What I did last weekend and some packing!

I mentioned things have been a little wacky round these parts recently. Last week at work was quite insane. A big part of the reason being that we finalized plans for me to go over to our UK office and do some training of their Associates!

I've mentioned before that I manage the junior sales people for my company but in my past life I was a Sales Trainer. Well, I created the program I use to train my people and the UK is adopting a similar set up. Guess who's going over to do the training?? Yep, this gal. Oh, did I mention that I leave on Sunday? AHHHHHH...

In addition to leaving for Scotland, yes, I'll be in Edinburgh for a week, Kev and I already had plans to head up to Pittsburgh to see a Steelers game. Yes, I go to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning, then Sunday fly to Newark then on to Edinburgh. A few days of training, a little sight seeing and on home I go! Oh, and when I get back I have 2 new people starting that day. I've got a lot of -ish to get done before I go.

This past weekend was spent getting a bunch of things together and trying to figure out what the heck to pack.

Friday night Kev and I went to Brasa, it's a Brazilian steakhouse where they bring round all sorts of meats on sticks. I'm really picky about my meat and only eat it if it's half a step above mooing. OK, not really a half step, it should moo. Most normal people want their meat cooked so I pass on a lot of the skewers and make the gauchos sad. They never know what to do with me. It's really simple, get your raw meat, run it though a fire for a minute and give it to me. It was really fine though, I had a 10 mile run in the morning and a belly full of last night's meat and a 2+ hours of running does not a happy Lara make.

I got up Saturday morning and was really concerned that it was going to rain. Thankfully it held off. I went with the run club and we did 10.16 miles. I guess it made up for being short last week but dangit, I like nice even run numbers. We even did an out and back, we could have turned around at exactly 5 miles but nooooo.

When I got to the store, I didn't have my Garmin. I left it at home... No lie, I almost turned around and went home to get it. I need to have a record of my run! Sadly my phone only had a 20% charge and the Nike app wasn't going to last that long. Instead I ran "naked".

The run was fine, a little wet but fine. We left from the North Raleigh store and that's my hood. Ran down Six Forks,m out the Greenway, turned around and back. It's the Greenway I run all the time so I knew exactly where we were which was really helpful.

Got home, showered and laid on the couch and asked Kev to bring me things.

The last few days I've been experimenting with milk and seeing if it gave me intestinal distress. So far so good! I tried the Graham Latte and I like it a LOT better than the #PSL. Non-fat, extra, extra hot and only 1.5 pumps of the juice. A grande would normally get 4 pumps which is insane. 1.5 is plenty for me.

What else,  went to Whole Foods (shocker) and got this peanut brittle. Take a closer look there... I see like 2 peanuts. 

I think there's a peanut in the corner by my nail.

Sunday was, you guessed it, errand day! and laundry day!!! One good thing about the Sunday after a long run, no pressure to work out. Nada.

I needed to go to Target and find a neck pillow (they were out) and to Trader Joe's to get some Kind and Quest bars. I need handy snacks just in case, while I'm at the office in Edinburgh. I'll be training most of the day and I'm sure they'll feed me during the day, but in case it's gross or something I can't eat, Kind bar to the rescue! Vega bars saved me at Convention when the lunch food was gross.

I started packing for my trips and that's about it! 

I'm going to work on getting some posts ready for when I'm away. I might be able to churn out a post or two while I'm away but yeah, don't count on it. lol. I'm going to enjoy my time instead of typing on a computer. 

See you all in a week and a half!

What Came Home With Me From Convention

I don't know about you but I love seeing the favors that people get at a convention / conference. I like seeing all the things and evaluating them. People LOVE to get free stuff. Love, love, love it and we'll take things we won't ever use just because it's free. Then we'll hang onto it for a while because we feel bad throwing it away because what if we need it one day??? Kev and I have been purging things that we don't want to take to the new house. Basically, if we don't love it, it isn't coming with us.

THANKFULLY, that doesn't apply to any of the things I brought home from Convention. :)

Let's take a look at what I brought home. 

Every Convention attendee has to have a some sort of name badge. How else will you know who's who? I added this one to my collection. 

