Five Weeks Out: The Happenings

Oh holy moly. I'm starting to spaz out now, I think. Just over a month now, peeps!

From what I can remember of the past week, it's been a pretty good one. But these weeks are tricky things. Every day is a tricky thing because it feels jam-packed full of things and entirely too slow, all at once. Every night I go to bed exhausted, run off my feet, my head in a haze from everything I did that day. And every morning I wake up wondering why I'm still tired, because I really haven't been that busy, have I? (It's a fat lie!) Why is it that when I'm crazy busy my mind goes into defense mode and I really, truly forget everything I've done? Does that happen to you? So when push comes to shove, my list of accomplishments this weeks is pretty huge. You know?

Here it is:

-Work has finally slowed down. Eight hour days instead of 12-14. It's nice. (I hate my new cubicle, though.)

-I had a root canal on Monday. (So the tooth pain has stopped. Crown and fillings in two weeks.)

-My back and neck are well on their way to being better, thanks to my amazing Chiropractor/Bro-in-law, Dr. Eric Westover.

-I ordered a new lens for my camera, which will mean better travel photos during my trip. I'm pretty excited about this one, and you should be, too!

-I sent my passport off to have some pages added. I realized I had less than ten open pages left and that just won't do with extended travel. (Especially when some countries are page-hogs. Seriously, Egypt? Why do you need an entire page? I'm lookin' at you, too, Jordan!) Forty-eight blank pages, here I come!

-It is time to prep my big video editing computer to sell! That means transferring all files to my tiny travel laptop (and a hard drive) and doing a full wipe of said machine. (suffering from separation anxiety, big time)

-I designed my "blog cards" to match my new blog design and sent them off to be printed. I should have them next week and I'm really excited about them. They're super cute!!

-I found a great windbreaker on sale at REI. Added it to the growing pile of things to pack. I plan on spending most of my time in warm places, so I will not be taking things like a heavy jacket or hiking boots (or any closed-toed shoes save a pair of sneakers, for that matter). The windbreaker and a zip-up shell will be my go-to items for blustery days.

-Oh, I cut my hair. Again. Well I didn't do it. My stylist did, like two weekends ago. It's short. WAY short. And I love it! I've been working my way up from mid-back length hair for a few months, knowing I would need something easier to travel with. Here's what I ended up with:



Other news:
My uber-talented and altogether stellar sister went back to work for Apple
this week. Kind of amazing. She's loving it and I'm so excited to see
her so very happy in her job.

And here is what I need to do these days, but have completely managed to avoid so far:
-Complete an entire online course in five weeks. One that I suck at. Way bad.

-Sell the odds and ends that I've been putting off, vases, pictures, decorations, end tables, etc. (very time consuming)

-I'm also contemplating (finally) listing my Jeep for sale. Sadface!

-My list of other odds and ends:: replacing a rather worn credit card (wouldn't want it to stop working abroad), buy travel insurance. Insure my electronics. Arrange a safe deposit box to store my backup hard drive in case of emergencies. Switch all bills to paperless/e-bills. Deactivate local commute tags, pre-paid parking cards and other commute accounts (bridge tags, train passes, etc). Cancel my HSA savings account (to save the monthly fee). Talk to my offices' financial advisor about whether or not I'll need to transfer my retirement fund out of the office fund while I'm away...


And here is an entirely gratuitous photo of my nephew, Rhys, because, well, he's adorable and we had fun taking photos and playing with hats the other day.

What are you up to this week?

6 Weeks: Happenings

This was a big week... I mean, seriously guys, loads of, um, not much at all.
-I worked nearly 40 hours in three days.

-I stressed myself out so badly because of work (and after being hit on the head last week by a bookshelf) that I literally was unable to turn my head for two days. My amazing brother-in-law happens to be a chiropractor and he fixed me up. Well, he's been fixing me up, every day this week, because let me tell you, everything is so inflamed in my neck/back that we've had to work on it in steps. #imightaswellbeinaneckbrace

-I undertook a massive writing project three weeks ago. I finished said project one week ago. This week I redrafted said project when I wasn't working. Or sleeping. Or writhing in pain.

-I packed a box. One. Didn't want to over-exert myself, for crying out loud.

