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Amazing Art

Last night, I had the opportunity to view some amazing art at an art gallery opening in Wilton Manors.  The gallery, Negril Art Gallery, was holding its grand opening complete with wine, hor d’oeuvres, music and great company.  This event was made even more special as my employee was one of the night’s featured artists.  It was an awesome opportunity to enjoy some art while supporting a colleague.

Honestly, I had an inkling that his work would be great, but I had no idea just how amazing they would be.   Consequently, I was completely awestruck by his work.  His portraits were sublime.  If you asked me which one was my favorite, I wouldn’t be able to pick just one.  They were that good!

I really enjoyed the gallery opening.  First of all, it was the first time in a long time that the Hubby and I were attending something that wasn’t hockey related.  Secondly, the art was utterly sublime.  Lastly, it was amazing to see our team there to support their colleague.  Truly, it was incredible seeing all the people form work that went to support Kwame.   It was a great event!

Afterwards, several us went to Padrino’s for some Cuban food and more drinks.  Oh yes, the vodka and long islands were free flowing as we waited for the others.  I enjoyed Arroz Con Pollo, while the hubby had lechon asada.  Fortunately, both of our decisions were pure perfection.  Both the chicken and the pork were cooked perfectly and were full of flavor.  We will definitely be back!  Moreover, our bill was only $200, which for 8 adults that are all drinking is pretty darn cheap.

After Padrino’s, we headed over to Cafe Vico for some more drinks and live music.  Unfortunately, the band had finished playing by the time we got there.  They had music playing, but the song choices were not fantastic.  Fortunately, the DJ/Chef/Owner let us start playing the music from his iPad. We had a fabulous time and shut the place down.  We ended our night by committing to go to Reykavik or Zurich for a girls weekend.   All in all , we had an amazing night out on the town.

Tonight’s song performed by Prince is “When Doves Cry.”

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Choking

Well, it was a day full of choking.  When I say choking, I don’t mean the kinky 50 Shades stuff, I mean sports teams utterly out performing.  Once could say shitty decision leads to shitty outcomes, but that seems a bit obvious.  As a hardened Vikings fan, I knew tonight would be disappointing.  Consequently, I spent the first half of the game working out.  Fortunately, while they gave up touchdown after touchdown, I burned 632 calories.  (At least there was some winning today!)

 

My kids, however, have not yet accepted what it truly means to be a Minnesota fan.  You know, the team will build up your hope only to choke in dramatic and devastating fashion.  Come to think about it, I probably should have used disappointment or today’s title, however, that would be redundant.  Nevertheless as a consequence of the Vikes’ epic collapse, I have one kid in a full on melt down.  Truly, I think he thought the world was truly ending.  Like many fans, I would have loved for my team to win, but hey reality is reality.  I simply don’t get my hopes up anymore.

Despite their epic loss, I love my Vikings and fellow fans.  How many organizations have a fan base that would raise well over $200,000 for an opponents charity? Not many.  At least the Vikes are honorable, which is more than I can say about many people.  I actually had some tell me today that they have a sliding scale of accountability and were proud of it.  Things to keep to yourself..  If you are in charge of anyone and have a sliding scale of accountability, you should probably quit your job.

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Unfortunately, the highlight of my day was the awesome chili I enjoyed at Culver’s between games.  When the chili was the highlight of the day, you know it was a bad sports day.  Additionally, I started reading Sun Tzu’s TheArt of War, which was quite enjoyable.   If you lead people, in any capacity or environment, you need to read this book on military strategy.  While this book was written with a military audience in mind, its principals are applicable across all industries and all leaders. In fact, I’m pretty sure its the first time in recorded history that a leader referred to a style akin to servant leadership.

