One Magical Freaking Trip

At this point, if I even make it on the plane, I'm going to consider it a miracle.

I don't think I've had a more frustrating travel experience than the one I haven't had yet; I leave for Orlando tomorrow, and the planning process has been a complete nightmare.

It all started when my boss agreed to send me to a Communications and Social Media conference in Disneyworld. I was stoked! I've never been to Florida, never mind Disneyworld. My inner child freaked out just a little bit. And my outer adult freaked out a lot.

After I paid the conference fee, I realized I paid more than the price the conference brochure stated. So I called a conference organizer, who offered me a free $350 workshop to make up for it. I had to alter my travel plans to accommodate this new freebie, but I accepted since it was a better deal than the price difference I initially called about. And then I didn't get any confirmation about my workshop attendance.

After a week of hounding the guy that made the offer, he finally sent me an email proving he had indeed offered this.

After all of that, I then received another email promoting an even cheaper rate for this conference. So my co-worker (who is also coming with me) and I called to say, "What the heck is the real price of this conference? You need to give us your best deal, refund the extra, while honoring your workshop freebie." So they finally honored our request, but it took speaking with a few people to make it happen.

Now, this is where it just starts getting ridiculous. When I called to book my hotel, I got one of the most computer-illiterate "cast members" to assist me. After being on the phone with her for one whole hour, she lost my information several times after entering it into the system, and she kept mixing up which hotel I was trying to stay at due to all of the "magical" enhancements their computer system was going through. By the end of the conversation, I was told that I was staying at the hotel in which the conference was being held.

But over the weekend, I was mailed a confirmation stating that I was booked at a completely different resort. It was in a location that would have forced me to get a rental car, since it was so far from everything. After being on the phone for another half day, and speaking with two different "cast members," Disneyworld made it right and got me booked at the correct hotel.

And I wish my story ended there. But it doesn't.

Southwest Airlines apparently needs God to beam down a stone tablet blessed in holy water in order to change your last name on your frequent flier account. I called to change it, but they actually need me to fax my certified marriage certificate, along with a bunch of other identifying information. I asked if I could email it, since fax machines are so 1989. The woman I spoke with exclaimed that email was completely out of the question. She was almost appalled that I would suggest such an efficient communication method.

You know what Alaska Airlines did for me when I needed to change my name on my mileage plan? They just changed it over the freaking phone.

In the process of writing down step number 20 from the Southwest rep, she decided she was going to hyphenate my last name on my account. But not only that, in her hyphenating process, she transposed my married and maiden name. So this morning, when I went to check in for my flight, the website wouldn't let me. I could not figure out why the site wasn't accepting anything other than my legal, married name, which I used to book my flight.

When I called Southwest for help, the new, less derpy, call center employee, was able to change my name back to Hana Medina so that I could finish checking in. So here's my question: If Southwest can change the name on my ticket with a simple phone call (and without verifying any identifying information), why couldn't they just change my damn frequent flier account? I don't get it.

When I return, I'm going to have to fax Southwest all of my documents, and a plea that they give me credit for all of the flights I'm taking this week. After that, Southwest will be joining United Airlines on my "Airlines to Avoid" list.

Tomorrow, I leave my house at 4 a.m. to go to one of the "happiest" places on earth. If anything else goes wrong, I'm just going to contact Murphy himself and say, "Why have you cursed me?!" But that means I'll probably have to dial a 1-800 number and speak to four different agents before I actually get Murphy.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but in the words of a Disneyworld call center agent, I hope I have a "magical trip!"

Bring on 2013!

Happy New Year! I'm officially 28 going on 89; I didn't even make it to midnight last night. I had one glass of wine and passed out on the couch watching "Wedding Crashers" on rerun. I woke up at midnight to husband giving me kisses saying, "Happy New Year!"

Granted, I wasn't really setting myself up for success - I had retreated to sweats and my bathrobe prior to turning on the fire place and curling up with a blanket on the couch. That doesn't exactly scream "party all night."