This year you had the option to purchase the Convention T-shirt, I think it was $20. I pre-ordered mine when I registered for the event. Between Conventions, Shamrock Projects and other assorted events, I'm re-amassing a giant collection of Kappa Delta t-shirts, I had a crap-ton from college and they slowly wore out or were ruined. Between KD shirts and race tees, I could clothe a small school. 

If you think I just bought one shirt, you're sadly mistaken, I have a seemingly limitless love of long sleeved shirts and added a new one to my collection. I love the color and this is the back of the shirt. I also scored a new car decal and some super cute notepads.

Every conference has its own bag. A good bag is crucial when attending these events. Everyone needs a place to put their programs, snacks, water bottles, a coffee thermos, powder, chapstick, skittles. Wait, that's my bag. But you get the picture. 

This year's bag was really large and it was made of a waterproof material. It's great for the summer and I could see myself taking it to the beach or the pool. I did think it was a bit large to carry thought the halls and I resorted to carrying my purse or a little tote bag I happened to pack. I was also bummed because the bags the NLT people got didn't have the convention patch. I guess they'd received complaints that the volunteers preferred plain bags since they'd gotten so many in the past. Eh, I would have liked a patch but it's still a nice bag. 

At the first meal this graphic print was our favor. I think it would make a great addition to my cr2f prints that are in my office. Now to find a matching white frame. 

This year I joined the KD chorus. I joined it 2 years ago also, it's always a lot of fun and you get to find out where NCTA and the next Convention will be before anyone else does. Really though, it's a lot of fun to get up there and sing in front of everyone. 

You generally get an extra something as a chorus prop and this year it was a KD visor. I'm super stoked about this. I had been contemplating getting a visor for running for a while but hadn't found one I liked. This one is perfect! I get to show off my KD pride and keep the sun out of my eyes. It's a win win Yo.

When we got to our CAS meetings, our CAS director gave us a present of a Disney gift card, which was super nice and unexpected. I mentioned before that I'm not all that big of a Disney fan. Except for one thing, Beauty and the Beast. Hands down, my all time favorite Disney movie. It was my favorite fairy tale as a kid and I remember being so excited when it was released in the theater. I might have seen it many, many times in the theater and can recite it word for word. 

If I'm getting anything Disney, it's going to be Beauty and the Beast. 

This mug was perfect. And it holds plenty of coffee. :)

Only convention related because I bought it in Orlando. Beaker is awesome. He currently lives in my office and when a member of my team comes in to tell me something "shocking" I hold up Beaker.

This might be one of the best favors ever. It's a portable power charger and works really, really well. My phone is in a constant state of death and I never seem to have a way to charge it. Throw this in my bag, boom, instant power source.

At one of the lunches we received this makeup / pencil bag. I can't decide what I want to use it for yet but it's a great bag.

You can also see the gold rose pendant. At NCTA last year we received a similar gold pendant, but it was a nautilus shell. The collegiates loved them and wore them all the time. This year we got another one of our symbols, a rose. I've worn my nautilus pendant several times and I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of this one as well.

I love this bracelet. We received it as a favor at the Foundation lunch. Pearls are another one of our symbols and this bracelet is so versatile, They did a great job picking out jewelry that spoke to all ages and that you'd actually wear.

At our first NLT dinner, these books were on our chairs. They've been around for a while but I've never bought one. I'd contemplated several times but never pulled the trigger, now I don't have to!

I already showed this picture but one of the best things I brought home was my National Leadership Team dagger. It's really special and signifies a lot. I'm just really thrilled to be able to serve at the National level.

I looked over my treasures trying to decide what my favorite thing was. I love all of the things we received and I know I'll get a lot of use out of them all, which for convention swag is a huge deal.

One of the things I received that was so very special to me was this.

One of the Xi Chapter Alums gave me this postcard with a super sweet note congratulating me on my NLT appointment and a taste of home. For those of you who don't know, Sarris is the best chocolate on the planet. Hands down, no question, don't argue. If you're in Pittsburgh, get some Sarris chocolate covered pretzels. Life changing.

