13 months

13 months old • roughly 19 pounds • totally awesome in every way

Oh, and very friendly - she waves at perfect strangers in the parking lot and on the elevator. It's the cutest.

Surprise Mini Vacation

Last week I had a mini vacation that I wasn't expecting to have. In truth it was a 2.5-day leadership conference for work. Not what you thought I meant when I said "vacation," right? Truthfully, I was expecting it to be kind of dull. Dull and weird. I had to go stay at a hotel downtown. And by downtown I mean like 12 blocks from my apartment. Couldn't I just stay at home with my little family and just come to the hotel during the day for the conference? I wondered. But no. Sequestration is part of the deal.

Hotel Phillips c. 1931

I checked in early Tuesday morning and low and behold, the hotel is absolutely lovely. It's a historic hotel, built in 1931 and refurbished a few times, most recently in 2001. The art deco lobby is small but high ceiling-ed and impressive. The rooms are updated and modern without being too cold.

wall in elevator bay detail

The conference turned out to be way less dull than I thought. It was a lot of just talking about yourself - and who doesn't love that? I'm an ENFP, by the way. The meals were all provided - lackluster, but provided - and I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed a few days without meal prep. There was wine and beer in the evenings, which the organizers of the conference insisted on calling "cocktails." There was a gorgeous wood paneled room where we ate dinner. There were entertaining table-mates and dining companions. There was a constant supply of coffee in cups and saucers (so classic). There were no diapers to be changed. There was poor quality wireless internet so I couldn't do any work in the evenings, even though I really did try. There was a lush and comfy bed and there was TV.

bed detail

I had no idea how therapeutic it would be in the evenings, after a long day of introspection, just to sit in bed and watch TV - something extra special since it's something I never, ever do.

chair detail

The conference, which I fully expected to be intense, weird, dull and generally unpleasant in many other ways turned out to be just the respite that I didn't know I needed.