Wordless Wednesday: Sunset in Santa Monica

A "Mile" Here a "Point" There All Adds Up!

As you all know, I travel a lot for work. My opinion is that I don't travel more than the average person who travels for work, I'm not completely out of George Clooney's movie "Up in the Air." One thing I do have in common with his character is that I make sure I do as much as possible to gain airline miles and hotel points. Since I spend time away from home for work, I figure I should get some benefits out of it! This Fall I was very excited to have earned enough hotel "Stays" with the Starwood Hotel Group (Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, and others) that I reached the Platinum Level! Woo hoo! In this level I can earn triple points and often get upgrades to suites when I stay at the participating hotels.

I decided after all these years of building up miles and points that it is finally time to use some of them. Using miles and hotel points, I've booked a trip to Paris! I will be taking my first visit to this much acclaimed city between Christmas and New Year's. I'm SO excited!

Colorado Sunshine

In September I had a lovely visit with my friend Angie. I got to meet her baby boy Gage for the first time! She and her husband Mike, like to call Gage "Doodle," and what a sweet little doodle he is. At only 5 months he's babbling to himself almost non-stop and it's rare that he doesn't have a smile on his baby cheeks. : ) He's such a good baby, I hardly heard him fuss or cry. OK, maybe a little when he was hungry. One time we had to let him cry in his car seat on the way home. It's so hard when that happens! I'm sure Angie just wanted to pull over on the side of the road to feed him. Here are some photos from my Colorado visit:

Sweet baby Gage

Quiet time

Mike, Ang, and Gage

My turn! : )

Skinny Jeans Hazard

Ugh, I learned a lesson this week. Don't go on a lunchtime 1.5 mile walk wearing "skinny jeans." The extra compression on my kneecap caused some unexpected aches in my knee. Who knew?

Two Miles Baby!

I've worked my way up to walking a couple of miles two or three times a week and my knee seems to be doing OK. As I've mentioned before, my doctor said if I can walk a mile every other day without any aches or pains, I can begin running. Have I done that yet? Nope. I have to admit, I'm kind of scared. Scared that when I start running, my knee will hurt and it will prove that nothing I've done in the past 4 or more years has done anything to help it heal. Funny that I was trying so hard to get back to running a few years ago and now I'm afraid to try. I figure I have to trust myself and I'll know when the time is right.