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Ultimately, win, lose or draw, I love spending time with my family.  In that regard, today was a total win.  The Vikings’ season may be over, but I still have my Wild and soon the Twinkies will start spring training.  In short, soon the other sports teams from Minnesota can break my heart.   Lastly, if you’re looking for a good book to read on strategy, pick up a copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Tonight’s song performed by Minnesota’s own Soul Asylum is “Runaway Train.  I know, I know it is a bit melancholy, but after the drubbing my Vikes endured it seems apropos.  Of course, it also happens to be a great song and a great video.

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Rest Day

After a 5:00 am wake up call and an early morning arrival this morning, today was a rest day for my boys and I. All three of us slept in late and were slow to get out of bed. I ran and got breakfast around 11:00 also making hair appointments for Goalielocks and I for later in the day.

Apart from a couple of errands after our hair appointments, the only other item on my calendar was yoga tonight. In my mind, I gave myself a loophole to the only “sneakers” rule. Honestly, I just needed to wear some flip flops after wearing boots for the last several days. Moreover, yoga is miserable in sneakers. As you know, yoga isn’t about being miserable.

As for yesterday, We had a good, but odd travel day. First of all, I have to commend both Delta and Hertz for amazing customer service. For example, when the rental return crew saw our luggage in the car, they arranged for someone to drop us off at the terminal. This was a total godsend.

Surprisingly, both check-in and the security check points were pretty quick. We hit a snag, however, when we got to the gate. Unfortunately, security and the check-in desk, had let a passenger group through without noticing their baby didn’t have a reservation. How this traveler didn’t know he needed to have a reservation, so everyone on the plane would accounted for, is beyond me.

Since the baby didn’t have a reservation, they couldn’t let the child on the plane. The gate agents worked feverishly to fix the issue, however it isn’t so simple to add a last minute reservation as the plane is about to push back.

Throughout the entire ordeal the dad stayed stoic as his two older children were by his side. His mother, who was arguing with the gate agents, was sent down to board the plan to prevent further delays and aggravation.

As a result of this issue, the plane leaving to New York wasn’t able to leave the gate until after our flight was supposed to board. Consequently, our flight ended up leaving an hour late. While the New York flight left almost two hours late. Throughout the entirety of the ordeal, Delta’s gate agents remained calm and professional. As for us passengers heading to the ATL, we were just happy we weren’t on the New York flight.

When we boarded our flight in ATL, they invited the Mayor into the cockpit. He got to sit in the captain’s chair, play with the yoke and wear the hat. As he sat in the cockpit, he and the pilots discussed the controls and flying. The captain told him the first officer would be flying and to let him know how he did after we landed. They had offered the Mayor the opportunity to switch spots with the captain, but it’s probably better they didn’t since the Mayor fell asleep before takeoff.

Our flights were fast, smooth with great Wi-Fi throughout. The weirdness for me continued once we landed in FLL. After we grabbed or bags, I headed to the restroom before we drove home. While most people shut the stall doors when they use them, the janitor at FLL found this to be unnecessary. I have seen things I can now I see. I get that the airport was empty, so maybe she thought she could leave it open. However, she didn’t even close it after myself and another travelled walked into the restroom. People are crazy in Florida! But hey no icy or snowy roads here, so I’m good!

Yoga was fabulous at Burn tonight! I’m super excited that the Hubby setup my yoga silk while I was in Chicago. The boys have all tried it out and think it’s amazing. It’s a great place just to “hangout and chill.” Well, I’m off to finish unpacking and get more laundry put away.

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Homeward Bound

After a wonderful weekend in Chicago, we’re homeward bound. We got a very early start to our day with a 5:00 wake up call. The Mayor’s game was out in West Dundee and after several inches of snow, we needed to leave even earlier. Consequently, we hit the road at 5:30 hoping that would provide adequate time to get there by 6:10.

Unfortunately, it did’t. Admittedly, I got spoiled when living in Minny as they truly do a great job clearing the roads quickly. Illinois could use a lesson or two from Minny on clearing the roads. While the storm had started in the early evening hours on Sunday nights, the interstate was still a mess when we hit the road this morning.

