Episode 46: May 2009
Highlights of the month:
• Deb’s “Girls Week” in San Diego;
• Our wedding anniversary weekend in Traverse City.
In early March we got the great news that my girlfriend in Australia, Andrea, is marrying her sweetheart, Chris, this December. Andrew asked our friend, Natalie, and I to be bridesmaids in the wedding. I could not be happier for Andrea, and it is my honor to be part of her special day. To be honest, I was a little sad that both of her bridesmaids live in the U.S. (I am in Michigan and Natalie lives in San Diego) and could not help with the planning of the big day. So, we decided to solve that problem by meeting up for a raucous “Girls Week” in San Diego.
I arrived a few days after Andrea, but once I got there, we were inseparable. While Natalie was working a few of the days, Andrea and I did a little sightseeing. We visited an outlet mall for some retail therapy, went to Sea World and even had lunch with the famous killer whale, Shamu, drove to Mission Beach, and took a ferry from Coronado to downtown San Diego.
Natalie lives at YMCA’s Camp Surf, where she is one of the directors. We took advantage of the wonderful surroundings by taking long walks on the beach, surfing, and enjoying the ocean view. The three of us reminisced about our high school days and how much our lives have changed since then. When we were not doing that, we were shopping for the wedding. We spent a day choosing our bridesmaid dresses – most of the fun was trying on every variety and color possible before we found the one that the three of us liked the most. We also bought our shoes and, thanks to one of Natalie’s jewelry-making friends, got our jewelry handmade to match our dresses. After all the shopping, the three of us spent a full day driving the California coast, starting in Encinitas (about 120 miles from Camp Surf’s site in Imperial Beach) and stopping along the way in towns like La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Coronado to see the sites. Overall, it was a very productive, relaxing, and memorable week spent with two of my dearest friends.
While I was away, Neal had an adventure of his own. Dow took the big decision to restructure its balance sheet by initiating one of the largest (if not the largest) debt and equity transactions in its history. This led to many sleepless nights (literally) for Neal and the small team of people involved in executing the deals. So, Neal did not have as much fun as I did, but on the bright side, he did not have to worry about having time to miss me while I was gone!
The weekend after I got back from San Diego, Neal and I took another adventure. We drove north to the town of Traverse City. Although we have visited the town before, it remains one of our favorite places in Michigan, as it has the perfect combination of waterfront (the town sits on a bay that feeds into Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes), pretty scenery, and a quaint township that comes alive in the summer months. The weekend coincided with our three-year wedding anniversary, and Neal decided to celebrate it by re-tracing our travels in the area when we first visited seven years ago as a newly-dating couple. The weekend was a lovely, relaxing trip down memory lane.
One of our other adventures in the month saw us heading to a baseball game to support our local minor league team: the Great Lakes Loons. We are pleased to report that this year the Loons are actually doing pretty well, compared with horrendous losing records the past two years. The event was a catered recognition event for the finance team that worked on Dow’s refinancing activities while I was in San Diego.
During the game, we decided that I need a new ring tone for my mobile (cell) phone. The competition is officially open to anyone that can come up with a tone that makes me dance while also telling a story at the same time. The leading contender at the moment is Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” If anyone has any ideas, please send them through!
Until then, take care!