-Round two of my vaccinations happened. One more to go. And a few meds to pick up to have along the way. Antibiotics and anti-malarials and the like. All of those anti's. No one wants the pros, because believe me, there is nothing good about malaria or a screaming bout of the pharaoh's revenge.

-I realized that I have been WAY overstocking up on the things I use for my trip. That's what happens when you have too much going on and you think you're too smart for your own good by thinking that because you're going to be spending time in the South Pacific that you'll need to bring the contents of an entire makeup counter/feminine hygiene aisle/face wash case with you and you really don't, all you really need is enough for the two or three months you'll actually be IN the South Pacific... And wasn't that the most epic run on sentence ever?

-The office move I thought was happening last weekend is, in reality, happening tomorrow. Today I say goodbye to my lovely, quiet, spacious office, sadface:

And last, but not least, today I had my first monkey wrench thrown at me. Don't worry, nothing big enough to change my plans, but a wrench, nonetheless. (You can't plan to do big things without expecting these things to pop out at you from nowhere, because they just will!) I went to the Dentist for a cleaning and pre-trip check. I've had a feeling that I would need another (!!!) root canal sooner than later. (On the tooth next to the tooth I've already had TWO root canals on... Yah, I was hit in the head crazy hard with a basketball back in college, so hard my head rang like a bell for a couple of hours. The hit was centered on those teeth and they have been slowly dying ever since. #truestory). Well, root canal day has come! Plus I get the bonus of two cavities that need fillings, too. Am I lucky, or what?

Yah, that's $3k worth of dentistry that will come directly out of my travel budget. But honestly, it's a bit of a relief. I have a fabulous dentist, who is a dear family friend and I trust him to do a wonderful job. Had this happened in a few months, cringe! Picturing witch doctors and pulling teeth in the middle of a south pacific island... NOWAYJOSE.


So that's that.  
What are you up to?

Redesign: Sneak Peek!

I'm crazy excited for my updated blog design and migration to wordpress to go live! Until that happens, I thought you might enjoy a sneak peek of things to come. May I present, without further ado, my new logo and banner:

It will most likely be a week or two before you see this new look implemented and guys, there is so much cool stuff happening with this blog, I can hardly handle it! You're going to love it!

Meanwhile, check out the website of my crazy-talented web designer, Emily White, who has so far made what would have been a nightmare for me to do on my own, an amazingly fun, fast and seamless process. Thanks, Emily!

7 Weeks Out

Here's what's been going down this week in my preparations to leave the country:

Travel Vaccinations 
I started six courses of vaccinations for HepA&B, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies. I've collected meds for malaria and some antibiotics for the occasional bouts of "Pharaoh's Revenge." And I got poked full of more needles for bloodwork to test my immunity to measles, mumps and rubella.
Fun stuff!

Not So Fun (har-har)
While I'm packing and moving everything in my home, there is also some heavy-duty restructuring and remodeling going on at work. Because of the new corporate structure, I have to move out of my beautiful, spacious, private corner office and into a cubical. This weekend. I'd make a fuss about it, but I'll only be there five weeks and I'll probably spend just as much of that five weeks working from home as I do in the office...
Nevermind, I'll make a stink about it. It SUCKS. Feels like a demotion, even though I've not been demoted.

Moving/Getting Rid of Home
-This week I took down all of the photos, vases and artwork in my house and stashed them in my garage. Most everything is being added to the garage sale pile.

Electronic Cleanup
-I've nearly finished cleaning out my massive photo collection and will begin migrating my photos from iPhoto to Lightroom soon. Next up: Cleaning out the iTunes music and movie libraries. What joy is mine.

All the Rest
-Only 5 more weeks of work! I can hardly believe it!

-The Blog redesign is well underway! I've seen the designs for my homepage and a variety of other things and am working with my fabulous designer on perfecting them. You're going to love them!

-There are a ton of other little things going on: writing projects, photography projects, packing projects, giving things away projects, craigslisting projects, work projects... I am literally deficient of several hours per day and making up for that by not sleeping. Not a great idea.

PS:
Between moving my house and my office, my sister just announcing that she and her husband will soon be moving, and my bestie also moving... there's  a whole heck of a lot of moving and shaking and changing going on! What the heck? (It's awesome!!)

Are you moving, too?

What are you up to these days?