Not for nothing, winter driving is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to move out of Minny. I absolutely abhor driving in the snowy and icy conditions. Clearly, I don’t have the nerves nor the stomach for it. Nonetheless, I survived driving through the snow and ice.

Back to hockey, both boys were playing in the semis this morning. The Mayor’s team lost a heart breaker of a game, but they played with so much heart. Unfortunately, due to the timing of their games and the road conditions, I missed Goalielocks’ game.

I didn’t think in a million years I could have made it there for more than a period. However, the game was a complete train wreck with numerous stoppages. In fact, even though I would have made it to the rink an hour after it started, I still would have caught half a game. The crazy part is these games are only supposed to take an hour…. This one took considerably longer.

As much as I hate driving in the snow, it was absolutely beautiful this morning. After their games, the kids headed outside to play in the snow with their teammates. They had an absolute blast. Fortunately, the weather was absolutely perfect for playing outside with temperatures in the low to mid 20s.

Once they finished playing outside, we packed up the room so we could grab lunch with our friends. It was no surprise that Goalielocks wanted to head back to Giordano’s. In fact, I was totally on board too since eating the deep dish pizza would likely keep us full for the rest of the day.

While our teams didn’t make the finals and the hockey didn’t go as we hoped, I’m leaving Chicago with a heart full of love and gratitude. I’m extremely thankful to be able to share these experiences with the kids and with my dear friend Jen. Seeing Jen and her family absolutely made my weekend. There’s nothing better than a dear friend, who loves you no matter where you are in life. A friend that sticks by your side through thick and thin. Moreover, even though you may not talk everyday you know they’re in your corner. Love you to the moon and back my sister from another mister!!!!

We’re presently cruising around 36,000 feet heading south to Atlanta before heading to Florida. The Mayor is enjoying a movie, while Goalielocks has been watching highlights from yesterday’s Vikings game. There’s no studying happening, so hopefully that means they did their work already. Meanwhile, I’m here blogging away on my iPhone.

I’ll close out tonight’s blog with how much we enjoyed our time in Chicago. The people, the service, the food was all incredible. From the moment we got to the rental car counter at Hertz until we pushed back tonight, we were met with nothing but kindness from the people of Chicago. The only nasty people we came across were crazy hockey mom and grandmas from other states. We, of course, were on our best behavior. Seriously, Chicago and its people were amazing to us this weekend!

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Skol Vikings!!!

Skol Vikings!!! Holy cannoli Batman that was a nail biter of a game between my Vikes and the Saints today. Jen and I were biting our nails as we followed the live updates on the Score. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a time delay on the app. So we were a bit behind.

Fortunately, text messages from my hubby, the family group text and Chuckles and Roman kept us updated timely. Honestly, when C&R texted holy cow, what a catch, touchdown, I thought they were messing with me. (It’s not hard to do.) I was in disbelief until my hubby and the family group text confirmed the good news.

Truly it was a game that entertained the masses while giving Minnesota fans a heart attack. I was commiserating the Vikings impending doom with my hubby via text and Jen as watched Goalielocks’ game. When she said, “maybe there’ll be a miracle.” I replied as any hardened Vikings fan would, “miracles don’t happen to us.” Only this time it did thanks to our Keenum led offense and Diggs’ amazing catch.

Aside from the Vike’s amazing win tonight, my boys had four games at two rinks across town. Consequently, I’m utterly exhausted and not looking forward to a 5:00 am wake up and an early morning drive through the snow. Goalielocks’ Team was 2-0 on the day, but I’ll write more about that in a forthcoming post on instant karma.

Meanwhile, the Mayor’s team went 1-1 on the day. The Mayor notched two goals today scoring one in each of the games. In fact, he scored the only goal for his team in the morning game. Both boys’ teams have moved onto the semis bright and early tomorrow. I’ll likely miss the start of Goalielocks’ game.

