Category Archives: Events

Decision 2016

Surprise, surprise, I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was just too damn wired about a gabillion different things. Two pills of Calm Forte didn’t do Jack! Ah well, luckily another restless night didn’t void out today: today was a pretty good day even though this evening the presidential election results still loom over our heads…

I tried a new carpet cleaning service this morning, and the results were superb… even better than the company I used in the past (recommended by a friend). Actually, that service wasn’t that great, to be honest. But yeah, this dude today got all the stains out, so we are back in business! Who knew a little bit of citrus pre-treatment followed by water heated to 230 degrees and applied at very high pressure then extracted would get all the gunk out? Very impressed and all my earlier worries about how to get the house “ready” were way overblown. Dude was able to get underneath the bed without even moving it, and he really didn’t need to move every damn piece of furniture. All came out clean with very little pain or inconvenience!

In the afternoon, I attended a real estate training at the office. It was led by a title company agent who used to work at Nordies for 8 years. She was a calling whiz and so, so personable. We clicked right away (Yes, it helped that she complimented my hair), and she’s offered to meet up in December to introduce me to their services and offerings. Very cool. After that, I waited around for my instructor/coach to discuss an entire list of questions… he ended up getting hogged up by another student, so I hit up the office comptroller instead. She was very pleasant in answering my questions. I think my inquiries actually impressed her, bc she said no one else had ever asked her those questions, about the business model and incentives, etc. And of course, as I had intended from the get go, I ended by making my ask. And whatdya know, I fucking got it, much to Bubbey’s surprise. So, I’ll be signing on with that Santa Clara office… Hee, hee. So nice to wrap up my due diligence (though I still have two calls tomorrow with newbies/his coaching students– I’ll still be able to glean valuable info from them) and arrive at a decision. I feel really good about it.

Of course, coming home to Election night is a bit unnerving. I went into the day feeling pretty confident: in Hillary, I think we have an amazing candidate, but it’s now 7pm and well, the results are not looking as promising as anticipated. Bubbey is already calling the end of the world… Many of the key states are too close to tell, but you know what? This election is like the real estate license exam. It doesn’t matter what score you get, you just have to pass. Likewise, it doesn’t matter how close the individual states are, Hillary just has to win. And I still believe she will.

On the Cusp

These days I really vacillate between feeling completely overcome by doom and disbelief to feeling some lingering and stubborn kindling of optimism and fire. Tonight we are on the cusp of something historic. Sure, we continue going about our daily routines: I’m thrilled to have carpet cleaners coming first thing tomorrow to get this sty back in shape; I’m going to another real estate training then meeting with the office recruiter; I’ve got more calls slated for the afternoon, a repeat doggie daycare client the next day… nothing ever stops, but tomorrow I will go to bed reassured and proud and happy, knowing that for the first time ever, this country will have a smart and accomplished Madam President come January. I’m with her, and she will win.

I’ve popped two Calm Forte this evening: I look forward to waking up well rested and hopeful for a brand new day ahead.

Like a Boss

Wow, my mind is still buzzing from all the stimulation at BlogHer. My latest thoughts? I’m feeling the need to beef up my knowledge of personal finance and investing. I know, as boring and dry and tedious as that sounds, I am determined to get a handle on this aspect of my life.

So I’m gonna start by coming clean with a major confession. I am 40 y/o, and I have never ever done my own taxes. Yes, I know. WTF kind of Bubble Girl life have I been living? My friends insist that doing taxes is not that hard and with TurboTax, the task is pretty straightforward. Still. I have never done it on my own. When I was growing up, my father had a CPA who did taxes for his business and investments. As soon as I was of working age, my father had me stashing away my paltry internship stipends into various IRAs. At the time, I just did as he advised, bc I mean, as a 16-y/o, I really didn’t give two fucks about the details of “adulting:” I instinctively trusted what they said as best practice. As I evolved into an adult, I continued doing the same habits: maxing out my 401k contributions and stashing funds into IRAs. When I joined forces with Bubs, he took on the responsibility of doing our taxes bc he had been doing his taxes since forever. As a side note, can you believe J and I are celebrating 20 years together this month? It’s crazy to think about just how young we were when we got together. We met when we were mere 20-y/os and then we got married at 26/27. I feel like, when people hear about how young we were, their reaction is similar to mine, like if I were to hear about someone having a baby/getting married as teens or newbie college grads. It feels like, inappropriately young, you know?

