The Journey Begins

April marked the time I aggressively began searching for a new job. My days at work consisted of periodic trips to my car for phone interviews with companies in Phoenix, the Bay Area, Charleston, Austin, Boston, New York, etc. Many of these did not result in a second interview because it wasn't the right fit for me: not enough experience, over-qualified, not a good cultural fit, me just not wanting to do that job. But I felt confident I was heading in the right direction and that I was making progress in figuring out what and where that path would lead. In the mean time, I still found time for some fun and family.

Last time I went running. Not a bad time.

First rock concert = success!

Home

My great aunt's funeral; my grandma was part of this trio

Love spending time with this guy

Challenge accepeted: 1st birthday cake

Stupor of Thought

I believe "stupor of thoughts" come in multiple ways. For my "stay in Utah" decision, it came as complete and utter chaos in the universe with cosmos colliding.

But first, I did what any normal human would do. I escaped. This time the destination was Orlando. It was great spending the weekend with my sisters, brother, and my sister-in-law. Universal and the Magic Kingdom created a nice diversion from my dilemma. As you can see, we had a great time.

I also had the opportunity to fly to California twice this month. Once for an education conference (basically a singles conference but with a focus on learning instead of dating) and a friend's wedding. The weeks leading up to the wedding were emotionally draining. And then I hit a breaking point. I was on a plane flying to CA for this friend's wedding and working the entire trip trying to help with another emergency work situation. When I walked off the plane and checked my email, I was furious at the messages that flooded my inbox regarding this situation. I messaged my parents with a simple "I'm done." Enough had happened that week at work that staying was clearly not the right decision. Unfortunately, the situation nose-divided over the weekend to complete and utter chaos. I returned to Utah the day after the CA wedding for another friend's wedding. Gratefully, my sister invited me to attend the annual LDS General YW meeting and that combined with encouragement from friends at both events who happened to hear/know that something was amiss strengthened me. Understanding a stupor of thought has been difficult at times. Not in this situation. I knew what I shouldn't do: stay at my current job. Now I had to figure out what to do. And where to go.

I love flying into SFO

Classy bridal shower at Dennys

Perfect bridal shower gift

Beautiful bride

And a few other random March happenings:

Sometimes you go to desperate measures to eat breakfast

Work trip to Southern California. I love running along the beach.

General YW Meeting - Perfect timing with an uplifting message I needed to hear

Peace

Seeing a Shadow

I came back from Mexico not quite sure the next steps in life. I had turned down one job without having a clue as to why except I didn't feel it was the right move for me. I did know one thing that would happen after coming home. Time to move again. My friend and I found a place that was perfect for us: two bedrooms with connecting bathrooms, a nice kitchen, a garage, plenty of storage space, and a month-to-month lease. While packing up, my little niece commented that I moved too much. My defense started sputtering out when I realized that I four times in the past four years. She was right. I needed to find something more permanent.

New view

After moving and settling a bit, I had decided that maybe I needed to stay in Utah and started to toy with that idea a bit more. During that time, Eloqua invited me and 10 other customers to their Advocates Summit in Deer Valley. We had meetings in the mornings and activities in the afternoons. I noticed that the CTO and SVP of Product Development were skiing both days and had the distinct thought that I'd be stupid not to ski with them. You can see where this is leading. After two days of skiing together, these two execs knew me pretty well, and gratefully I impressed them with my meager black diamond/mogul technique. But as far as a job, nothing was discussed and I continued on my path of staying in Utah and staying at my current job.

Deer Valley

Babysitting; Feeling a bit parental

Babysitting nieces and nephews. We had a good time!

Día Seis

Last full day in the city was great. We stopped to see Templo Mayor which was an ancient temple built by the Aztecs, then covered by the Spanish, then uncovered by the modern Mexican people. Very impressive.

After visiting the Zocolo and Templo Mayor, we stopped at a permanent flea market. It has a name, but I can't remember the name right now. This place reminded me of my grandparents. I saw so many things at the market that I found in their home. I bought a doll that reminded me of the doll my grandparents brought my two sisters thirty years ago.

Then we finished the day doing a session in the Mexican temple. I liked to think that my grandparents were there with us as they had served there as missionaries almost 30+ years ago when it first opened. Spending time in the temple with my parents was the best way to finish this vacation.

Día Cinco

Day five in Mexico turned out to be my favorite day. We got up at the crack of dawn to meet up with the other missionaries in the area and head to a remote area to see the monarch butterflies. Every year they migrate north and stop in different areas here in Mexico.

My ears did not like the changes in altitude but I had three doses of antibiotics by the time we left and the throbbing had started to subside. Once we got to our destination, it looked like an typical tourist trap which we happily indulged in the spirit of things. First, we took these mini horses up the mountain to the monarch colony. Because they usually fly and flutter in the heat, the cloudy day limited how many we saw flying.

For some reason, the Mexicans were quick to bring us back down the mountain. I pleaded ignorance and wandered off. My mom played along and told the men she didn't know where her daughter was to let me have some time in solitude. My mom knows when I just need a moment to myself. I'm so glad she did! I found a place to view the monarchs burst from the trees when the sun came out and warmed the trees.

On my way down, I saw a big gathering of people. Apparently one of the horses got spooked and bucked off the mission president's wife. Immediately my dad assessed the injury and diagnosed a broken shoulder or collar bone. We waited around for an ambulance and the mission president's wife was immediately rushed off to Mexico City for emergency surgery. The mission president called my dad to discuss options and okay the hospital where his wife had been sent. My dad gave the approval and the mission president's wife had surgery to repair her shoulder.

The rest of the group traveled to a small little town call Valle de Bravo. I loved this quaint little village. The food tasted incredible! The lake took my breath away. And I finally started feeling better. This little excursion turned out to be the best day of the trip.