Week in Review
Greetings from the city of overwhelm, Las Vegas. The bright lights, constant sound of slots, hoards of people, smell of smoke, and encouraged early morning drinking is where I chose to celebrate my birthday. Not an environment conducive to my nervous system, but when Tim announced that Garth Brooks was playing here, tickets were booked. To balance out the stimulation, we reserved a tiny A-frame cabin near Flagstaff to serve as a respite close to the Grand Canyon. A perfect yin and yang.
As we landed in Vegas at 10:30pm Thursday night, Tim’s phone blew up with text messages from AirBnB and the AirBnB host. Unfortunately the cabin had bed bugs and we needed to find another place to stay. On a holiday weekend. Stat. Although we were disappointed—I dream of living in an A-frame in the woods surrounded by pigs—we did what one must do in a situation like this, we went to Paris. Well, Vegas’ version of Paris and thank goodness we were stranded in a city filled with hotel rooms.
Eager to escape the chaos, the next morning we got online and finally found a vacant spot in Flagstaff to book for two nights. We savored the drive there—stopping at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Hoover Dam. The temperature soared to 101, so we mostly saw the views from our air-conditioned rental car while singing along to Garth. Okay, so mainly I sang, Tim listened.
Saturday we headed to the Grand Canyon intent on renting bikes and tooling around the rim. Dressed in her usual gray, pink and brown hues, the majestic Canyon never disappoints. This is my fifth time to visit and each time it’s equally jaw-dropping. Truly a wonder of the world!
After getting a proper pink helmet from the little girl’s bin and a six-speed teal cruiser, we doused ourselves in sunscreen, hydrated, and biked for four hours—a total of 15 miles at 7,000 feet in 80 degrees. The views were stunning and the crowds were spare in the numerous outlooks.
Tonight we’re seeing two Garth shows. The 7pm show is a birthday gift from Tim. When we arrived to Vegas and I saw Garth had TWO shows tonight, I decided to gift Tim and me (much to his chagrin) the 10pm show. Cheap seats, back of the stage, near the top. I can still see and hear, so it works for me. Although I may need a disco nap to pull this off.
Being on west coast time twice within a week has been an interesting shift to my natural rhythms. After last weekend’s Ojai writing retreat, I was scheduled to arrive back to DC at 12:30am Monday. Due to a delayed flight, missed connection, and a rebook on a red eye, I arrived at 6am with a full day of meetings ahead. Thanks to a nap and green smoothie, I made it through.
Since I had five unexpected hours at LAX, I checked my carry on, swapped clogs for flip-flops, and hopped in an Uber with a request to “take me to the nearest beach town.” The driver dropped me at Manhattan Beach and I watched seagulls, surfers, and people with laptops working with their toes in the sand as the sun set Sunday night.
My few days in DC were filled with weekly staples—clients, supervision, dinner with a friend, podcast release, teaching, and yoga. One highlight included a stop at Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary en route to the airport where I got in some birthday pig petting (once they were lured out of their pig houses by food). After hosting the Yoga + the Animals event mid-June, I forgot to grab my yoga mats as we left. I joked with the owner, Lisa, that I may start leaving things regularly so that I can stop by to see the pigs. She laughed, although I think she may have secretly been thinking, “uh oh.” #pigstalker
Oh, and Friday night I announced the giveaway winner of the FREE Virtual Retreat, the lovely Jackie Flood from Michigan. Kudos! And a BIG thanks to all who contributed. {Giveaway was announced in last week’s Love Note, fyi}
For those stateside, wishing you and yours a celebratory 4th. May you enjoy a much-deserved routine shake up filled with fresh fruit popsicles, bubbly beverages, and sparkly fireworks. Bisous. x
Pics in Review
- Last session in Ojai
- Final stop at Bart’s Books and found Pops’ first book
- Manhattan Beach detour
- Feeling incognito at Manhattan Beach
- Birthday breakfast of homemade chia seed pudding
- Birthday pig petting at Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary
- Lake Mead in background
- All smiles at Lake Mead Visitor Center
- Biking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon
- Musing
- July Dreams
Savvy Sources
Julia Cameron on “Enough” Time
How Can We Still the Noise Within?
10 Small Things You Can Do Every Day to Get Smarter
Anne Lamott on Priorities and How We Keep Ourselves Small
Illustrated Fable of What Happens When We Deny Difficult Emotions
Tips for Keeping Pets Safe During 4th of July Celebrations
10 of the Best Lines from Pride and Prejudice and What They Can Teach Us
Tools for Capturing Your Ideas in Writing
Weekend Wish List
Pen July dreams into Daybook. Check.
Savor TWO Garth shows
Bike Grand Canyon. Check.
Birthday reflection exercise
Safe travels back to DC
Read. Check.
Write. Check.