Honestly, it’s a fucking miracle that we are still together. Haha. I mean, yeah, we’re both amazing people 🙂 and all, but shit, two decades is a long-ass time to grow together, through so many big life changes. And I mean, not to throw the hubs under the bus, but Bubbey has A LOT of quirks. I know, most people who know us probably think I’m the more difficult/challenging person to tolerate of the two (It’s ok, I know Bubbey’s got that world class social and emotional intelligence that makes him instantly loveable), but shit, he can be difficult. The road hasn’t been all smooth sailing. We’re both super stubborn beotches in our own ways. But I digress…

So yeah, I’m basically admitting to being a princess. I HATE that description, bc it totally suggests a coddled life (which in turn, conjures bad thoughts about my brother…) but at the same time, my background is what it is.

Fast forward to BlogHer. One of the speakers was a former Wall St. baller. She talked about how financially, women are often behind men, bc three big factors work against them: 1) the pay gap 2) an investing gap 3) falling out of the workforce to raise families. While year to year, the gaps might not seem significant, over the entire span of our working/earning lives, the differences compound into something huge. By retirement age, women have less money saved than men even though they outlive them! I came away from this talk realizing that I need to have a better understanding of my personal finances. I’m not talking so much about saving. I’m pretty good at that, but saving only goes so far.

By not educating myself about growing my money, I am only doing myself a disservice. For example, we’ve all read about salary negotiations and how women consistently avoid making the ask. Sure, it’s confrontational and uncomfortable but you know what? The difference is not just in that one moment/instant. The difference is cumulative. I just had a call last week with my friend P. Her boyfriend was urging her to ask for a raise. She had never done this before and she was so stressed. It made me think about a job offer I got many years back. I’d negotiated for salary before, but I was still so nervous and a part of me wanted to just not ask. But thank goodness I did, bc you know what? I got $70k instead of $48k. And if you factor in annual increases or whatever over a woman’s working lifetime, that extra lift is a big fucking deal. Thankfully, my friend made the ask. Unfortunately, her employer is undergoing some management changes, so no results just yet. Still though. No matter what, asking is better than just accepting.

Ultimately though, my takeaway is this. It’s great that I have my father and J as trustworthy, financially-savvy resources, but I need to know this shit for myself bc as I have seen with friends and family, life happens: divorce, cancer, whatever. If empowerment, independence, and self-sufficiency truly are my values, I need to step this shit up.

So the plan is this: I’m going to start reading this book published by The Motley Fool: Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl, and I’m starting to ask questions, like immediately. This afternoon, I emailed Schwab with some questions about rollovers, and I also called Fidelity about my employer-sponsored 403b. Then I talked to dad about IRAs. My head kinda hurts now, so I’m going to go color my hair. See? Random thoughts all crammed into one head! And all of it discussed on the blog. I do what I fucking want, man! Haha.

Celebrity Insights

Even though BlogHer was a bit of a disappointment, J and I had a great trip down in LA. It had been a few months since we’d last traveled together (London/Paris in April), so it was a good exercise in re-assimilating so to speak. 🙂

In addition, I got a chance to catch up with my BlogHer crew (third reunion!): Jennifer from Diary of a Working Woman and Evelyn from Mommy Mafia. Let me tell you, these ladies know how to work the blogging/branding game. For reals. They are always raking in the affiliates dough and driving around in fancy sponsored SUVs and shit. 🙂 Real life hustlers. We met up on Day 2 for breakky, lunch, and the Conga Room afterparty. These ladies are too much fun.

Holy crap, I dunno what is in the air down in LA, but I got carded. TWICE. I mean, I guess I’m supposed to be all flattered and shit, but are you for real? I just turned 40, y’all. Pipe it down. Maybe some people are just clueless. Honestly, it reminds me of Marty at the dog park. Homeboy is fucking SIXTEEN years old, and I STILL get people asking me if he’s a puppy. Seriously, I was just asked that question last week. I mean, at first, I was like, ok who are these clueless, non-dog people, but the last time, the person was a dog owner!! I know, WTF right??? Oh well, makes for a good story, anyway.

So yeah, like Marty, I was freaking age-checked. I’m thinking it’s that mid-life crisis side shave. Funny thing, I got several compliments on my hair at the conference. For someone who’s pretty much a lifelong socially-awkward person, yes, that shit is music to my ears!!  Maybe my black Camuto heels (from Schoola) also helped to promote the badass facade. Haha.

