Shopping Attempt - Fail

So the contract on the townhouse has been ratified and accepted and so now should be the fun part – shopping for house ‘stuff’. Mom and I went out this weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) with intent of purchase. After about 8-10 hours of shopping split between two days, I returned home defeated, only purchasing a small shelving unit and a spaghetti strainer.
As I trucked up to Bel Air on Friday night, traffic was a nightmare and it took Ginger and me about 3 hours, I anxiously awaited the weekend ahead. Mom and I had a list of stores that filled an entire 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper that we were going to go to. Everything from Target and Bed Bath and Beyond, to Goodwill and antique flee markets. Now I know that sometimes these type of stores are hit or miss, but really? How is it possible for all 12 of them to be a miss?! We strolled thru shop after shop, and I eagerly awaited something to ‘pop’ out at me. You know that feeling when you see the perfect dress, and you think “this is it!” Well that is what I was waiting for, on just about any and all house stuff…and all I got was a strainer.
Although slightly disappointed, I came home knowing that the stuff that is meant for my house will come eventually. So if anyone is getting rid of any household goodies, don’t call the truck before checking in with me! So far, the best treasures I have gotten have been from other peoples garages!

Business Travel

So this past weekend, I went on my first business trip. My travels took me across the continental US to the lovely state of California, San Francisco to be precise. To be quite honest, I wasn't that excited about the trip. First of all, it meant I wasn't going to be having a weekend, and secondly the 'biggest snow storm to ever hit MD' was occurring within hours of my departure. Being the worry wort that I am, I was a bit nervous about traveling in the big snow, and even more nervous about being stuck in San Francisco. Despite my worries, I made the trek to the airport at 2 a.m. on Friday morning, and after several mishaps (to avoid whining I'll just leave it at that) made it San Francisco at 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Baltimore)

The trip was a big success! The 57th Annual Postgraduate Course, the conference I have been working on since I started at ADA, went off with flying colors and raving reviews, and I loved San Francisco! I can't wait to go back! The city was gorgeous, the people were nice, and the weather was a perfect 60 degrees. Coming from the 25 degrees in MD, it felt like a taste of Spring...which was just enough to put a little pep in my step.

I spent Saturday night out on the town with ADA's newest intern, Cassie. We had dinner at a cute little place down in Fisherman's Wharf, had Irish Coffee at the famous Buena Vista Cafe, and rode the Cable Cars up to the top of the hill. All in all, it was a great time and we did some fabulous sight seeing!

After several problematic phone calls with the airlines (mostly non-weather related) I finally made it back to MD on Tuesday around 2 a.m. (again to avoid whining, I'll leave it at that)

Although I was very unhappy about missing the big snow, I think in retrospect I'm glad I wasn't here. The latest and greatest 'blizzard of 2010, round 2' has got me stuck inside with cabin fever and longing for Spring time. Not to mention the heaping piles of snow just waiting to be shoveled.