Just what the Doc ordered

Oh, how I love to vacation. Seriously, I'm good at it ... now, if only I could make a living vacationing, we'd be all set.

Anyway, I had some much needed vacation time and decided to impose on my parents. They were heading to Myrtle Beach, SC for a few days and were kind enough to let me crash! It was an awesome beginning to some time off ... just what the Dr ordered - sleeping in, reading books, watching tv and outlet shopping. Loved it!!

They're back!

The next weekend was one that Brad and I have been waiting for for a long time ... wohoo, Phish is back!

One of the things that Brad and I LUV to do more than anything is go see live music. And our favorite band to see play live is Phish who "retired" almost 5 years ago. Well, they're back! For whatever reasons, they decided to unretire (sound familiar, Dad?!) and had their comeback shows in one of our favorite venues, Hampton Colliseum, VA.

We drove off to Hampton, VA for the weekend full of anticipation and the weekend did not disappoint. Not only was the music ridiculous, but the scene was amazing, the weather perfect and the tailgating before the show so much fun. Can't wait until the summer shows, we're basically going on tour for a bit and CANNOT WAIT!!!

In the meantime, here are some of Brad's pics from the Friday and Saturday night shows ...

Slacking again

Oh, we've been slacking again - I admit that its either feast or famine sometimes with me and the blog. Well, we're backing to feasting! Let the recaps begin ...

After the fabulous weekend hosting my mom and sisters in our new house for Girls' Weekend '09, we were back at hosting duties the next weekend as well. This time, Brad's parents joined us for a great weekend - of course, it POURED all weekend long making it tough to show them around.

But we still had a great time - lots of great food, relaxing at Casa Worsham (watched Slumdog Millionaire, which was awesome!) and even getting together with Debbie and her family (who were here to visit Debbie's son Tommy, a student at nearby Elon college). We were supposed to meet up with all of them at Tommy's baseball game but unfortunately, it was rained out. Instead, they all came to our house to hang out and, of course, get in some Wii action :) It was a great weekend and we can't wait to have the Worshams back (hopefully to experience some better weather!)

Wahoo!

The official e-mail has been sent ....

All,

As many of you are already aware, today is my last day at the firm. I'll be leaving after 3 very rewarding years for a position within Duke University's business school. Starting in April, I'll be the Associate Director of a program called the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (http://caseatduke.org/).

Although I am excited about the new opportunity that awaits me, I am sad to say goodbye and am incredibly thankful for the experiences I've had here. I have learned so much and appreciate all the support and friendship that I've gained along the way. It has been a privilege to work with and learn from all of you. Best of luck in the future and please do keep in touch!

Best, Erin

Girls' Weekend!

Just had an awesome weekend of girl-time. My mom and sisters and I try to do a girls' weekend once a year. We've failed miserably the last few years so were determined to make it happen in 2009.

So, this past weekend Mom, Sharon and Kiera headed down to Durham for a weekend of exploring in NC. It was nice to have them all see our new home and for me to have a chance to explore the area - with all the craziness of moving, holidays and lots and lots of work travel, I haven't had a chance to do touristy things yet in town so this was a really nice excuse to finally start exploring.

We had a nice mix of shopping, relaxing, eating, drinking margaritas and taking in the sights. My favorite part of the weekend? The Segway tour of downtown Raleigh. Still not sure how I convinced everyone that a Segway tour was a good idea but it turned out to be awesome! After an initial hesitancy on all of our parts (Segway-ing takes a bit of getting used to!), we zoomed around Raleigh, pretending to pay attention to our tour guide as he explained things but really being more infatuated with the Segway manuevering. I must say - we were pretty darn good on those things!

It was an awesome weekend - I'm blessed to have an amazing mom and rad sisters who are super fun to hang out with. I'm also blessed with a husband who was willing to hide out the whole weekend, making himself scarce so that we could have quality girl-time but then heeding the occasional calls for help (the ice machines is broken! How do I work the DVD player? etc) :)

Mom, Sharon and Kiera - can't wait til next year!!

Too funny

Someone left a comment yesterday on the blog that cracked me up so had to bring it up to its own post ...

Check out: http://despair.com/bittersweets.html

Introducing Bittersweets® - The Valentine's Candy for the Rest of Us.

Like the ubiquitous candy conversation hearts, Bittersweets® are made of flavored, chalky-tasting sugar and sport a message on their face. But unlike other candy hearts, ours are stamped with bitter musings and mockeries perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone, or wishing they were. Now available in THREE unique collections- "Dejected", "Dysfunctional", and "Dumped".