So despite the shitty conference sessions, BlogHer still got my brain churning. On Day 1, we heard from Sarah Michelle Geller who just started a baking goods startup called Foodstirs. She made some interesting observations about how pitching to VCs is totally different than auditioning for acting roles. There was a huge learning curve for her, but she really embraced the experience with a great attitude, focusing on doing new things and taking risks in new arenas. Turns out, her hubby, actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. went to cooking school and recently published a new cookbook. He was at the conference too. The lines for him were monster and sadly, like the rest of us, the dude is getting old. 🙁

After SMG, Sheryl Crow talked about how cancer changed her life. She admitted to doing the whole fame/vanity thing and being totally blindsided by her illness. She also made some interesting points about 1) using tech to our medical/health advantage. Apparently, there’s a new technology that can detect breast cancer like up to 15 months sooner than with the old tech. 2) She also talked about how women often take on too much in their roles as caretakers. This allows too much stress into our lives, so we really need to set stricter boundaries to gatekeep that toxic crap.

We then heard from Kdash. It’s funny bc I really didn’t know what to expect from Kim. I will say, despite her insane celebrity, she came across quite ordinary. I wasn’t particularly enamored or smitten or inspired by her talk, but I did appreciate her overall ease… I mean, she talked a lot about how much she relies on her friends for advice and expertise. And she was remarkably chill about the haters. She admitted that it used to bother her a ton, but now that she has such great support from Kanye, it bothers her less. And to all the haters who insist that she has zero talent, she smartly countered, “Well, yeah, if you think that all I do is sit and play in front of my computer, then heck, I guess my work is just that easy, right? I get paid for doing nothing… And yet, I’m still driving the same car; I’m still living the same lifestyle.” That’s the thing. It’s so easy to dismiss people who are “successful.” I’ve seen it so many times. Like, I used to totally swoon about Martha Stewart and her “empire.” Then J would say some shit like, “Oh, she has this whole team that does everything. She doesn’t actually do any of the real work.” Uh, excuse me, but do people say the same shit for Emeril or for successful male celebrities? No! Their successes are almost always attributed solely to them, but for some reason, with women, their success is attributed to other people. So fucking annoying. I mean that shit just happened this week even what that Syrian refugee swimmer winning the gold medal and the news announcer going on and on, giving her hubby all the credit. Did the hubby swim the fucking race? No. Give credit where it’s due, people.

Sure, with Martha maybe there is a team working behind the scenes, but then admit that there’s a tribe on both sides, for both famous men AND famous women. At the end of the day, as someone who used to work in social media, I gotta give Kdash props for keeping up with the gabillion social media platforms she’s on… that shit is inundating and exhausting and as far as I can tell, she’s crafting her own posts.

Anyway, I’m not saying I’m a diehard Kdash fan, but like I’ve said before, as with all celebrities, I always see glimpses of me (us) in them. I was definitely disappointed (though not entirely surprised) that she doesn’t identify herself as “feminist.” Still, I admire her hustle and her unapologetic attitude of doing what makes her happy.

On Day 2, I sat in on the lunch keynote with Mayim Bialik. I don’t watch BBT at all, and I’m not really that familiar with Mayim, even from her Blossom days, but she had a really fascinating Q&A. Like Kim, she came across very self-aware, and I loved how she described herself as being super hippy and crunchy and granola and “that’s ok.” I was surprised that in spite of her extreme choices, she is pretty open about letting other people decide for themselves. That’s not often the case for people at the extremes. Like Mayim breastfed until super late, but she admitted, “If that’s not right for you, fine!” Similarly, she is vegan, but if you aren’t, great!

She recently launched an online project called GrokNation. And she shared several funny stories about being a marketing agent’s worst nightmare. Like the branding person kept asking her what was going to be her niche; advising that she focus the site on a few key areas. But Mayim refused to be limited: she wanted to talk about everything and anything, bc those are the thoughts swimming around in her head! I love that attitude! I mean, we are complicated beings; why should be put ourselves into neat little boxes, right?

She also admitted that she’s not super sparkly and appealing in the conventional celebrity sense, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to create her own online space. From her path as an awkward child, who turned into an awkward teen, who turned into an awkward public adult… She knows herself, and she selects projects on her own terms. She doesn’t follow the formula, bc she gives herself permission to deviate and to experiment. Pretty frickin’ inspiring!

