While in Europe I started a list of things I needed to do when I got back to the States. The list ended up having ~32 items on it. Some were simple, some were not. The list including things like:
- Get the iPhone 5 and upgrade my personal cell phone plan to include texting
- Map out the route for my road trip and confirm dates with friends/family
- Remove old grout and re-grout the shower in my master bathroom
- Strip, spackle and repaint the wood beam separating the french doors leading to my back deck
- Forward mail to my parents address with the US Postal Service
- Buy birthday cards for everyone who has a birthday while I am on the road and ensure their mailing addresses are in my iPhone
- Buy a turquoise shirt and make a sign to cheer Nora on at her first soccer game
- Verify reciprocity rules for the YMCA facilities in each city on my route North
- Schedule lunch with Carole Vandenberg
I was going to be in Atlanta for exactly 1 week before hitting the road. A normal person would look at the week ahead, figure out which items could be combined easily and knock them out a few a day over the week ahead. Not me. Apparently I reverted to "work mode" immediately upon setting foot in America. I completed 30 of the items on the list on my first day back from Europe. Adopting a more relaxed, laid back lifestyle wasn't going to be a simple as I thought. :) I decided to take a different approach for the rest of the week by scheduling lunch with girlfriends everyday to guarantee that I'd have a reason to take a break and enjoy some down time in the middle of the day. Having a cocktail over a 2-hour lunch on a Tuesday is totally under-rated. Everyone should do it once in a while. It was the first of many "ah ha" moments that helped me realize just how much I was going to enjoy my self-imposed sabbatical.
During the week I was in Atlanta some former colleagues thew a going away party for me and 2 other long-term employees who left Intuit around the same time. It was so thoughtful of them and it was such fun to get caught up with everyone who came, including those who flew in from far away just to be there. What a great group of people I had the privilege of working with for all those years.
Before hitting the road, I promised sweet Nora that I would be at her first soccer game to cheer her (and the rest of the Turtles) onto victory. She was very committed to winning - I think she gets that from her Mom! The game was on Saturday morning and while Mother Nature threatened to cause a rain out, she held off the storm until after the game so we could enjoy such scenes as:
Nora showing her soccer skills
Annika cheering on her sister
Coach/Daddy/Jonas showing Nora about sportsmanship
Part of the reason behind my decision to leave Intuit was to get healthy and put some time/energy/focus on exercising, eating better and learning to manage stress. I joined the YMCA in August and started swimming everyday right before I left for Europe. When I got back to Atlanta I continued the practice and committed myself to keeping it up throughout my road trip. I confirmed the reciprocity rules for the YMCA facilities in each city I would be staying as I made my way North and packed a few bathing suites. I love to swim and because I enjoy doing it, it doesn't even feel like working out. It is now part of my daily routine and I am up to 64 lengths (32 Olympic laps) a day. I am able to do this in just over an hour. I have no idea if this is good, but I feel great and I have lost 15 pounds since August 31.
I hit the road to head North on October 3 and made my way to Winston-Salem, NC. Details forthcoming in the next post.
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