Some of the sayings?
"Table for 1"
"Just a Friend"
"U Left Seat Up"
"Russian Bride"

According to the website, the candies are available in six delicious flavors .... Banana Chalk, Grape Dust, Nappy-Citric, You-Call-This-Lime?, Pink Sand and Fossilized Antacid. Too funny!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of this particular holiday. The times that I didn’t have boyfriends on Valentine’s Day, I always boycotted the celebration, hung out with girlfriends and talked about what a Hallmark-created holiday it was. Now that I am happily married, it feels kind of hypocritical to suddenly be all about celebrating the day!

But, I do love the tradition of Valentine’s Day candy. And nothing says V-day more than those chalky, nasty tasting, heart shaped candies with the little sayings on them … “Marry Me” “Love You” “Be Mine”! I learned today that those candy hearts came in to popularity in the early 1900s and that this year alone 8 BILLION(!) will be made.

Yikes. Hope everyone is ready for some chalky tasting fun :)

Karma

I think that being a good manager is one of the hardest things that you can do. Understanding your teams’ strengths and weaknesses; creating an environment where they feel supported but not micro-managed; being a friend but still having authority. I struggle with it constantly and know that I have a TON of room to grow to better manage myself and those that work with me.

But the conclusion that I’ve come to recently is that a critical part of being good manager is about sincerity. I can sincerely say that I want the people that work with me to be happy, to grow and to be successful. Of course, that needs to be balanced with producing a high-quality product but when we produce that, I want my team to feel appreciated for their efforts and to get the credit that they each deserve. Why is it that not everyone thinks like that?

I (of course) have someone in mind, someone whose actions prompted me to write this post. It's not that something major happened today, just another day of small things that cause me to doubt this person's sincerity and morals. But, you know what's making me feel better about it all? Karma. I believe in it. I believe it’s a bitch. I believe it might take some time but it always come around. ;)

I live in a hotel ...

I just checked in to my fourth hotel in one week.

The other day, I stepped off a plane, walked in to an airport and honestly had no idea what state I was in. It literally took me a minute to figure it out.

I'm just finishing up work, it's after midnight and I have to meet my team at 6:45 tomorrow morning (actually, technically I guess it's this morning. sweet).

Work is SO much fun right now ;)

Are we officially Suburbanites?

In the last few days, Brad and I may have officially become Suburbanites...

I baked cookies and we went around and introduced ourselves to all of our new neighbors on our cul-de-sac. (I mean seriously - we live on a cul-de-sac!?! Doesn't get a whole lot more suburban than that!)

Brad bought a rake and raked all the leaves in our backyard. It then snowed a couple of inches covering up all of his hard work! But the dog loved it - he gets such a kick out of playing in the snow.

We went furniture shopping for the 3rd time (in about a month, ugh!) to High Point, NC which is like furniture capital of the world. It's actually a bit of a sad place right now as many of the stores have shut down, assumedly due to the economy, but we did our best to keep them in business and furnish our new home!

Final Thoughts

Ok, one last post before my obsession with inauguration day comes to a close. I was just reading some articles online and re-read the letter that Obama had written to his daughters Malia and Sasha. Regardless of whether his Administration is a successful one, I think these words are inspirational and will stand the test of time...

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much—although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

Words that I hope to live up to in my life and, if I ever have kids, a world that I hope will exist for them.

And I would be remiss if I didn't close my inaugural blogging with my favorite image of the day.....

Wow, Aretha Franklin - where's a stylist when you need one? The internet is abuzz discussing Aretha's "large hat festooned with an enormous rhinestone-studded bow." Awesome.

Inauguration Day

I don't really care what your political persuasion is, today you should feel proud.

I'm watching the news coverage of all the inaugural events and am overcome with a sense of pride in our country. Seeing the Obamas arrive at the White House and be greeted by the Bushes for a peaceful transition of power is amazing. So many countries around the world are steeped in civil wars or political uprisings but we watch our political transition on tv as pomp and circumstance, not violence, surround the day...... Seeing millions of people on the DC Mall braving the bitter cold to participate in the political process is inspiring..... Witnessing Obama take the oath of office nearly 46 years after Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and uttered "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." A true moment in history.