I wonder how her insights might apply to my life. For example, I frequently flip flop about focusing my blog on a specific niche in order to better monetize and market it. On the other hand, I also feel compelled to simply write about whatever I want, bc like her, all that shit is swimming around muddled in my head! Unlike Mayim though, I don’t have the same confidence to pick one way and just go forward with it. Instead, I want it all: I want to be a savvy marketer AND I also want to write about whatever. Ugh. And curiously, I’ve been like that with my professional/career path: I choose one way but then all the while, I constantly gauge my success by standards that apply for the other path. Basically, no matter what, I always lose and I always fail.

Mayim also shared some entertaining stories about her mother: Apparently, her mom is her biggest fan. She gushes on and on about how talented and beautiful Mayim is, and whenever her mom catches wind about so-and-so scoring a contract with Louis Vuitton, her mom calls Mayim all incredulous, asking, “Why didn’t LV approach YOU to be the face of the brand? What’s wrong with those people?”

It’s so interesting to hear about that level of parental support. My parents were always like, “So-and-so are doing this and that. Why aren’t you as good them? Why aren’t you doing all these amazing successful things?” But with Mayim’s mom, the position is kinda reversed. Her mom is in complete disbelief that the world doesn’t see the awesomeness and beauty that she sees. That pretty much blows my mind, and it really makes me wonder how parenting shapes a child’s development, growth, and confidence. Wow. What a concept to celebrate differences as better rather than lesser.

Riding Dangerously

Aside from our LA Lyft drivers being super chatty, I also noticed that they were rather agro in their driving style. One woman in particular drove a tiny little Ford Fiesta, and in our brief five minute ride, she twice committed illegal maneuvers blatantly in front of LAPD cop cars! I mean, I’m not a rigid law-abiding ninny like my dad, but she was pushing the boundaries!

In the first instance, a cop car was immediately in front of her turning left on the left green arrow. Mind you, the light was already yellow when he pulled forward into the intersection. Then, the light turned red, and she clearly did not give a fuck. Home girl proceeded, pulling straight into the intersection and turning left in front of oncoming traffic. All while the light was red. WTF?!?

Less than two minutes later, to drop us off in front of our destination, she decided to do an illegal u-turn, again right after a cop car in oncoming traffic passed by. Again, no hesitation. I mean, like I said before: the people we talked to describe former DTLA as really rough and tumble. Admittedly, I’m a suburban princess, so I don’t have a true understanding of what that entails… beyond like what I saw with the LA riots and shit on tv. But I definitely noticed a stronger police presence (compared to SF or DC) when we walked around. We passed a police station, and there was an entire multi-level parking garage filled with cop cars. I mean, how big is the police force for a legit US city? I have no idea.

According to the interwebs, the LAPD (at over 10,000-strong) is the nation’s third largest police department, behind NYPD (over 34,000 uniformed officers) and Chicago PD (over 12,000). Yeah, that’s a lot of cops. Thinking about it more though, I guess the LAPD has bigger fish to fry than unruly Lyft drivers. Huh.

Good Day, LA!

Let me tell you something: DTLA (downtown LA) is something else. First off, the Lyft drivers here are oddly fascinating. I mean, I’ve never done speed dating in my life, but I feel like riding in the Lyft cars with these characters is probably a good representation of what speed dating might be like…

Lyft drivers are super chatty. They always initiate conversation. Thankfully, I have an awesome go-to conversation piece: the Magic Castle!! And I swear, that topic is a winning starter every. damn. time. Initially, the first driver M didn’t seem that impressed or interested, but I persisted. After all, the castle is on my bucket list and to my surprise, the place is ridiculously exclusive, requiring a formal invite from a member magician AND having a very rigid dress code (dresses for women; suit/ties for men). The driver was totally stunned. Yup, stick with me kid and I’ll teach you things you never knew! That said, according to him, anytime he hears about anything in LA being “invitation only,” he immediately thinks sex orgies and wild parties. Say what, dude? Don’t be adulterating my innocent goals of hitting up the Magic Castle!

So in the last few days, we’ve had about four drivers and pretty much all of them are motormouths. A lot of them talk about traffic, places to see, foods to try. Apparently, it wasn’t that long ago when DTLA was a very dangerous area. Only recently has it become safe enough to be a “destination.” I had no idea.

Last night, our driver, who was Georgian,  got talking about eastern European politics and then when that topic got too far over our heads, he transitioned into The Rake, some paranormal creature that’s been sighted in various places, including in his hometown by a family friend. OMG, I am such a scaredy cat. He was totally freaking me out.

