Columbus, Ohio - A Favorite Destination Spot

As many empty nest Moms do......I am plotting my trip to visit one of my grown children.  It's not really a vacation.  Hard to call Columbus, Ohio a big vacation destination spot, but to me, it's the only vacation destination I want to visit.

My husband cannot get away from his growing business and I am busy with work, too.  But I miss Jonathan so much.  And, I'd like to help him move into his new living quarters.  So, the plotting and planning begins.

Flights?  Too expensive.  No frequent flyer miles to you. Darn it.  A couple of weeks eating dirt cheap meals and I am there.  Done.

Time?  Probably a long weekend is all most kids really want to spend with dear old Mom, so I will go midday on a Thursday and return late Sunday evening.  It's a lot of money for such a short visit, but I just have to get over it. Plus, I need to be working hard at my job, too!

The Reveal? I do not know why this is so hard for me, but telling my husband that I am going to go visit my son, is hard!  Spending the money, going away, etc.  I would love it if he would join me, but since that's not an option........I will go by myself! I think I will spill the beans/plans tonight, after dinner and a glass of wine or two!

The plans?  You cares.  We will decorate his place, eat out, he'll show me his favorite sites.  And we will laugh and sing......why is it that I never sing except when I am around JB?  And I will fill up the missing child void.  At least until the holidays...................

Recruiting Assistance Needed!

C123_inv_V5x7_V1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Freezing on the Hottest Day in NYC

Park Avenue (west) elevation of the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ah, a week in New York City, and I am exhausted but exhilarated at the same!  Is there really any other place in America that requires so much energy?  I doubt it. 

This week was the Fall Preview and Fashion Runway Show for Worth New York and W By Worth.  Over 500 beautiful and astute business woman literally take over the Waldorf Astoria!  The lobby has never looked so fabulous.  The rooftop bees could not be heard over the buzz of the Worth women!  A couple of interesting facts I bet you haven't heard on the hotel's website:

a) This is the coldest hotel in America!  Each conference room is colder than the other.  Wear your warmest clothes, even if there is a heat wave outside, like there was this past week!

b) There is absolutely no phone reception in the lobby area.  Consequently, the lobby is filled with angry people texting message away like mad!  Do you think they have done this intentionally? 

c) When making your hotel reservation, be sure to ask for the most uniquely-shaped rooms, because....boy, do they have them.  Ours had this most awesome dressing and make-up area and yet the bathroom itself, was quite small.

The company I work for, Worth New York, went above and beyond, for the Fall Preview 2012! We had the all-company cocktail reception, we had regional dinners, and Leadership Award meetings, and breakfasts and seminars on fit and how to grow your business and some of us even had midnight lobby bar champagne parties.......and the very best part............a full Fashion Runway Show! It was definately WORTHwhile! Thanks to the Worth staff/employees who worked so hard to make sure we had a valuable and enjoyable event...........you all are the very best in the apparel industry!

I know you are dying to see the Fall line, so here you go:
Worth New York Fall 2012 Fashion Video

Tomorrow, I will tell you about the hilarious times (crazy Indian cab drivers, being 50+ at 2 am in the Big Apple and the true definition for the "Meatpacking District") I had over the weekend in NYC with my son and daughter-in-law, but like I said, I am exhausted, so this is all you get for now!  

 Time for a nap...................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
 

Related articles

• 'Buzzing' over the newest residents atop NYC hotels

  ---

The Full Circle of Life

And so it happened.....Exactly four years after I dropped her off on the granite steps of Dickinson College and began writing posts for this Emtnester blog of what life would be like as an empty nest Mom..........she graduates.  My baby became a college graduate, wearing a smile from ear to ear, surrounded by a wonderful boyfriend, a delightful group of girlfriends and sorority sisters.  Could it have really gone by so fast?  Much has happened since then, as many of you know through my rantings and my tears and my exhaustion and my fears.  And yet, I can remember hugging her goodbye four years ago like it was yesterday.  We waived goodbye as she drove off in her little Honda, packed to the gills, off to her first job as a research fellow in Alabama! 