Lastly, the boys are really loving the Chicago area. Unfortunately, it looks like we won’t be able to make it downtown tomorrow due to games. However, today I introduced Goalielocks to deep dish pizza. After their morning game, we went with friends to Giordano’s. Goalielocks and I shared a pepperoni deep dish pizza that was to die for. In his words, “it was the best pizza he had ever eaten!” Moreover, he wants to go back for more tomorrow.

Of course, the plus side is the pizza really fills you up. You really don’t need to eat too much the rest of the day after having that. Even after we got back to the hotel after Goalielocks’s game, I was still full.

I should also mention that it has started to snow here in Chicago, which makes awesome driving – said nobody ever!!! My boys though are loving the weather. In contrast, I’m praying for an early end to the snow and for the roads to be clear tomorrow morning when we leave. I’m off to bed as we have a very early wake up call tomorrow morning.

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Brilliant Combinations

When it comes to brilliant combinations, you may not think about designer dressed with sneakers.  Since I’m unable to wear heels or any other shoes except for tennis shoes, I’ve had to pair my BCBG dresses and nice jackets with my kicks.  Now I love my Asics, they’re the best running shoes around.  I just don’t love the dress and kicks look.

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It is reminiscent of when I worked in the insurance industry in Minnesota.  In the winter, I would wear boots or somewhat sensible shoes into the office.  Consequently, when I got to the office, I’d put on my stilettos.  Stilettos on the ice are a sure-fire way to break your back, hip or head.  Fortunately, there’s no ice or snow to contend with here.  Unfortunately, that just makes my shoes look like a grand fashion faux pas.  I have to keep reminding myself it is only temporary.

Last night, I went to spin class, which my tendons tolerated pretty well.  Admittedly, I had to modify my ride to accommodate the injury.  For example, instead of going into 2nd or 3rd, I would stay in the saddle.  I was able to ride in 2nd position for a while, but I had to be judicious about it because too much time or resistance in that position resulted in discomfort.

Tonight I went to yoga.  Let me tell you, yoga in running shoes is pretty darn clunky.  It would have been hard to do a flow class in my kicks.   I found that I couldn’t get into my arm balances as my shoes kept getting caught up in the mat.  Oh well, it is a small price to pay for fully recovered tendons (hopefully soon!)  Fortunately, my instructors at Burn have been amazing in helping me modify moves in the classes to protect my legs.  Rather than do a flow class, Monica led an amazing stretch class.  It was exactly what I needed.

Since I’m headed to Chi-Town on Friday, I’m trying to get some great workouts in before I go.   My new year’s resolution was to start attending the 5:30 am classes at Burn.  Thus far, I’m 0-3.  After tomorrow morning, I intend to be 1-3.  Tomorrow morning is a circuit burn class, which is the same class I attend on Saturdays.  My teacher, Amanda, is freaking phenomenal.  Not only does she make sure we’re all maintaining our forms, she’s quick to provide modifications for those of us nursing injuries.  It makes a huge difference!  I’ll let you know tomorrow night if I was able to get up at 5:00!

Lastly, we’re almost ready for Chicago.  The last of our winter wear should arrive yesterday.  I’m so looking forward to spending some quality time with Goalielocks and the Mayor.   Moreover, I looking forward to seeing my bestie Jenny and hanging out with my fabulous hockey parents.  As we held our poses tonight, I was reflecting on how lucky we are to have so many amazing people in our lives.  We’re truly blessed.   The photos I’ve included on the blog are from three of my favorite hockey trips: Ottawa, Peewee Quebec and Minneapolis.

Tonight’s song performed by Shakira at her Paris concert is a “Nothing Else Matters/Despedida” medley.  As an aside, “Nothing Else Matters” is one of my absolute favorite songs.  I loved watching this clip from her concert and witness the universal nature of a great song.  It is awesome hearing the audience sing along to it.

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Win Some, Tie Some

You win some, tie some.. Oh, wait the phrase is you so Some, you lose some. Whoops! The good news for Goalielocks and his squad is they won their first game and tied the second game. Unequivocally, it would have been nice to grab a second with, but it wasn’t in the cards.