Again, regardless of political leanings, you have to appreciate the magnitude of the day. It reminds me once again of how lucky we are to be Americans and of all the rights and luxuries we are granted as a result.

I also realize that the expectations being put on Obama are ridiculous and hope that America can continue their enthusiasm despite the many bumps in the road that are sure to come. We as a nation and a world, certainly face a tough road ahead and I hope that the faith and enthusiasm that surrounds today continues on.

Happy New Year’s! (ok, a little late!)

Every year, I make New Year’s resolutions and barely ever adhere to them. I’m thinking that maybe this year if I put them down in writing on this blog, I’ll feel more obligated to follow through? I doubt it but here goes …

· Get Healthy (get back in shape despite my job that takes up way too much of my time and eat healthier including more organics and local food)

· Never Stop Learning (learn how to play the guitar; take a religions class (or at least read those books I bought years ago!); just read more in general)

· Keep Giving (donate more of my time to charities and do some good; give more of my time to friends and family to make sure they know how much I love and appreciate them!)

Hopefully, I'll at least keep some of the resolutions! But in any event, here's looking forward to 2009 - I think its going to be a great year! Excited to see what adventures are to come!

Christmas Part Deux

More Christmas presents to open at Mom and Dad Layburn's house! This time there was the added benefit of having a 2 year old around to tear through wrapping paper which is always fun to watch.


It was so great to have the whole family together. My parents' new house is gorgeous and we enjoyed spending the days with the girls shopping and the boys golfing and then the nights eating delicious food and, of course, sipping on fabulous margaritas!

Opening presents is fun! ...

But eventually we all get tired! ;)

Merry Christmas to everyone!

This year has been a bit of a whirlwind so Christmas has snuck up on Brad and I a bit. We didn’t have a chance to decorate the new house or even get all of our Christmas shopping done until the (very) last minute. But none of that mattered once Christmas came around.

We spent nearly a week outside of Austin, TX with Brad’s family. As always, there was a ton of food and a ton of fun. Myself, Brad, his parents, brother Todd, Uncle Tom and grandmother Patsy all celebrated together. We had a great time and the week seemed to just fly by.

The house was beautifully decorated and we feasted on Le Anne’s fantastic cooking for our Christmas feast (including my special request of cranberry sauce “with the lines still on” – in other words, straight from the can! My mom is still abhorred that when my mother-in-law asked what special Christmas tradition/food did I want, that cranberry sauce from the can was my request, but its just SO good! ;)

I know that Christmas is about spending time with the ones that you love and we certainly did that. But the piles of Christmas gifts sure were fun to open!

I also think it’s funny to note that we played card games one night and while playing a particularly heated game, Brad ended up making a play that caused Patsy to lose the hand. So his 82 year old, sweet-as-can-be grandmother, turned to him and called him “satchel-ass”. We’re still not sure what that means but it was hysterical and Brad will forever be called Satchel. Get used to it buddy, it ain’t going away!

Airports are fascinating

I love people watching. I used to think the mall was the best place for it but now I'm leaning towards airports. In the last week, I have spent quality time in the Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Tampa, Washington-Dulles and Atlanta airports and have to say that people are just flat out ridiculous.

Makes me thank my lucky stars that my parents and Brad's parents raised us to be polite (most of the time, we try!) human beings. I can't say the same about everyone else out there.

And - most likely to both of our parents' dismay - airports are also a great form of birth control. The child that is currently screaming bloody murder, flailing on the floor and (oh!) being smacked (hard!) by his mom right in front of me is making sure of that ;)

Busy, busy

I feel like I talk all the time about how busy we are. And then we get busier. Is there an end to that trend or does it just go on forever, getting busier and busier? Sigh.

Anyway, life has been a whirlwind of late. After talking about it forever, we finally moved right before Thanksgiving and are officially North Carolinians. Talk about mixed emotions about things! It was super exciting to be leaving behind our too small condo and be moving back to NC and to our first real house! But it really is bittersweet to leave the DC area behind. As you are saying goodbye to something, it always makes you take stock of all the good things - most importantly, friends that I am SO bummed to leave and wish I could pack up in a box and take with me. (I tried to convince a few but without much luck!)

Fortunately, our condo complex decided to help us let go by towing my car on the very last night we were parked in our lot. Apparently, its against condo rules to park a car with an expired safety inspection tag (BTW, doesn't that seem odd? I mean, its not like the car was being driven - it was parked! Does the safety inspection cover poor parking or something?). Anyway, Brad and I are always talking about signs and things happening for a reason so we figured that was a sign telling us it was time to hit the road down to NC (after stopping by the tow lot and paying the hefty fee that is!)