Since our Christmas was so busy (as in, visit-six-different-homes-in-three-days busy) Husband and I opted not to do anything. Our Christmas was fun, but I have grown to appreciate not doing anything in my advancing age.

But my intent was not to talk about being an old lady as much as it was to discuss resolutions! It's that time of year where we start making promises to become better versions of ourselves. I'm not sure that I'm better than I was in years prior, but I've certainly accomplished a challenging task or three, and I've gotta say, that nothing gives you more of a sense of purpose knowing you can do something you set your mind to. 

Whether you are a resolution nerd like me, or think they're a bunch of baloney, I think the trick is finding resolutions that are realistic, but right on the edge of pushing yourself. I also have found that declaring resolutions publicly make me more inclined to accomplish them. 

This season, I had some trouble picking them out, which is why my list is a tad bit long. But I've settled on the following (in no particular order):

1. Do a DIY furniture project - with all the HGTV and Pinterest I consume, I think it's time I bring some of that into real life (and perhaps repair a few of Chika's "design elements" she ingrained in our furniture). 
2. Find time once a week to be creative for ME. This can take the form of playing guitar or updating my blog, or writing in a journal. Whatever I do, it cannot be creation for work purposes. I need to re-connect with expressing myself, and not my company's objectives, on a regular basis. 
3. Stay dedicated to living a healthy life style. I accomplished quite a bit in 2012 and I can't hop off the boat now. 
1. (Yes, I have a subpoint as a resolution). Get into a new arm balance and/or headstand in yoga. I was aiming for side crow and then I figured out how to do it a few weeks ago so now I've got to find another one. Normally I practice headstands against a wall, but I was getting cocky and tried in front of our TV and almost knocked it over. Keep your fingers crossed this isn't the objective that sends me back to the ER. 
4. Live mindfully. This is certainly harder to measure, but just always checking myself that my words, actions are all done with intent and kindness (Husband is probably rolling his eyes at this one).

So that's it for 2013. I think this year will be fantastic. I'm excited to live day-by-day instead of focusing on wedding planning, which consumed much of 2012. We're going to be traveling to Spain towards the end of summer and it's a trip I've wanted to take for years! I can't wait. It's time to start living life.  

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but resolutions might if I keep letting my ego let me do headstands in front of unstable objects. Or if a Pinterest project goes awry. Pray for me. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Ya ain't neva had a friend like me! Yrrgghhrrrrrghhryyyy!

It's a typical Thursday night in December: I have Hanson's "Snowed In" album on blast, and I'm singing along, louder than Taylor, while forcing my dog to dance with me. Husband has escaped to the kitchen, to pour yet another glass of wine (Was that a shudder?). It's Christmas time!

Last holiday season, I overloaded my calendar by saying yes to every invite that came my way. The dates were smothered in gatherings, obligations and so much "holiday cheer" that I was ready to choke someone out with a holiday doily.

Now that I'm older and wiser (and married), I'm being a bit more mindful of my sanity (because we all know that affects husband's sanity, and we can't have two Grinches during the holidays). I still want to get all merry and shit with everyone, but I also want to prioritize "us" time, since this is our first Christmas as husband and wife.

So I decided to host one holiday party with our friends this season, and that's it. I’m making folks come to us, rather than running around and trying to make everyone else's Christmas parties (sorry friends - your turn to run amok). And we're not just having any holiday party; we're having an Ugly Sweater/Wine and Cheese party! (And get a load of these earrings I found to match my sweater - practically stolen off the lobes of your Nanna!)

The only time of year to hang felt balls from your head. That's the next rule after: Don't wear white past Labor Day.

The result? I’m actually enjoying the holiday season rather than counting down until the New Year. I’ve even tuned the radio in my car (and Husband’s) to the 24-hour Christmas music station. Yup -- I’m that obnoxious.