I have to say we’re spoiled in Florida hockey. When you leave a rink in a Florida, you warm up almost instantaneously. Unfortunately, with temperatures in the 40s today that simply isn’t possible.

As I write this, I’m still cold as we ride home in the Bachman party bus. It will take a while to un-thaw, but it’s a small price to pay for spending quality time with the boys and our friends.

Between games we were able to catch lunch at my favorite local restaurant Cafe Murano. It’s a great, reasonably price restaurant that’s relatively close to the rink. I enjoyed an exceptionally delicious bowl of spaghetti Bolognese. The food came out quickly and was amazing. Truly, the did great accommodating our group of 30 people.

We headed back to the second game to freeze are arses off again. Even my Starbucks was quickly cooled as I sat in the box waiting for the puck to drop. Fortunately, I was significantly less busy in the box than the first game. Unfortunately, I was significantly colder during the second game.

Goalielocks had a great game as did his partner in crime. Neither faced a significant number of shots, but both came up with some huge saves when they needed them. Naturally, I was super happy for Goalielocks. I loved seeing his winsome smile as he skated off the rink today.

Now we head home in the party bus, only to venture over to the West Coast for the Mayor’s games. It’s another day on the road and another day at the rink. Of course, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Today’s song performed by the Beatles is “Don’t Let Me Down.”

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Resolution Time

It’s day one of the new year and that means is resolution time.  2017, as discussed previously, wasn’t the easiest of years, but I learned a lot.  We spent our New Year’s eve on a sailboat in Fort Lauderdale.  It was a beautiful evening and the perfect place to ruminate on resolutions for 2018.  Of course, as the year started to winding down, there was a lot of conversation about resolutions.  My goals for 2018 are about making concrete gains in all aspects of my life.

First on my list is my running goals.  My goal is to run 8 5ks, 1 10k and a half marathon.  I know it sounds ambitious, but it isn’t too far above my achieved 2016 goal of 12 5ks. In addition, I’d like to get my 5k time back down under 30 and eventually under 28 minutes. While I cannot run at present, I’m still working towards my goal be it spin class, circuit burn, yoga or assisted stretch.  Hopefully, my tendons will heal quickly allowing me to get back to running soon.

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Second on my list, in line with goal one, is to make at least 2 of the 5:30 am weight/circuit classes at Burn.  One of the things I’ve done well this fall/winter was making strength training a priority.  In 2018, I’m looking to build on this foundation and continue with the weights.  Fortunately, the strength training will also help me achieve my running goals.

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My third goal is to become more involved with the causes I support be it PanCan’s local chapter, ARC Broward or Feeding South Florida.  I love volunteering and I love sharing the experience with my family, friends and colleagues.  There’s something about volunteerism that feeds the soul.

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Lastly, my goal is to live a wanderlust life and share my love of travel with the kids.  Aside from Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and the Bahamas, who knows where 2018 will take us.  I can tell you that my boys are begging to go back to Norway, but that’s likely not on the docket for 2018.  In any event, the goal is to put more emphasis on shared experiences and travel than material goods.

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I started my new year running errands with Goalielocks and the Mayor.  Amazingly, I have not been able to find flip flops for the Hubby despite looking at several local stores.  Apparently, everyone bought flip flops as presents for all of the males in their lives.  While I perused the racks at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Goalielocks and the Mayor engaged in a game of golf on the putting green.  Fortunately, they didn’t break anything and they didn’t get in a huge fight.

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I hope you and your family had a happy and prosperous 2017 with an even better 2018 in store.   In the interim, I’ll being doing my best to keep my resolutions.  Over under on me actually making a 5:30 am class is 10,000,000:1, but hey one can have goals.  While it’s not one of my resolutions, I’ll do my best not to morph into psycho hockey mom territory (aka Megaphone Mom,) but I can’t make any promises.