Human Pincushion! Five of my six vaccination spots. Sorry, no go-go-gadget arm to reach the underside of my arm for the last. :(

Temple, 2.0

This is a post for all of my LDS people out there. And if you're not LDS, this could be for you, too, eventually.

Brothers and Sisters, go to the Temple!

For the past two years I've had the priviledge of being a Temple Ordinance worker in the Oakland LDS Temple. It has been such a joy to be able to serve in the House of the Lord. I wouldn't have thought that the Temple experience could be improved, but it has happened.

This week, the Church rolled out a new film as part of the ordinance work that happens in the Temple. I saw it this morning and still cannot stop myself from becoming emotional thinking about it.

It is a marvel. It is beautiful. It is touching. It has increased my testimony and knowledge of the fall of Adam and Plan of Salvation in spades.

So, go to the House of the Lord for the new, improved Temple experience. Serve therein and your life and testimony will be enriched.


Christy

8 Weeks Out

8 Weeks from today, I'll sail away from LA and leave behind the US for the unknown... which is only kind of true, because I know exactly where the cruise ship I'm leaving on will take me. ;) But beyond that... I have no clue, and I love it!

Postings will be scarce from here until I leave, but my bestie, Mary reminded me that I should post at least 1x per week just so I can remember what this time is like later on, so here goes. (Thanks, Mares!)


I've got zillions of things to do, for my upcoming trip and for life, in general:

-Vaccinations and medication (5 weeks out)
-Work, work, work
-Pack up what I'm keeping (a gradual process that will only be completed in the last week)
-sell my car (again, not doing that until much later... as  much as possible)
-Don't forget to eat, breathe, sleep, work out and brush my teeth daily.

I'm working 30-40 hour workweeks right now and the stress is crazy. When I'm stressed, my body responds in all kinds of whacked out ways. My spine alignment, hips and ribheads all go out. Way out. So far out that my chiropractor kind of freaks out and the ribheads press against my lungs, making it hard for me to breathe. In the past, I've mistaken this for panic attacks, but now I know all I have to do is see my Chiro. I usually go once every two weeks. But when I'm on vacation I don't need to go at all, even with all of the unusual activity, flights, bad beds... my back seems to love it! This week it was so bad that my jaw was even out of alignment!

I've already begun to miss my sister and her kids. I'm spending tons of time with them, whenever I can find a spare moment between working and packing. (So I'm not getting enough sleep.... I'll catch up on the boat!) I'm not sure it's a good thing, but I can't help myself. Technically I should probably be dialing down the number of visits to distance myself. That's just not going to happen. Love those faces!

Speaking of my sister, she will soon be returning to work (sadly, a necessity for their family, and pretty standard in California. Dual income families are the norm out here) and I'm excited to share her employment news with you all when it becomes official!

My blog redesign is well under way! I've just seen a preview design and let me say, I LOVE IT. It's really going to change the way this space looks/acts/feels/functions.

Happy Travels!

Yes, I'm Still Here

Hi there.
It's me. Christy, the girl who writes this blog.

Sure, you're probably thinking. Not so much lately...

Yah. It's true. I've been distant. It's not you. It's me.
'
Forgive me?
Okay, phew!

Now that we've got that settled. So much going on!

-Only 9.5 weeks until my grand expat adventure begins and I am officially a world citizen.

-Every summer I write about how crazy work is. Well, that's hit. Summer is officially the craziest time of the year for me at my job. (Think 60-80 hour workweeks and loads of scrambling to crank out videos for a ton of corprorate meetings.) I love it. I hate it. It's exhausting and elating. And it just is. Now.

-This blog will soon be entirely reconstructed. That's right. From the ground up. In the next week I begin construction with a fabulous designer who will make all of my blogging layout and design dreams come true. Wordpress, yo. I think you're gonna like it here when we're done.

-My house is still being deconstructed and that is pretty exciting and chaotic. It went from looking super comfy and cozy and lived-in to this:

 Yup. That there's my redneck sofa. 

(With my sister testing it out. She say's it's pretty comfortable, actually.) 

Be jealous, y'all... :{

But it's all part and parcel of my plans and ultimately, this is only a transition, so que sera and stuff!

-Other stuff is going on, too. And it's great. Except when it's not.

And that's about it for now.

Stay tuned for a new look, coming soon!