake House - a staple in my family! I ordered scrambled eggs, rye toast, and this month's special - pumpkin pancakes! Yes, I sound gluttonous, but I was HUNGRY after all that work! When we were parking the car, he pulled into a 2 hour limit spot and I asked him if that was going to be okay. He answered with, "this ain't no Kim at the gym!" It made me laugh! =D After brunch, we headed back to the house to hang out until our flight. My dad and I did not fair as well on the ride home, so I kindly did not make some stranger sit between us and scooted over to the middle. We landed and went to my parent's house. My mom made us some homemade soup and sugar free / fat free apple cinnamon bread. I then retrieved my dogs from her care and went to my own home! Ahhhh...home sweet home UNTIL Saturday when I leave for Orlando!!! =D
3 comments:
welcome back, Kiddo. I hope you laugh at that book as much as I did.
Sounds and if you and your dad had a great trip. I would have had to strangle mine if we traveled that amount of time together.
Have an awesome time in Orlando (hope you have great weather).
14 miles on the elipitcal - while out of town. I am SO impressed with your drive Kim. So impressed. You are putting your heart and soul into your training. At a point when a lot of people would give up, you are STEPPING UP! Way to go!
14 miles on the elliptical merits a second helping of pumpkin pancakes. Great job on 14 freaking miles!!
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