Tonight’s song performed by Regina Spektor is “My Dear Acquaintance (Happy New Year.”)

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Almost there

We’re almost there.. Almost to the end of the year and the grand beginning of a new one. I started my day at Burn with circuit burn and aerial yoga. My leg tolerated both reasonably well with only the mountain climbers causing discomfort. Fortunately, I was able to modify the move to accommodate the injury.

Meanwhile, the Mayor was one an adventurous sleepover on a sail boat in Fort Lauderdale. I have to say I had many amazing sleepovers in my day, but never one a sailboat. Clearly, he’s having a great day based on the photos our friends have sent.

The Mayor and his teammate E have spent their day fishing in the marina. Fortunately, they’ve had a pretty productive day and have caught some nice fish. In fact, the Mayor even caught a nice sized Crevalle Jack!

Now the sun is starting to set and we’re making our way down to the marina. Unfortunately, it’s a bit colder than we’re used to, so we’ve got our hoodies, jackets and some blankets to keep us warm. I’m rocking my new BCBG linen pants with my not so sexy flats (thank you tendinitis.)

As we drive south, Goalielocks is playing the music. He loves his country, but he also loves Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up,” which is an awesome song. It definitely brings me back to my school days and the old East Coast West Coast feud. Admittedly, the song is laced with profanities and violence, but at least it’s not insipid like “Gucci Gang.”

Tonight’s song performed by Tupac is “California Love.”

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Holiday Stress

I’m sure we can all relate to the pressures of holiday stress.  At this time in the year, the stress level is maxed out as we hurriedly try to finish our holiday preparations.  When you’re a small business owner, you can amp that stress level up 100X as you wait for contractors to act on invoices sent over a month ago.  While they’re are definitely benefits to owning your own business, the added stress is not one of them.

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I’ve written about missing home before, but some times in the course of doing business I really, truly miss the Northland.  It would be unthinkable up north for a reputable contractor to sit on invoices for over a month.  Whereas, here in S. Florida it is completely normal for a contractor to pay invoices on island time.  Admittedly, I’m new to this business and my hubby assures me this is normal, but I want to fucking throat punch this guy right now.

Anyway, rant over because that’s not what this post is about.  Believe it or not this post is about ways you can reduce your holiday stress.  Here are some of my favorite coping mechanisms:

  1. Run –  Runner’s high is real and it is amazing.  The world is a better place after a good long run.  f0c4c054288a64ccf399c4ef4b13cbf2--runners-quotes-funny-motivational-quotes-for-working-out
  2. Meet me at the mat!  There’s nothing like a good Vinyasa class to remove your from life’s craziness and put you in the moment.
  3. Come fly with me….  If you’re not inclined to hop on a mat and namaste, then come fly with me at Aerial yoga.
  4. Bake some holiday treats with your loved ones or friends.  If your family is anything like my boys, make sure they don’t steal any cookies from the cookie sheet.  FL Christmas 2006 487
  5. Spend time with good friends  24883571_10155106304447371_1492472535565284382_o
  6. Enjoy a nice drink (i.e. Ciroc and vodka.)  See 5.  tenor (2).gif
  7. Pay it forward.  There’s nothing more rewarding than helping those that are less fortunate.  IMG_1144
  8. Hang out with your four legged friends.  I love chilling with my puppies!  IMG_1291
  9. Spend time doing the things you love with the people you love.  There’s nothing I love more than watching my boys (even the big one) play hockey.  I was in hog heaven last night as three of the four took to the ice.

    Monday Night Mayhem
    Monday Night Mayhem
  10.   Drink more Dunkin’!  Just think soon it won’t just be coffee I’m talking about it will be beer too!

I hope my list of tricks and tools to alleviate the holiday stress was helpful to you.  Obviously, if you’re not in to running or yoga, you suck.. I’m only kidding.  In all seriousness, if they’re not your poison, make time for your favorite workout.  It will do you a world of good!

Tonight’s song is “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”