Halfway There

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Jenni Elyse

I’ve been trying to figure out something to post about all day. I was going to talk about something I posted on Facebook yesterday, but I decided I wanted to do something more upbeat. After looking at some random topics on the Internet, I decided to make a post about the places I’ve traveled to. More particularly, the states I’ve been to.

The states in purple are the states I’ve been to. (I’m sure you could’ve guessed that since I live in Utah and Utah is purple. :roll: ) Anyway, I have been to 25 states, and I’d like to go to the other 25 some time during my life just to say that I did. Technically, I’ve been to Kentucky because the Cincinnati airport is in Kentucky, but I don’t count airports. ;)

Many of the states I’ve been to were for work so I’d like to visit those states again for pleasure. Those states include Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee, and North Carolina. With that in mind, I still have 32 states to visit. I was able to see a lot of things while I visited those states, but I wasn’t able to spend nearly the amount of time I wanted to at some of the tourist destinations.

If Corey’s and my plans for school work out, we’ll be moving back east in about four or five years. At that point, I’ll be able to mark a few states off my list. Other than that, I don’t have any immediate travel plans. I guess I’ll have to talk Corey into planning some vacations to the states I’ve never been. ;)

At some point, I’d also like to travel outside of the US since I’ve never crossed the border. But, those plans will have to wait, at least, for now.

Where have you traveled to?

“Beware of the Groove”

Posted on June 16, 2009 by Jenni Elyse

I feel like my groove has been thrown off. I’m so tired! All I want to do is sleep, but I’m sick of sleeping. (I never thought I’d hear myself say that.) And, I feel like I haven’t had a decent night of sleep since last Tuesday. And, I feel like I’m getting sick because I’ve burned the candle at both ends for too long.

As I stated in the post My Take on Daylight Saving Time, time changes and I don’t mix very well. However, I figured going to Las Vegas wasn’t going to be a problem since I was gaining an hour rather than losing one. I also didn’t think I’d get used to Las Vegas time since I was only going to be there for five days. If I’d been able to keep to my Utah sleep schedule, just on Las Vegas time like I did while I was in Kona, the time change wouldn’t have affected me. But, I had no choice this time around because I was usually up around 6:00 am and didn’t get to sleep until after midnight because of all the setup and administering we had to do at the conference.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this exhausted from a business trip before. When I came home from Manhattan, I was tired, but that was because I had to be up at 1:00 am Utah time to catch my 4:00 am Utah time flight. But, after I slept on the plane and took a nap when I got home, I was fine. I’ve slept almost all morning each day since I’ve been home from Las Vegas and I still don’t feel rested.

I did go to work yesterday, but only for four hours and I only went because I had to turn in a project. I couldn’t get up this morning so I decided to stay home from work today, especially since I have this horrible cough that isn’t helping me get a good night’s, or morning’s, rest.

I’ve been trying to do some things around the house today so I’m not being too lazy. I’ve noticed that if I don’t get up and do something, I’ll just wallow in my laziness and not make myself be active. No matter what, I’m going to work for the full day tomorrow because I need to get over this. Maybe, that’s just what I need to do. Just get up, even if I’m extremely tired and don’t want to. We’ll see how it works out.

Seeing Old Friends

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Jenni Elyse

Like I said in the post Traveling, the thing I was looking forward to the most while I was in Las Vegas was seeing my good friends Alice, Cindy, Jamie, and Jen. Jen used to work with me and was in my ward for a couple of years. Then, she and her family moved away after her husband Christian graduated.

I taught seminars with both Alice and Jamie and I spent a day and a half with Cindy while we were both in Kona. I feel like they’re my moms away from my mom. They’re so sweet and I love them like my own family. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them over the last six years.

Anyway, it was so good to see all of them. I wish it could be more often.

Unfortunately, I never have all that much time to spend with them because we’re always so busy with the conference or other work things. This time around, however, I was able to spend some time with Jen on Wednesday night. Some of my co-workers talked Erin and me into playing a game of bingo so I invited Jen to come along. It was a lot of fun and it only cost $5. None of us won anything, even though I was only four away from winning the blackout round. We also witnessed someone win $11,867. 8O

Bingo Card - Blackout Card

I had a good time in Las Vegas, but I’m super glad to be home. I missed Corey and the kitties a lot and I’m so tired and worn out. I feel like sleeping for the entire weekend.

My Posh Room

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Jenni Elyse

The conference I’m attending in Las Vegas is being held at the Red Rock: Casino, Resort, & Spa. This is the first time I’ve ever stayed in such a posh room. Even the room I stayed in at the Hilton in Chicago wasn’t as posh. The hotel was, but not the rooms. If I could live in my hotel room, I would mainly because of the bathtub! :D It’s so deep that I feel like I’m swimming. Pure bliss. :D

In the pictures, you may notice that the room comes with two flat screen TVs. One of them is situated so you can watch it while you’re taking a bath. :D The room also comes with two terry cloth robes, slippers, and an electronic scale!