So, we made it down to NC and are starting to settle in. There are still boxes everywhere and between Thanksgiving travel, work travel and then Christmas holiday travel, it might be a while until we are truly settled in but at least we are making progress. Come visit all!

We have officially cancelled each other out

By the way, election coverage is ridiculous. Apparently, since the networks have nothing to report on yet, they are trying to "out-technology" each other. "Look at our fancy map, its so impressive!" "Look how we can update our numbers four seconds faster than our competitors, aren't we great?!"

CNN takes the cake though. I am currently watching in awe (and not in a good way!) as Wolf Blitzer in the NY studio is talking with another CNN correspondent who is in Chicago. But he's not talking with her on split-screen like they usually do ... no way man, this is election night, time to bring out the big guns!! Instead, Wolf is talking face to face with a hologram of the other correspondent.

(Click on the pic above to enlarge it so you can fully appreciate the ridiculousness - note the "via hologram" tagline and the blue aura surrounding the correspondent. You can't make this stuff up, people!!)

Seriously, a HOLOGRAM? Is that really necessary? Sheesh.

November is for moving

Well, I think its official. Brad and are moving.

We haven't posted about it yet since I am REALLY superstitious and didn't want to jinx anything. But eventually the word needs to go out! So here it is ....

We're moving. :) Come the end of November, we will officially be North Carolinians. Crazy.

UNC is AP's first unanimous preseason No. 1

Yuck ... http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/27475389/

I heart NY

No matter where Brad and I end up moving, I think I'll always be a New Yorker at heart ... there are definitely things that I miss about the old hometown. At the top of that list are scrumptious NY bagels.

I don't know what it is about NY bagels ... the most common theory is that the NY water makes them taste so good, others say its the cooking method (something about boiling the bagels). I don't know what the reason is but what I do know? ... there are NO good bagels in DC.

I was heading in to work early this morning and thought I'd treat myself to some delish Dunkin Donuts coffee and a bagel. S0, I get to work and go to cut the bagel in half with my little plastic knife ... the knife bends and a sawing sound ensues until I finally am able to tear the bagel apart. Gross.

St. Louie

Brad and I just got back from a weekend in St. Louis. We were in town for my first year b-school roommate’s wedding. It was a fun weekend since Brad and I had not been out to St. Louis before – we did the touristy stuff and walked around the waterfront, saw the big ol’ arch in the middle of downtown and went to the museum which talks all about the western expansion of the US and Lewis and Clark, etc.

The wedding itself was very cool – ceremony was at this gorgeous church downtown and the reception was actually held at Busch Stadium where the Cardinal’s play. It was super fun to be at this fancy reception but in the middle of the baseball stadium – it was a bit cold but you could actually walk outside of the reception hall, right out into the stadium seats overlooking the field. Plus in the reception hall there was all this Cardinal’s championship paraphenalia and Budweiser on tap at the bar (since Bud is brewed in St. Louis). Anyway, another great weekend and a fun chance to explore a new city!

Hampton here we come

We are the proud owners of 2 tix to Phish opening night. We are also slightly poorer as a result.

But as Brad has been telling me "we work to live, not live to work". An excellent rationale from someone who just bought expensive Phish tix without telling me first! Hampton here we come :)

Testosterone

Just got back from Tampa where I was meeting with a new client for work. I realized as I was sitting in the meeting just how much I work in a man’s world. I looked around the conference room table and noted that it was myself and 7 men. The only other woman that we encountered was on our way into the client’s office when we passed by his secretary’s desk. And not only was I surrounded by men, but they were all older and several were retired or active military. The client himself is an active duty marine who was wearing his uniform and had intentionally rolled his sleeves up to reveal bulging biceps.

Let’s just say that the atmosphere in the room oozed testosterone!

I don’t know why I mention it, just really thought it was interesting, I guess... I’ve always been fascinated by the male/female dynamics at play in situations. A few of the guys and I went out to lunch after the meeting and the conversation focused on baseball and sports the entire time. Everyone but me had their steaks or burgers while I had some fish and veggies. Two of the guys talked about how their wives were pregnant and it was just sort of mentioned in passing – obviously, a big deal in their personal lives but the dynamics of balancing work with a new baby didn't seem to be an overwhelming concern.

