That's What Jenni Said

March has sped by like a hot wheeling testosterone laden teenage boy. Zoom!         The first weekend in March Jonathan accompanied me for our first official mileage run. We have a new hobby! Some people pick up golf, some try their hand at ballroom dancing. We've taken up random travel for the sake of accumulating miles and status with our airline. There is quite a group of people from all over the world who participate in this. Most of them converge on www.flyertalk.com . Here we share cheap fare finds, chat about our upcoming itineraries, plan parties and get-togethers across continents and reach out to strangers who share our love of flying. Jon and I are finding that outside of the core group on Flyertalk most people who find out about mile running think we are all crazy. Jetting all over the place on purpose? For short weekends and same day turnarounds? Our friends and coworkers can't see the fun or sense in it. I'm just glad Jonathan and I found something we both lo...

It would be nice to reach a state of organization whereby I am no longer a month behind on my blog posts. To dream…to dream….     February was dominated by continued recovery from pneumonia, with a dash of fine dining thrown in. I spent the first two weeks of the month slowly regaining my health and strength, grateful that the run to Quebec had not set me back at all. I worked my way back to 4 days a week at the gym for an hour of cardio each session plus strength training. I felt on top of the world again.     I spent the first weekend in February in NYC with friends for our annual Broadway getaway. This year we stayed at the very cozy and posh 76 Park Avenue Hotel. Just our luck many guests at the hotel were in town for the Westminster Dog Show with cute little toy dogs in tow. They were everywhere and adorable! Our chosen play was Mamma Mia and I loved it. The music (all ABBA of course) was fun and at the end of the show the whole audience was up off our seats belting out Dancing Q...

The past two weeks have seen me in "catch-up" mode as I work feverishly to get back to a place where I'm caught up in most everything. I'm making slow but steady progress and part of that is catching up on my past due blog entries.     Here's the January recap:     -Dined at Inn at Little Washington This was the first restaurant my friends and I tackled on the Zagat Top 20 DC restaurants. It's a goal of ours to make our way through the entire list over the next 3 years. Perhaps under ordinary circumstances I would have been delighted with the Inn but after returning from Paris where I dined at Le Cinq, the Inn was *very* disappointing. More on par with any standard DC restaurant yet the same price per course as Le Cinq. Shameful really.     -Caught Pneumonia, went to the hospital then spent 2 weeks in bed (lost 15 pounds) I've blogged about that previously already…     -Got better, went to Quebec, Canada for the Winter Carnival I went with my friend Penny ...

Since I know you've all been waiting with clenched fists in deep anticipation I am happy to announce I finally finished my blog entries for our Paris 2008 trip, including a lot of pics and 3 videos from NYE's on the Champs Elysees including a link to the riot footage.     Blog is here: http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/47153 . Be good to me and actually read it eh? :)

1. If you check the box on your license form to be an organ donor so that it shows up on your license or in the DMV database then if you are involved in a near fatal accident on the road, the responding EMT folks will deliberately move slowly and let you die so as to have use of your organs. Especially if you are ugly, fat, or dressed unfashionably. I still can't bring myself to be listed as an organ donor for this reason. 2. Unless you have a natural innate talent in a particular skill, all of the practicing and studying in the world is not going to really make a difference. Practice does not make perfect unless you're gifted in that area. So it's better and less frustrating to just focus in on things you seem to be naturally talented at and skip attempts at things that you don't seem to be good at from the get go. For this reason I never go back and try a second time at things I try once and suck at. I completely ignore the try try again philosophy even if at times I ...

I just finished reading The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank. It was a good book and I recommend it. It tells the story of a Jewish girl as she comes of age and into her adulthood. A touching story, it exposes the drama of family life and ordinary angst and I found it to be heartwarming. My favorite quotes from the book: "'Your welcome,' she said. 'I was just afraid'. It was a nice surprise to hear her say the truth. But right away the public relations part of her brain rushed in with a revised press release : 'I trust you to make the right decisions that are best for you'" "As soon as I'm in a relationship, I promote fear from clerk to president, even though all it can do is sweep up, turn off the lights, and lock the door."

One thing pneumonia does is afford its victim endless hours to consider philosophy and conduct a comprehensive assessment on one's life. Where is God taking my life this year? What goals do I want to work toward prayerfully? How can I be a better wife, better friend, better community member? I've had so much time to ponder these questions. Other than a weight loss and fitness goal that remains elusive, I've actually accomplished all of the goals I put down to paper a few years ago. It's the first time in my life where I'm not sure where to go next in long term planning. There is nothing I feel compelled to accomplish with burning desire. Instead, I'm quietly asking God to give me some new direction and goals. Jon and I are very different. He is able to find the joyful purpose in ordinary day to day living. No specific goals to strive toward are required to bring a sense of purpose and utility into his life. I love that about him - he embraces simplicity. I under...