It’s like a mile from my room to the elevators that take me anywhere in the hotel, other than the pool, because I’m clear on the other end. Also, the hotel is huge so any time I need to go anywhere, I’m walking a ton. It feels like I’m at Disneyland because of the size of this place!

Traveling

Posted on June 5, 2009 by Jenni Elyse

On my old website, I used to have a map and schedule that showed where and when I was traveling to next. You’re probably thinking, “Wow, you must have traveled a lot.” In 2004, I did. I went to nine different cities in 14 weeks. 8O I’d leave on Wednesday and come back on Sunday. And, then do it again the following week. As you can probably imagine, traveling got really old really quickly. :?

At first, I was really excited to travel, especially to some of the cities I went to. But, then after not having any time to spend with Corey or to relax, I started to get burned out and homesick. Plus, I traveled alone most of the time so I was very lonely.

Luckily, my traveling died down and I didn’t go nearly as often. I started to travel only once every few months rather than every week. And, then I didn’t travel really at all. In fact, the last business trip I went on was about two years ago.

There’s a small part of me that misses traveling because I really enjoyed going to a lot of the places I went. I just wish I could’ve gone with Corey and I could’ve spent a little more time seeing the sights rather than spending most of the time working.

My Travel Map

So far, I’ve been on 24 business trips. And, I’ve had a chance to go to Chicago, Anchorage, San Diego (twice), Albany, Kona, Omaha (twice), San Francisco, Atlanta, Nashville, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Tampa, Manhattan, Portland, Carbondale (IL), Phoenix (twice), Honolulu, St. Louis, Charlotte, Kansas City, and Seattle.

One of the things I enjoyed doing while I was traveling was visiting the temples. I’d try to work out enough time so I could participate in a session. If I didn’t have the time to do a session, I’d try to visit the temple grounds at least.

I’ve had the chance to participate in sessions at the San Diego, Portland, Mesa, and Seattle temples. Doing a session at the San Diego temple was a dream come true! :D I had always wanted to go inside because it has been my favorite temple since I saw it for the first time almost 15 years ago. It’s so beautiful, both outside and in. I’ve also had the chance to see the Laie, Kona, Houston, and Winter Quarters temples. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to participate in a session while I was there.

The other thing I enjoyed while traveling was the chance to visit family and friends. When I went to San Antonio, I drove the three hours to Houston so I could spend the weekend with my sister LeAnn and her boys. When I went to St. Louis, I had the chance to spend a few hours with my brother Jared and his family. Also, Jared was in Manhattan at the same time I was so we were able to have dinner together and spend some time in Time Square. It was a lot of fun! :D When I went to Phoenix, I was able to spend an evening with my niece Brittany and her girls. I even helped my great-niece Tori with her math homework. And, when I went to Seattle, I had the chance to stay and spend an extra day with one of my best friends, Angie. It was great to see them and helped make the traveling more fun and enjoyable.

The Mall of America and the Empire State Building were the two most memorable places I was able to visit, other than the temples. The Mall of America is huge! There’s an amusement park in the center of the mall and over 200 stores. 8O I want to go back to it when I have more time to peruse all the stores and maybe even enjoy the amusement park.

The seminar I taught in Manhattan was actually held in the Empire State Building so I had a key to one of the rooms. :D I also had the chance to go to the top of the building. I really liked seeing the city from that vantage point and got a “small” glimpse of the Statue of Liberty from up there. Other than spending some time in Time Square with Jared, it was the only sight I was able to see.

Elder Nelson The most memorable experience I had was while I was in Kona. I went a couple of days early because I wanted to spend some quality time since I was going to be in a place as beautiful as Hawaii.

While I was walking down one of the streets, I decided to go into a snorkeling rental shop. I wasn’t planning on going snorkeling since I was traveling alone, but I felt like I should go in. The shop owner started to talk to me and asked me where I was from. After I told him I was from Utah, he told me his daughter had gone to BYU and his family was LDS. He invited me to go to his ward on Sunday if I was still going to be in town. He said they were having a “special” guest.

When I went to church that Sunday, I noticed Elder Nelson and his wife sitting on the stand. I enjoyed listening to them speak and had the opportunity to shake their hands after Sacrament meeting was over. Even though I was so far away from home, I felt at home while I was listening to them talk. I think that’s the main reason I loved going to the temples while I was traveling. I didn’t feel as lonely or as homesick while I was participating in something spiritual. ;)

Next week, I’ll take my 25th business trip. I’m not expecting anything huge or extremely exciting to happen while I’m in Las Vegas. But, I’ll get another magnet to put on my overhead bin at work. (I buy a magnet from all the places I travel while on business.) But, more importantly, I get to see four of my really good friends: Alice, Cindy, Jamie, and Jen. I can’t wait for that! :D