Nonetheless, it’s kinda fun practicing my social skills on random people in short bursts. Haha, you know me: always training up for something. Gotta maximize those learning moments and all.

As for the BlogHer conference, eh, it’s been so-so. I mean, interesting and inspiring talks with Sarah Michelle Geller, Sheryl Crow, Kdash, and Mayim Bialik, but outside of that, kinda a disappointment. The attendance is notably lower than years past and the exhibitors and sponsors have been super lame– with brands that just aren’t that compelling. I even brought my big ass suitcase, thinking I would pick up a ton of swag, but for some reason, even the free stuff isn’t appealing enough for me to pack up and take home. The sessions too have been rather rambly and disorganized. I sat in on two today that were better than yesterday, but still: nothing super insightful or helpful. To be fair though, I do need to start making some important decisions with my blog, namely, do I want to monetize or not? Bc if so, I need to adjust my content accordingly. Ugh. I dunno. I waver back and forth all the damn time about it. What can I say, I wanna write what I wanna write.

Regardless, I’m happy to have my new site back up just in time. A few weeks ago, I’d set up my new domain name and imported all my posts from Giddy Go Cowgirl. The new site worked fine. Then, for some strange reason when I woke up on Day 1 of the BlogHer conference, the site suddenly stopped rendering. WTF. So I spent like 30 minutes before breakfast getting it back up and running.

Why the name change? To be honest, I came to the realization that GGC just wasn’t catchy enough. Not to mention, I haven’t been on a damn horse in about two years. I came up with AAH several months ago but some of my friends and Bubs didn’t seem to like it, so I procrastinated a while longer. Ultimately, I just decided to go with it, bc I like it and that’s all that really matters. Fortunately, the response so far has been good! I chatted with several random people in the food line and in a few sessions, and they really liked the name. And the Asians got it. A little lady in the lunch line told me how her mom always brags about having weighed 95 lbs back in her day. Omfg. My mother pulls that shit about my weight and her old weight all the fucking time!! So bizarre.[FAG id=7468]

Spurring Action

Years ago, I read about some study on crying, comparing how frequently women cry compared to men. I think the number back then was six times per month for women compared to only once a month for men. I remember that at the time, immediately on hearing the stats, I scoffed. Big. time. WTF, people. There is no way I cry that much in 30 days. And in typical fashion, Bubbey stepped right in to challenge my reaction: “You definitely cry six or more times per month. You cry just watching things on tv!” Say what? That shit doesn’t count!!! Ok fine, if watching something on tv counts, then fine. Yes, sometimes I get emotional when triggered.

Fast forward to now, and well fuck, last week was a rough one. I must have doubled the monthly average. My trigger(s)? Four days of the fricking Democratic National Convention. Admittedly, since my days at FMF (when I was just a young pup in my 20s) I’ve def stepped back A LOT from politics. When I was at FMF, I was all in: I wrote for the organization’s daily news wire; I crafted letters that constituents emailed to their elected officials; I petitioned in front of the Capitol calling for greater access to emergency contraception and broader abortion rights… I was in it hard. But those days, every time I saw my parents, we argued (mostly about how damaging Republicans were for women and minorities). I was angry every. damn. day, and I was always fighting with someone about something (Johnny was also living with John and me at the time). I even had heated email exchanges with haters who wrote into the organization, complaining about my advocacy emails and other stances to which they disagreed. Back then, I cared so much that it exhausted me. After I left FMF and we moved to China in 2003, I realized just how much I needed that break and distance. Now that I’m forty though, I’ve realized that I’ve shifted to the opposite extreme, to the point of not even wanting to debate politics with friends.

So last week, I watched most of the big DNC speeches… So many of them moved and inspired me. I’d been comfortable in my stepping away and in NOT engaging, but as I listened to Michelle Obama and Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren and so many others, a part of me couldn’t help but feel ashamed by my inaction and lack of participation. Our voices DO matter. And change happens powerfully when people who have less at stake join in supporting and advocating for people who have everything at stake. So how do I re-enter this treacherous zone without losing my shit? I honestly don’t know. But after I got over feeling disappointed in myself (yet again), I decided that I need to start volunteering again. Last time when I was unemployed for an extended period, I helped the local job center with training and computer lab support. When I lived in China, I used to volunteer with animal rescue orgs. When I lived back East, I taught English to adult immigrants. What happened to that person who cared AND acted?