But I can’t say Husband isn’t enjoying the holidays -- he actually participated in decorating our Charlie Brown tree for the first time this year since he finally had some of his own ornaments to display. His mom was very quick to send Chewbacca home with us so that it never touched the limbs of her holiday foliage again. Chewy's displayed on our tree right next to the childhood ornament my own mother loathed for years -- Genie from Aladdin.

Now, Chewbacca and Genie are best friends and are total Christmas staples in our household. They can experience the holidays in a home that not only accepts their holiday status, but also celebrates it. And the best part is that we'll never have to vote on whether or not they have the right to unite with the tree.

This holiday season is full of acceptance; acceptance of previously shunned ornaments, acceptance of limits, and accepting that saying yes to everything is the fastest way to become a career alcoholic.

Fun fact: In writing this article, my browser history would have revealed Google searches for doily, nanna, chewbacca, and "how to spell wookie sounds." Only that combination could ever be found on this blog.  Merry Christmas! 

What I Did During My Three-Month Blog Break

Why hello, Sticks and Stoners! First off, my apologies for taking a three-month hiatus from this blog without warning. Life got a little too hectic the closer I got to my wedding and it hasn’t really slowed down since. But today, I’m taking a breather. It’s the first and probably last time I’ll ever have Black Friday off  from work, and I’m happy to report that I’m not out shopping, but working to catch up with you (whoever you might be)!  

This year has been absolutely hectic and absolutely wonderful. I can’t possibly fill you in on every little detail of my absence, so in true Sticks and Stones style, I’m going to give you a drink from the fire hose:

I married a unicorn ;)

My wedding was absolutely the best day ever! In addition marrying my most favorite person in the whole wide world, nothing went wrong. Not a single thing. We were so blessed to have so much help from our friends and family, and so many people came out of the woodwork to offer their services for free (why hello  there, day-of coordinators, beer brewer and videographers)! Did I mention that we were having unreasonably warm weather in Seattle and I got a 70-degree, sunny day for my October wedding? And my favorite part is that everyone had an absolute blast. I had a lot of people tell me it was one of the most fun weddings they had ever attended, which really made me feel like all of that planning paid off. AND I didn’t turn into a bridezilla, which means I accomplished my ultimate New Year’s resolution (I can only thank yoga for that, really)!

Husband (he’s got a new blog name!) and I flew to Cabo San Lucas for our honeymoon! Minus the unexpected delay in getting there (thanks a lot, Alaska airlines – I’m not even going here because I’m still irked) and the mini-hurricane we experienced there (we went there because I thought Cabo didn’t get hurricanes), we had a blast! My favorite activity we did was ziplining, but we also had fun riding ATVs and camels.  And of course, tanning, swimming, eating, drinking and being honeymooners.

Bandita!

When I went back to work from my honeymoon, I returned to all kinds of craziness. In addition to being unexpectedly short-staffed, I got asked to fly out and write a last-minute story on how Hurricane Sandy affected our employees and our company. I’m going to write a separate entry about my Hurricane Sandy experience because it’s too much to fit in this catch-all post. But all I can say, is that it was very humbling to speak with the victims, and it really put a lot into perspective. Seeing others hurting after this storm was pretty emotional for me, nevermind the people who are still living through it. But I’m thankful for all of the humbling experiences, because I have come out of each one with a clearer view on what is important and not important in life. They have all taught me to focus on the people (and puppies) that I love, and nothing more. At the end of the day, it’s all about taking care of ourselves and each other.

Speaking of story writing, I feel that my hiatus from this blog has caused my day-job writing to suffer. Granted, I’ve had a million things going on the past few months, but it felt like all of my creative energy wasn’t being let out and so I could only create word vomit at work. So one of my resolutions for the upcoming year will be to focus on my writing, more specifically, writing for me, and that will certainly give you more blog candy to gobble!

I promise, I'll never fly out again - Woohoo!!!!

So in a nutshell, that’s what I’ve been up to. Of course there’s more detail to it than that, so stay tuned for some more regular posts! I’ve got a few up my sleeve. Including another rant about hating Black Friday…

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but taking blog hiatuses quells my inner-creativity.