I am a proud Mom.  My children are all wonderful human beings, despite having spent their formative years with me.  They are funny. They are polite.  They are close without living close to each other. They understand me.  They appreciate the good things about me and giggle together about the silly things about me.  They are a joy to be around.  But alas, they are spread out all over this country. I am glad they are experiencing different cultures, different environments, but that doesn't mean I selfishly want to go hang out and live with each one of them. I think they secretly think I just might do that some year....You know, hang with one, then spend the next week with the other and then the other....then repeat!  But there's no need to worry, I have my place in life.  It is with my husband and my golden retriever in Scottsdale, AZ. And, I have a lovely job with Worth New York and I enjoy the women I am working with in this company.  It is fulfilling and can be great fun.

And I will always have my sister....my strength....my buddy.....my confidant.  And I have my Mom....my constant.....my guide.  So, lest you think I am complaining, I am not.  But I will be the first to admit that there still isn't a day go by that I don't swell up inside...missing my kids!  Not. one. day! 

And life goes on,.......I am getting older.  I may be getting wiser.  There could be stories to tell still.  I hope there are.  I hope they are funny.  I hope if I share them with you, you can laugh or cry or feel something worth feeling.    

I Pulled A Muscle Running Errands

I am more than a little embarrassed to share with you this very sad and very true story...........

I pulled a muscle while running errands in my car!

The Facts:

• I spent three hours driving from store to store, running errands. Dropping pants off to be altered at the tailors, picking up beautiful wrapping paper from my favorite paper store in old town Scottsdale, searching for the perfect gold/cream-colored poinsettias for the front entry pots and finishing with a stop at the grocery store for fresh fish and vegetables for dinner.
• I exercise every day.......hour-long early morning walk with Wrigley and friends plus I go to the Village Club and workout at least three times a week.
• I despise running errands and always have, but I also like supporting local shops and feel the need to touch and feel items myself.  

  So, one minute I am a busy little bee, hopping out of my car in rapid fashion and the next minute, I cannot maneuver the car door and my legs at the same time!  Is this one of those "special empty nest moments?!"   I refuse to accept it!  So, the next day, I head out for more shopping, a run to the hardware store and back to the grocery store.  Only this time, I can hardly move.  Flinging the first leg out was so hard. I am pretty sure people around me heard the grunts coming out of my mouth.    And while I am not much of a swearer, my vocabulary choices were guttural at best.

Well, I am here to tell you that while Congress is studying whether a ban on all telephone use in the car because of it's inherent dangers, they should also research the dangers of running errands!  Maybe a ban of running errands is just as valid...... 

Now, here's the part where YOU come in.......Tell me I am not alone: please tell me that you have done something like this before.  I beg of you to share your stories of pulling your muscles while doing mundane, everyday activities.  And if none of you have never had such a ridiculous experience in your life, will you at least appease me with a wonderful little white lie?  Thanks, I love you, too!

3:33 AM Thoughts By The Christmas Tree

3:33 am, sitting in front of the Christmas tree in the den, wondering just how many of my empty nest friends are also awake, staring at a Christmas tree.............................

Insomnia, that terrible four-letter word. Just imagine what all of us 50+ women could do with a week's worth of sleeping through the night!  It would be downright amazing......

And as much as I love my followers, I will end this post in a New York minute if I feel a "sleepy storm" coming on.  I have my priorities..........

That didn't come out very nice, so I apologize for my middle of the night snarkiness....which isn't a word (my spell check suggests my kinkiness). I can honestly tell you I feel nothing kinky at this moment, so it's Beth-1, spell check 0!

So, why are YOU awake at this ungodly hour?   I hope it's for good happy reasons.  Part of the reason I sit typing by the Christmas tree is due to a lot of new, exciting news for Bill and me.  Pretty soon I can share with you what's going on around here, but suffice it to say, there are some big changes for the better for both of us.  With a little luck, things will be really looking up.  But the moments in our lives just before big changes, can be filled with anticipation....sometimes anxiety....sometimes prayer.  Me? I just wake up in the middle of the night and think.....and think, and think, and think.  Oh, and waste a bunch of time tweeting, reading online stuff, and blogging!

Well, whatever is keeping you awake this evening, I wish I could help you.  I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be just fine.  No need to worry.  Go back to bed; the doctors all say, we will lose more weight and have better general health if we can sleep more often and for longer periods of time. That's easier said then done, isn't it?  I will try to take my own medicine and head back to the bedroom.  I will turn off the glowing lights on the Christmas tree now.  I will try to shut down my mind and all the thoughts still rumbling around up there. 

Nighty night.........................