I'd never met her before but she knew about me. I was so, so touched to receive it and it reminded me that no matter how many years I've been away, how many years I've been with Eta Upsilon or how many chapters I work with, Xi is still "my" chapter and Xi alum will always have a special connection. Thank you for reminding me where I came from and why I continue to serve.

We definitely received some great things. I had to pull some things out of my checked luggage to stay within the weight limits but it was worth stuffing in my carry on!

Linking up!

Northern vs. Southern Food

Yes. I know I think a lot about food. I can't help myself. This afternoon I was thinking about Skittles. Thinking really really hard. I wanted something sweet so badly and I broke down, dug out some change and headed to the vending machine. Every last dang piece of candy was chocolate. I can't eat soy, I can't eat chocolate. Yes, it's terribly sad. Believe me, I'd love some chocolate, I just don't need the stomach ache.

I was actually much sadder when I developed an allergy to aspartame. I LOVED me some Diet Coke. I cried when I found out. Seriously cried. Now I reminisce about Diet Coke like a former smoker thinks about having another cigarette. Oh lord, that first sip of Diet Coke right after you crack open the can. Ahhhhh or a McDonald's Diet Coke?? Come on, you know McDonald's has the best fountain soda.

Ok, enough about Diet Coke. Let's talk about Southern Food. I didn't grow up in the south but I've lived in NC for almost 9 years. Before moving here I knew a little about southern food but had no idea what to expect.

- Tater Tots are an acceptable breakfast side dish. I was at the cafeteria at work the other morning and 3 of the 4 people in line got tots with their breakfasts. I don't get it. Tots are a lunch or dinner side, generally with a hot dog, like in elementary school.

(Eyes on food is always funny)

- Mayo on your breakfast sandwich. I might have vomited a little in my mouth the first time it was offered to me. Bacon egg and cheese, yes please. Do you want mayo on that? NO! That's disgusting. Hot mayo on a greasy egg, fatty bacon and glistening cheese. No no no no no.

(Revel in my MS Paint skills)

- Sweet Tea, that's a given. People in the south like sweet tea, northern sweet tea comes in an Arizona or Lipton can.

- Banana pudding. People lose their minds over some banana pudding. Don't get me wrong, I love Nila wafers, bananas and pudding as much as the next person but why do southerners lose their minds over it?

- Carolina BBQ. Ok, Carolina BBQ is amazing. I never liked sweet sauced BBQ meat and the vinegar base is delicious. Kudos.

Northern Foods we NEED in the South

- OK South, let's be honest, your pizza is bad. Yes, each and every town has their local pizza shop and you all think it's good. I get it. But it's not good. It just isn't. Every pizza in the south is a 6 or lower. There's no delicious sauce and doughy crust. Yes you all can argue with me but I'm right on this one. Head up north, get a piece of pizza and give me a call.

(DiCarlo's is the pizza of choice in my home town)

- Butter cookies! Those small Italian butter cookies. OMG, so good they bring a tear to you eye. Northern bakeries are amazing. Sadly, the best bakery in town here is Whole Foods. Yes you can get a nice cupcake here and there but for a full service bakery, I have to go to Whole Foods. Bring me ONE bakery with a butter cookie and a nut horn and I'll cry happy tears.

(Moio's in Monroeville. OMG this is my happy place. I don't see my favorite fancy macaroons in the pix but go there and eat them all. I got my wedding cake and plates of cookies here.)

- Fries on food. We do this in Pittsburgh and it's really fantastic. Fries on salad, fries on sandwiches, fries make everything better. Trust me on this one.

 

- Subs!! Northern toasty subs are the BEST!!! Long skinny roll, toasty bread, some sort of meat, cheese and delicious spices. Damn they're good...

(Uncle Sam's Subs in Pittsburgh. It's been too long since I've had one of these babies. We ate a lot of these in college. I still think about them.)

- Diners, there aren't any diners in the south. Where the heck do you eat at 2 am when you're in college?? Cook Out isn't the same and Waffle House is nasty. It's just nasty and they don't have butter cookies.

Alright, now to convince Kevin that it's time for a trip up north! 

What foods do you miss?

Ever had fries on your salad or sandwich?