Fish Out of Water

Musings and observations about life from an East Coast native now living on the Left Coast in the California State Capitol since 2004. This fish has made her home in Madison, WI (7 years); Portland, OR (2 years); Las Vegas, NV (7 months); Middlebury, VT (3 summers); Marne-la-Vallee, a small town east of Paris, France (6 months); Middletown, CT (3 years); and Marshfield, MA, the fish's coastal hometown 40 miles south of Boston (17 years).

Name:
Location: Sacramento, California, United States

3.29.2019

Mahalo Moment: Rainbow in the Mist

Walking home from yoga last night,
a slight drizzle in the air.
Early evening sun breaks through low on the horizon, 
casting a golden light,
creating a faint rainbow arc over the Capitol.

Very Belated Travel Updates -- Family & Work

February 15-18: Marshfield & Mom
I took a red-eye on Valentine's Day and arrived early on 2/15 for what has now become my annual President's Day long-weekend visit with Mom. Mr. E spent part of the same weekend visiting his family in Chicago this time around, so the kitties were on their own for a couple of days!

Mom and I did several house projects, took C to the vet, went swimming, took in a movie, and finally enjoyed another dinner at Mia Regazza. On Monday morning, the day of my departure, we awoke to several inches of snow! Luckily, Mom had contracted with the neighbor's son for snow removal all season, so everything was shoveled and the weather had cleared by the time I needed to leave for the airport in the afternoon. A lovely and relaxing visit with just enough winter wonderland experience prior to my return to Sac.

February 20-24: Quality Care Conference in Santa Rosa + Wine Country Weekend
I headed up to Santa Rosa with a colleague on Wednesday for CPCA's QCC at the Hyatt Regency Santa Rosa. We've hosted a couple of other events here in the past, but the hotel recently completed a rather large guest-room expansion, and I was in the new wing. Apparently, however, I had odd hotel karma this time around, as the first room I was given had clearly been occupied at some point between when it was prepared by housekeeping and when I checked in. Creepy. I switched rooms but then encountered some other strange things -- no power cord for the alarm clock, completely damp kleenex and box in the holder, etc. The hotel staff did give me a breakfast voucher to compensate for these inconveniences, and that came in useful over the weekend when Mr. E came up to join me for some wine-tasting once the conference wrapped up on Friday afternoon.

We started off with the general tasting bar at J early Saturday afternoon and were also able to pick up our March shipment early, as I had made those arrangements ahead of time. Our second and final stop was at Hamel, where we enjoyed a reserve tasting in the library with a great view out across the panoramic vista of the hills and vineyards. On our way home on Sunday, we paused at the Vacaville Outlets for some browsing as we had decided to postpone our San Francisco museum stop until later in the spring.

February 28-March 3: Austin for Michelle Obama & C's Birthday
One of J's Xmas/birthday gifts to me was a ticket to hear Michelle Obama speak in Austin on Thursday, 2/28. So awesome! I worked remotely from J's that afternoon after an early morning flight, and we then went off to the talk with J's friend, D, the mom of K (one of C's friends). The three of us had a wonderful experience and enjoyed the entire evening, which was presented interview-style with Rachael Ray.

J and I both worked on Friday but took some time out for pedicures and dinner at Whole Foods with C (he got a manicure -- so cute!). Mr. E arrived later that night so that we could all celebrate together for C's 5th birthday. We had a family party "game night" on Saturday and then friends gathering at the Stunt Ranch on Sunday afternoon. The weather wasn't super cooperative -- chilly, windy, a little rainy -- but the kids still enjoyed the activities. Mr. E had to catch an afternoon return flight, but I got to spend a few more hours with C, including quite a chunk of time building his new lego space shuttle. So fun!

March 15 + March 20-22: O&E Summit + CalSAE Retreat in Burbank
I flew down to Burbank on Friday 3/15 for an Outreach & Enrollment Summit. As I was waiting in line to board the 7:25am flight at the Sac airport, I looked up and saw friend B strolling towards the same line. He and a colleague from SEIU were going to a meeting at their LA area office, so I got to chat with him quite a bit and get caught up on son M and dog G, including G's recent surgery and health issues.

The following week, I coincidentally returned to Burbank for another work trip, this time for the annual CalSAE Volunteer Leadership Retreat, which I attended in my role as Chair of the Professional Development Committee. The gathering was at the Marriott Burbank, which is just across the street (easy walking distance) from the airport. I was familiar with this property thanks to a CPCA training at the same venue a few years ago, so I was excited to return since it's so convenient for travel and particularly because the hotel has two pools! Not huge but large enough and completely rectangular so perfect for lap swimming.

The retreat was thought-provoking and engaging, and the service and food were extraordinary. I also bumped into my CPCA colleague, L, who was at the same site for a presentation to a different group. She's the same colleague with whom I'd gone to the O&E Summit the previous week! Small world... or at least small state for meetings?!