So I contacted the local day labor center to learn more about volunteer opps with teaching and tech assistance. Even though this isn’t a direct way of defeating Trump in the upcoming campaign, I’m going to view it as a beneficial first step towards reconnecting with things that matter to me.

Meanwhile, some interesting articles I’ve read:
Re: Hillary Clinton for President. Sexism is REAL.
Reconciling the differing roles of spouse vs. daughter: Melania and Ivanka
A reminder to be less judgey

Kobayashi Part II

As you know, Bubs and I hit up the HOPR back in March for his 40th bday. I was all bummed bc Bubs totally thwarted my plans for leaving the joint with a shit ton of leftovers. So for my bday, I was super stoked about a HOPR do over. In early May, I tried to get reservations for my bday but shit, that place was booked big time and the earliest booking I got was like June 27. WTF? Fortunately, as my charmed life would have it, the week of my bday, a slot opened up for Friday, June 10. I suspect a cancellation came in for the NBA Finals game, but hell yeah, I took what I could get!

All day, I fasted. When we arrived, I was famished. And then, the ritual began: loaf of fresh baked bread, salad with beets and drenched in Thousand Island dressing, English cut beef, creamed spinach, loaded baked potato, and Yorkshire pudding. We sat next to a couple who was there celebrating the hubby’s bday. I overheard them tell the waiter that they come every year for the splurge, and I felt like a spoiled punk already having dined twice in three months. Anyway, as I made my way course by course, by the time I got to the meat, my tummy started feeling nauseas. Oh hell no, you are NOT gonna fail me now. It is GAME TIME, baby! Was it something about the meat this time (medium well) or had I over-fasted? I dunno but shit wasn’t feeling right. J looked over and was like, are you ok? Fuck man, I will not be stopped. I just continued to get it down my pie hole. It didn’t taste bad, but somehow not as savory as last time. The waiter came by and offered the complimentary second plate. Yup, bring it on. Similar to last time when the waitress was like utterly shocked by how much I had consumed, the lady at the next table, also expressed surprise. Yeah people, I don’t back down in a buffet-like setting. If I’m gonna go, there’s only one way to do it. It’s the Chinese in me. Years of training, I tell you. Meanwhile, Bubs devoured his prime rib original cut. Homeboy should have gotten the second plate, but as usual, he refused to play my game. Instead, while I dug into my second plate, I had to endure his disgusted looks. Dude, your dirty looks aren’t gonna shame me into not doing my thang. I took a few more bites, and then I got all that shit packed up. Two full bags. Give my body the night to process everything through the system, and then the next day, I am ready to go again. The leftovers were tasty! The lesson learned here? Obviously, the 40-y/o body isn’t as robust and sturdy as the younger version. I would like to look into re-creating the salad and Yorkshire pudding at home (new inspiration). Between HOPR and the two buffets we had in Vegas with dad, I think it’s time to put buffets behind us. Kobayashi needs to retire!

Best Life with Best Friends

Last weekend, J and I hosted our Best Life with Best Friends in getaway in Templeton, CA. Overall, we (both natural pessimists) were happy with the weekend… I mean, sure, leading up to the event and some part into it, I did let circumstances and the planning tedium/logistics get to me (my own fucking fault!). But shit, if I step back and look at the big picture, what an incredibly beautiful setting to enjoy with our dearest friends. Indeed, it was a big group, with people at different life stages and at different levels of familiarity, but the arrangement was flexible enough that people had the opportunity to hang together and also go off and do their own thing. I appreciated how there wasn’t the pressure of having to hang out with everyone all the time. For example, my friends J and J retired to bed early or took the baby to a local farm. J sometimes just sat by the pool and worked on writing her book. When some of us went to Jack Creek Farms and Croad Winery, M stayed back to enjoy the pool and hot tub. I’m an E (ESTJ 14/16 times), but I can also appreciate sprinkling in some solo rest.

This was also our first time doing an overnight trip with kids. Initially, I had some qualms about how things might work out, but honestly, how refreshing to witness the wonderment of children! Obviously, it helps that my friends’ kids are really well-behaved. But man, watching them explore the property, visit with the goats, call out to the horses, and play in the pool, I was reminded to savor these moments and to find delight in these simple pleasures. Too often, as a planner (and occasional people pleaser), I really lose my perspective and get stuck in the details. But looking at the photos, the house really was quite a gem, surrounded by such breathtaking landscape.[FAG id=7455]