Do you know that in the US in 2006 less than a third of the leading 1,500 companies had even a single woman among their top execs? Research shows that the dearth of women in leadership positions has to do with many factors, one of which is the way women present themselves ...

Typically we don't promote or market ourselves as much as men do (and when women do promote themselves, it's perceived as aggressive or bitchy); we're more hesitant to speak up in meetings; don't utilize networks as much to our advantage (for the most part, women tend to form deeper relationships whereas men have shallower, broader networks that they can use to their advantage more often). Fascinating stuff. Obviously, those are all broad generalizations and there are plenty of men and plenty of women who break the norms.

But I have to say that I read some of those studies and am absolutely amazed that I can call myself out on all of those issues. Not actively promoting myself? Check. Reluctance to speak out? Check. Deep but not necessarily broad network? Check.

Other studies show that women are more motivated by the "meaning" in their work. (Um, big check there!) And that women are twice as likely to get depressed, suffer emotional ups and downs more intensely then men and therefore, tend to burn out easier. Yikes.

Ok, a long post simply motivated by a testosterone filled meeting but interesting stuff!

Phish!

Woo hoo, Phish is back. Hampton Colliseum. March 6, 7, 8, 2009.

Needless to say, we are EXCITED. And already crossing our fingers that we can get tickets for at least one night.

Might be tough though since we are clearly not the only ones that are excited ... this morning, "Phish" and "Hampton Colliseum" were the top 2 searches on Google. Yes, there is a hotly contested election going on and financial markets are on the brink of disaster but when Phish announces a reunion tour, people want to read about it!

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Every once in a while one of those forwarded e-mails comes through that I really like. Here's one from today which I thought was poignant ...

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Six-year-old Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while afterwards, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane piped up, 'I know why.' What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Misery loves company

I decided a long time ago that migraines are one of the most evil of creations. For anyone that suffers from them, you know what I'm talking about. Well, on the "Today Show" the other day they did a segment on migraines and, because misery does indeed love company, I thought I'd post some of the interesting factoids:

• Thirty million people in the United States get migraines. If you don’t get them, you certainly know someone who does: One in ten people in this country is a migraineur (a person who gets migraines), and one in four American households include a migraineur.

• Migraine is the ninth-leading cause of disability among women, and the nineteenth most-common disability in the world, more common than diabetes or asthma.

• It’s also one of the most painful and debilitating. The throbbing head pain and nausea can knock you out of commission, sometimes for days. More than 76 percent of migraineurs have had to postpone planned activities with children and other loved ones because of migraine sickness, and 50 percent say they can’t do anything at all but lie in their beds during an attack. (that'd be me!)

• Migraine runs up more than $1 billion a year in health costs and at least $13 billion in losses to industry due to absenteeism and reduced effectiveness at work.

Wow! My other favorite migraine study that I read recently was about a potential link between Botox injections and migraine prevention. So, perhaps if they perfect that link one day I can be migraine and wrinkle free :)

Duke pics

As promised, a few Duke pics that Brad took of the Duke Chapel when we were in town this past weekend ...

Catch-up!

So, a quick catch-up post to say where we've been of late...

We finally were able to coordinate schedules with Kiera and Ryan and go visit them in Richmond, VA at their new abode. Their new house is absolutely GORGEOUS! Just perfect for their family and I've decided that I want to go live in their kitchen. There's certainly plenty of room in there (and the cabinets make a perfect home, as Natalie so kindly showed us :)

We also went down to NC last weekend. We were in Durham one day and introduced our dog, Duke, to his namesake Duke U. (A couple of cool pics to come in the next post! ) After that we headed to Chapel Hill one night to attend a concert that one of Brad's friends from Duke, Chris Boerner, was performing at. It was a great show and fun to be back at the Cat's Cradle where we used to hang out back in college!

Here's Chris rocking out on the guitar!:


And the lead singer of Chris's band, Mosadi:

Giving ourselves a pat on the back

Ok, so Brad and I are quite proud of ourselves :) We just finished the last of the renovations on our condo so thought we deserved a pat on the back - enjoy the "before and after" pics! (you should be able to click on each pic to see a bigger version)



The kitchen turned out to be one of my favorite transformations:



And no, your eyes are not deceiving you on that last picture -- the walk-in closet in our master bedroom was indeed used as a baby nursery by the previous owners (complete with pink paint and animal wallpaper). Brad did an amazing job transforming the nursery in to the best closet ever!